Identifying the NBA’s next wave of front-office executives

A wave of front-office turnover is on the horizon. There’s nothing stopping it, with the relentless nature of today’s NBA version of musical chairs. This newfound parity across the league, with so many franchises harboring expectations to win, also presents expectations that many are bound to fall short of reaching. Forget about only one champion being crowned each June; only four teams can advance beyond the second round in May.

This summer, we saw several head coaches dismissed after their clubs’ respective seasons ended in disappointment. League personnel and search firms around the industry are prepared to face a similar trend at the team executive level over the next 12 to 24 months. Therein lies the NBA’s circle of life. Once a general manager terminates the man leading his sideline, the spotlight can shift up the ladder the next time a guillotine has to fall.

But such turnover also represents the grounds for someone’s second chance at the first chair, or for a rising front-office figure to land that first crack at leading a basketball operations department. Identifying the next in line, the next candidates who will be considered for your team’s front-office vacancy, has become as much of a scouting drill as teams scouring the game’s next generation of talented players.

What comprises the profile of a future lead executive, though, is a bit more nuanced than spotting on-court talent capable of shouldering a contender. The general manager’s job is not the same from person to person, as different strengths can shape the direction of staffs around a chief executive to supplement that leader’s admitted weaknesses. The market for each franchise also makes the position different from team to team, where the front office of a glitzy, superstar destination can operate much differently from a smaller market group, which must strategize against those inherent disadvantages. What could be most differentiating is the ownership group’s intended timeline. Whether that franchise wants to compete for the title or the playoffs are different tasks, let alone balancing winning and rebuilding.

Two years ago, when we last embarked on this exercise, six executives listed among the league’s next GM candidates have since been elevated in significant fashion. Calvin Booth took over the reins in Denver, Landry Fields in Atlanta, and Mike Dunleavy rose to the top chair in Golden State. Michael Winger, the new Wizards president, and his trusted general manager, Will Dawkins, were also identified by league figures as executives who were next in line. Two more primary names from two seasons ago, Trajan Langdon and Milt Newton, were the pair of other known candidates for the Wizards’ post. The idea of former Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey joining the Mavericks’ front office under Nico Harrison, which came to fruition in April, was also mentioned.

For this year’s round of polling, Yahoo Sports consulted with over two dozen league personnel to compile the NBA’s next batch of front-office risers.

Another opportunity

The early word surrounding Bob Myers’ departure from Golden State featured as much discussion about Myers’ next position as whether he would truly depart the Warriors. And as long as Jerry West remains affiliated with the Clippers, Myers’ name will be connected to Los Angeles, stemming from their close relationship and shared days in Golden State. Myers’ name will likely be connected to any job that opens in the coming months, if that team has aspirations of competing for a championship. That search would be an incomplete process without contacting the architect of four Golden State title teams.

Lindsey’s return to the front-office ranks, and the Mavericks’ potential to win big around Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, should place the former Utah lead executive back in the interview pool in the foreseeable future as well. It is a phenomenon across professional sports, that winning leads to rival teams wanting to poach the minds who built and coached successful rosters. For that matter, Sacramento’s turnaround has league personnel pinpointing Kings assistant general manager Wes Wilcox as another strong candidate to receive a second chance as a team’s lead decision-maker. Wilcox has refashioned himself as an ideal complement to Kings general manager Monte McNair after leading the Hawks, helping to build the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs after Sacramento’s 16-season postseason drought.

Rob Hennigan is expected to garner interest of his own as Oklahoma City reemerges in the perennial playoff picture over the next few seasons behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the talented young Thunder. Hennigan had his first shot leading a front office with Orlando from 2012-17 and has since returned to OKC, where he was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2020.

General managers rising to president

Langdon, a Duke product, has developed a sterling reputation as an international and domestic scouting eye after playing much of his professional career for CSKA Moscow. After assisting Sean Marks in Brooklyn, Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin tapped Langdon as his general manager and second in command in 2019. NBA figures have long looked at Langdon as one of the league’s next lead decision-makers, well before he was a candidate for this summer’s Washington job.

Raptors general manager Bobby Webster will continue to draw interest from rival teams while he serves as Toronto’s No. 2 behind president Masai Ujiri. Webster spent seven years in the league office, where he counseled all 30 teams on navigating the NBA’s complicated salary cap.

Cleveland general manager Mike Gansey has made a considerable impression among league executives for his interpersonal strengths and overall grasp of the NBA marketplace. Gansey played half a decade overseas after going undrafted out of West Virginia. Under president Koby Altman, he’s aided the Cavaliers’ aggressive jump back into the Eastern Conference postseason picture, swiping All-Star center Jarrett Allen from the wonky four-team James Harden trade in 2021 and surprising the league with the Cavs’ blockbuster acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. The team also made two strong signings this offseason in Max Strus and Georges Niang.

Trent Redden, now the Clippers’ general manager after Winger’s departure to Washington, inherits the same runway as Winger did. Redden could gain notoriety from a strategy perspective under president Lawrence Frank, as Los Angeles navigates the final guaranteed years of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s contracts. Elton Brand was the Sixers’ chief executive until Philadelphia hired Daryl Morey as team president. Brand, still the Sixers’ GM and another Duke product, will continue to draw consideration from teams after handling only a limited run as the Sixers’ No. 1. Bulls general manager Marc Eversley, a former Nike executive, is another longtime front-office figure in line to be interviewed for a leading chair.

Respected mainstays

There are several veteran executives who have spent their entire careers with one shop and have been mentioned in this discussion for the better part of the past decade. Celtics vice president Mike Zarren has spent two decades in Boston with a smattering of external interviews in between. Zarren was notably a finalist for the 2013 Sixers job that ultimately went to Sam Hinkie. Then there are Miami Heat lieutenants Andy Elisburg and Adam Simon, who have aided team president Pat Riley over a lengthy window of success in the Eastern Conference.

Next generation

Brooklyn assistant general manager Jeff Peterson has emerged as one of the most respected young executives in the NBA. Peterson is hailed for his authenticity, particularly in his ability to communicate up and down the organizational chart. In 2020, Peterson interviewed for the Pistons’ general manager opening. And with a new ownership structure in Charlotte, should the Hornets ultimately move on from Mitch Kupchak after the final year of his contract, Peterson has become widely linked by league personnel as a possible next lead executive in Charlotte. BJ Johnson, formerly of USA Basketball, is another well-regarded young Nets staffer, who was recently considered for a prominent role in Portland’s front office.

Bryson Graham, the Pelicans’ assistant general manager, has served as an integral member of New Orleans’ scouting department. Graham would be in prime position to replace Langdon as New Orleans’ second in command should the Pelicans’ current general manager ultimately find his own operation to spearhead. And league figures expect there will be other external opportunities for Graham in the coming seasons as well.

Cap and strategy

Knicks vice president Brock Aller has been mentioned often by NBA figures for his key role as strategist for New York under president Leon Rose. Aller joined the Knicks after rising through Cleveland’s front office and Detroit’s before that. Onsi Saleh, Golden State’s lead strategist, was a trusted right hand for Myers and continues to play a key role in Dunleavy’s new regime. There’s also JJ Polk, Chicago’s assistant general manager, who is said to play a significant part of the Bulls’ strategy and contract work. Hornets assistant general manager David Duquette has also stood out to several league officials for his strategy acumen.

Analytics guys

Peter Dinwiddie, Philadelphia’s executive vice president, consistently ranks as one of the most heralded analytics-minded front-office figures in the NBA. Dinwiddie has been a finalist for several positions in the past, most notably Memphis and Milwaukee. Tommy Balcetis, assistant general manager for the reigning champion Nuggets, is also expected to be considered for the next round of openings. And despite the Rockets’ bumpy rebuild, Houston assistant general manager Eli Witus also registered strong support among various league personnel to pilot his own program, with several league figures pinning Witus as their choice for the smartest front-office figure in the league.

Former players

Tayshaun Prince serves a critical role within the Grizzlies’ front office, and has already received inquiries about leading other franchises. Jameer Nelson, the former All-Star point guard, has become a valued member of Philadelphia’s front office, cutting his teeth primarily with the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Acie Law, drafted No. 11 in 2007, was mentioned by a collection of NBA figures. Law appears in line for greater responsibility with OKC after Dawkins left to join the Wizards. Like Law, Denver’s director of scouting, Drew Nicholas, has impressed with his talent evaluation. Nicholas played a decade of overseas ball and is a trusted member of Booth’s front office. Paul Johnson, once the team captain at La Salle University, has gone on to a successful basketball operations career, first with OKC and now with Sacramento. Along with aiding the Kings’ climb back to the playoffs, Johnson was named G League Executive of the Year for his work steering the Stockton Kings.

The agents

CAA player representative Austin Brown has been a mainstay of this conversation for some time. Brown was another candidate for the Bulls’ lead job in 2020. Two other names that were mentioned by league personnel as agents with the ability to pivot into the front office, like Myers, Rose and Rob Pelinka before them: Jason Glushon and Todd Ramasar. And while he is not on the agency side, keep an eye on Kirk Berger someday shifting into a front office. As counsel at the players’ union who has been mentioned among potential hires under several recently named lead executives, Berger has rebuffed overtures to date.