Longest-Tenured NBA GMs/Presidents
As we noted earlier this week when we listed the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches, there were several changes in the coaching ranks this spring, but none of those changes impacted the 10 head coaches who had been employed the longest. There hasn’t been quite the same level of continuity in NBA front offices, however.
Since we put together last summer’s list of the league’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations, Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld and Pelicans general manager Dell Demps are among the top executives who have been replaced.
Grunfeld had been the NBA’s fifth longest-tenured head of basketball operations, having been Washington’s top decision-maker since 2003. Demps had been in his position since 2010 and ranked in the top 10 too. Other displaced top execs such as Ryan McDonough (Suns), Chris Wallace (Grizzlies), and Tom Thibodeau (Timberwolves) had also held their jobs for several years.
In other words, this year’s list of the NBA’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations features some new faces.
While only one person holds a team’s head coaching job, that same team could carry a variety of front office executives with titles like general manager, president of basketball operations, or executive VP of basketball operations. In some cases, it’s not always which clear which executive should be considered the club’s head of basketball operations, or which one has the ultimate final say on roster decisions. That distinction becomes even more nebulous when taking into account team ownership.
For our list of the longest-tenured GMs/presidents in the NBA, we’ve done our best to identify the top exec in each front office, but if a situation isn’t entirely clear-cut, we’ve made a note below.
Without further ado, here’s the list of the NBA’s longest-tenured heads of basketball operations, along with their respective titles and the dates they were hired or promoted:
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs (president): May 31, 1994
- R.C. Buford has had a significant voice in personnel moves since becoming GM in 2002 (he was promoted to CEO this year), but Popovich still has final say on those decisions.
- R.C. Buford has had a significant voice in personnel moves since becoming GM in 2002 (he was promoted to CEO this year), but Popovich still has final say on those decisions.
- Pat Riley, Heat (president): September 2, 1995
- John Paxson, Bulls (executive VP): April 14, 2003
- GM Gar Forman has played a major part in personnel decisions since his hiring in 2009, but Paxson is still viewed as the head of basketball operations, reporting only to ownership.
- Danny Ainge, Celtics (president): May 9, 2003
- Donn Nelson, Mavericks (GM/president): March 19, 2005
- Owner Mark Cuban is also heavily involved in basketball decisions and ultimately has final say.
- Daryl Morey, Rockets (GM): May 6, 2007
- Sam Presti, Thunder (GM/executive VP): June 7, 2007
- Bob Myers, Warriors (GM/president): April 24, 2012
- Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers (president): June 4, 2012
- Dennis Lindsey, Jazz (GM): August 7, 2012
- Masai Ujiri, Raptors (president): May 31, 2013
- Tim Connelly, Nuggets (president): June 17, 2013
- Vlade Divac, Kings (GM): March 3, 2015
- Sean Marks, Nets (GM): February 18, 2016
- Kevin Pritchard, Pacers (president): May 1, 2017
- Jeff Weltman, Magic (president): May 22, 2017
- Travis Schlenk, Hawks (GM): May 25, 2017
- Jon Horst, Bucks (GM): June 16, 2017
- Koby Altman, Cavaliers (GM): June 19, 2017
- Steve Mills, Knicks (president): June 28, 2017
- Lawrence Frank, Clippers (president): August 4, 2017
- Mitch Kupchak, Hornets (GM/president): April 8, 2018
- Ed Stefanski, Pistons (senior advisor): May 24, 2018
- Elton Brand, Sixers (GM): September 18, 2018
- Tommy Sheppard, Wizards (GM): April 2, 2019
- Sheppard assumed the job on an interim basis on April 2, 2019. He was named the permanent GM on July 22, 2019.
- Rob Pelinka, Lakers (GM): April 9, 2019
- Pelinka has been the Lakers’ GM since February 2017, but was below Magic Johnson in the front office hierarchy until Johnson resigned on April 9, 2019.
- James Jones, Suns (GM): April 11, 2019
- Jones began serving as the Suns’ co-interim GM alongside Trevor Bukstein in October 2018, but was named the lone, permanent head of basketball operations on April 11, 2019.
- Zach Kleiman, Grizzlies (executive VP): April 11, 2019
- Jason Wexler was named team president on April 11, 2019 and oversees both the basketball and business operations. However, Kleiman is viewed as Memphis’ primary basketball decision-maker.
- David Griffin, Pelicans (executive VP): April 17, 2019
- Gersson Rosas, Timberwolves (president): May 3, 2019
Information from Basketball-Reference was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Six NBA Players On Australia’s World Cup Roster
Team Australia has formally announced its 12-man roster for the 2019 World Cup, and the group features six NBA players.
Aron Baynes (Suns), Joe Ingles (Jazz), Patty Mills (Spurs), Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers), and Jonah Bolden (Sixers) are part of the 12-man squad. So is former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, who is technically back under contract with the NBL’s Sydney Kings, but was part of the Warriors team that appeared in the NBA Finals this spring.
Australia’s roster is rounded out by NBL players Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Nathan Sobey, and Nicholas Kay, along with Jock Landale and Xavier Cooks. Landale currently plays for Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, while Cooks is a member of SIG Strasbourg in France.
Although Team Australia has a strong roster, there are no guarantees that the squad will make a deep run in next month’s event. The Boomers finds themselves in Group H, which features a handful of tough competitors — Lithuania, Canada, and Senegal. Only the top two teams will advance to the second round.
Details On Hornets’ Offer To Kemba Walker
When Kemba Walker became a free agent this summer, he was eligible for a super-max offer from the Hornets that would have been worth $221.6MM over five years. While an offer in that range was always considered unlikely, a standard maximum-salary offer from Charlotte would have paid the All-NBA point guard $189.9MM over five years.
However, in late June, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported that the Hornets’ offer to Walker was “somewhere in the ballpark of $160MM-plus” (link via NBC Sports). And according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the team’s best offer wasn’t even quite that strong. League sources tell Charania that Charlotte’s best five-year offer to Walker came in just under $160MM, which frustrated the 29-year-old.
“Tough days, f—ing tough days, I can’t even lie,” Walker told Charania, referring to his free agency. “Excuse my language. It was difficult. I couldn’t see myself just being on another team. It was just hard. That’s all I’ve known was Charlotte. Definitely some tough times. I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to get the offer that I wanted, and maybe not close to it, because of cap space. I had to get my head wrapped around the feeling and picking another team.”
The Celtics didn’t initially project to have the cap room necessary to sign a player like Walker, but with Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, and others on the way out, the team gained increased flexibility. Kemba, meanwhile, became increasingly bullish on the idea of joining the C’s, with their proximity to his alma mater of UConn among the many factors that appealed to him, per Charania.
Walker ultimately landed in Boston on a four-year, $140.8MM contract, which didn’t match the overall value of Charlotte’s offer, but was a stronger deal on a per-year basis. Although it was bittersweet to leave the Hornets, the three-time All-Star said he understands “the business side of things” and isn’t upset about the way his old team handled things.
“I’m not mad at M.J. (Hornets owner Michael Jordan) or the organization for anything,” Walker told Charania. “I understand it. You have to look at both sides at the end of the day. Could M.J. have went over the luxury tax? Yeah, he could have. But why?
“At the end of the day, you have to see both sides of it. That’s what helped me wrap my head around not being around Charlotte anymore. I loved Charlotte. I had to shift my mindset more as free agency got close. I had some priorities and places I wanted to go and didn’t want to go if I didn’t stay in Charlotte, and that’s when Boston even came on the scene.”
Tony Wroten’s Journey Will Continue In Europe
Every basketball player is told at some point that they can no longer play the game. It could be a coach telling you that you didn’t make the team, an organization deciding to go in a different direction, or simply the voice in your head telling you that risk of injury is too great at a certain age. It’s an inevitable message, one that Tony Wroten isn’t ready to hear yet.
Wroten’s basketball journey takes another turn with the former first-round pick set to play for a new European team next season
(Note: Croatian team KK Zadar announced the signing of Wroten on its website, but multiple reports since then have indicated he’s on track to land instead with Polish club Anwil Wloclawek.)
Wroten is no stranger to international play. He suited up for BC Kalev/Cramo in Estonia last season, an experience he said helped him to improve.
“Obviously, Europe in general is different than the States,” the 6’5″ combo guard told Hoops Rumors during the Wizards’ pre-Summer League training camp earlier this offseason. “Even basketball. The basketball is different, the culture, it was a learning experience. I was able to learn things about myself and get better both mentally and physically on and off the court. I really think that helped me to get to where I am now.”
Injuries have stunted Wroten’s growth as a player. He tore his ACL early in the 2014/15 season while playing for Philadelphia but was able to work his way back to the court in December of 2015. The Sixers waived him on Christmas Eve—just eight games into his comeback campaign—and he hasn’t played in an NBA game since.
Wroten said he felt like his health was finally back to 100 percent while speaking to Hoops Rumors at the Wizards’ camp back in June. He was impressive during the three-day event, displaying athleticism, passion, and leadership, at least during the media portion of drills.
“Being a professional, I know I’m not perfect. I’m trying to work on every single thing,” Wroten said with a mix of conviction and urgency. “In the NBA, it’s the best of the best and you have to pretty much have no weaknesses if you’re going to be a star in the league.”
Wroten still has ambitions to continue his career in the NBA. Sources told Hoops Rumors earlier this summer that the 26-year-old was under consideration for an NBA roster spot in at least one organization.
Instead of returning to the league, Wroten will spend another season in a situation that will require him to learn on the fly. Last year, he had to adjust to the the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League, which has a reputation for not being kind to scorers due to slightly different restrictions and rules in the paint. Wroten figured it out, averaging 19.6 points per game during his final five contests in Eastern Europe, all while playing in an environment that was much different than in any of his previous stops.
“In the States, no one is beating the drums all game and throwing things on the floor. [The European fans] are really passionate. It’s just a different kind of passion the NBA vs. Europe,” Wroten explained.
Among the other players on BC Kalev/Cramo’s roster last season? Arnett Moultrie. Yes, former NBA player Arnett Moultrie, who was Wroten’s teammate on the 2013/14 Sixers.
The duo played together for just one NBA season, as Moultrie was traded to New York in 2014. In return, the Sixers took back Travis Outlaw and netted a 2018 second-rounder and a 2019 pick that ended up being the No. 33 overall selection—the Sixers packaged this pick with its first-rounder to move up and select University of Washington’s Matisse Thybulle.
“Being there since the start of The Process, [through the] bad years, and for them to be in the playoffs and close to the Eastern Conference Finals, it just shows the trust [the organization] has in the team and the players behind [Joel] Embiid,” said Wroten who was in Philadelphia for parts of three seasons. “I’m happy for them.”
Wroten is also happy for the city. He remembers the Philadelphians who continued to show up to the Wells Fargo Center to see a team that didn’t put out the best product. “For us to have a record like we did and to still have the support: Philadelphia is terrific fan base,” he said.
The 26-year-old feels like he’s fully healthy for the first time since those pre-injury Sixers days. While the Seattle-native appears likely to play in Poland this upcoming season, he’ll knock on the NBA’s door again in the future.
Injuries cause many professional athletes to consider retirement and potentially pursue other career choices. Wroten’s setbacks could have forced him to second-guess his future but he never doubted his path: Basketball is life.
“Injuries, you can’t control,” Wroten said. “But with me being a competitor, I’d have to be dead not to play.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NCAA Issues Rules For Agents Of Certain NBA Prospects
The NCAA has created requirements for agents to represent college athletes testing the NBA draft waters, as Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com relays. According to the new criteria, agents must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree.
- Be NBPA certified for at least three seasons.
- Carry professional liability insurance.
- Complete an in-person exam taken at the NCAA office in Indianapolis.
- Officially fill out an application.
- Undergo a background check.
Sources tell Borzello that these agents will also be required to agree that they will cooperate with the NCAA in investigations.
Again, this only applies for those agents representing players testing the draft waters, meaning situations in which a prospect can attend the NBA’s draft combine and team workouts and still return to school if he so chooses. This does not apply to agents representing players who officially declare for the draft.
Some have labeled this as the “Rich Paul Rule.” Rich Paul, who represents LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and Draymond Green among other players, began working with James a few years after high school and never obtained a degree.
Steve Kerr Talks Changes To Warriors’ Roster, Team Decisions
It’s been a while since Golden State entered a season without being viewed as the undisputed favorite to win it all. In many ways, things will feel different in Northern California this upcoming season, as the Warriors will play in a new arena without the championship expectations to which they’ve grown accustomed.
“This summer was painful in many ways, losing the guys that we did,” said coach Steve Kerr said. “But reassuring, in the sense that we brought back some key guys who are going to help us kind of get to that next era, whatever that looks like.”
The Warriors lost Kevin Durant in free agency and cut ties with several key contributors from their championship runs, including Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Golden State retained some stability after the franchise inked Klay Thompson to a five-year deal.
Draymond Green also signed a new deal this summer, putting pen to paper on a four-year extension. Kerr said that he and GM Bob Myers have discussed securing Green long-term for quite some time.
“I think every player sort of faces these moments where they’ve got to decide, ‘Am I going to mitigate risk and sign something now or play it out?’ That’s up to them,” Kerr said. “Obviously, everyone goes about it differently. But it didn’t surprise me that Draymond signed. He wanted to be here. He’s talked about it all along.”
D’Angelo Russell will join the mix and Kerr called the point guard a “great young talent” who’s going to “fit right in” with the group.
“Without Klay, especially, we’ll need D’Angelo’s scoring and it’s up to us as a staff to figure out how best to use him to shake the team, shake the offense. And we’ll figure it out,” Kerr said.
With Thompson slated to miss considerable time next season, the Warriors will have to rely on young, unproven options to get them through the year. Kerr is embracing the challenge of building the team back up to a championship level.
“I’d rather be the favorite again, to be honest with you,” Kerr said. “But I like coaching. Every year’s a little different. This will be a lot different. But I’m excited to coach the guys who are coming back and the many young, new players that we’ve got. It’s a new challenge and I’m excited for it.”
Community Shootaround: Team USA’s World Cup Roster
While there has been some hand-wringing this summer over the exodus of stars from Team USA’s World Cup roster, the absence of the country’s very best players may ultimately make things more interesting in China next month.
Rather than watching Team USA’s dozen best players run roughshod over their international challengers, we should get a look at some new faces and see a more balanced competition. Although America is still the overwhelming favorite to win gold in China next month, there are no guarantees, since the team will run out a younger roster with less All-Star talent than expected.
USA Basketball’s training camp is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and the program’s decision-makers will ultimately have to pare down a group of 29 participants to a roster made up of 12 players before the World Cup gets underway on August 31. Those participants are as follows:
Main roster:
- Bam Adebayo (Heat)
- Harrison Barnes (Kings)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Kyle Kuzma (Lakers)
- Brook Lopez (Bucks)
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors) *
- Khris Middleton (Bucks)
- Donovan Mitchell (Jazz)
- Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
- Marcus Smart (Celtics)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- P.J. Tucker (Rockets)
- Myles Turner (Pacers)
- Kemba Walker (Celtics)
- Thaddeus Young (Bulls)
* Recovering from thumb surgery.
Select Team:
- Jarrett Allen (Nets)
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mikal Bridges (Suns)
- Jalen Brunson (Mavericks)
- John Collins (Hawks)
- Pat Connaughton (Bucks)
- Torrey Craig (Nuggets)
- Joe Harris (Nets) **
- Jonathan Isaac (Magic)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
- Derrick White (Spurs)
- Trae Young (Hawks)
** Practicing with main roster.
With the 2019 World Cup around the corner, we want to know what your ideal 12-man Team USA roster looks like. The 16-player training camp roster above is a good jumping-off point, but if there are members of the Select Team who – in your view – deserve to represent Team USA in China, feel free to include them as well.
Adding players to your 12-man roster who have already withdrawn from consideration – such as James Harden, Anthony Davis, and other stars – is a no-go, but if there are some under-the-radar NBA players you would’ve liked to see on the squad, feel free to make note of them as well.
What do you think? What would your ideal 12-man Team USA roster look like, given the limitations imposed by all the players who turned down invitations? Weigh in below in the comment section!
Mavericks Sign Second-Rounder Isaiah Roby
The Mavericks have signed second-round pick Isaiah Roby to a four-year, $6.7MM contract, agent Zach Kurtin of Priority Sports tells ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
As Marks details, the deal will be worth the minimum in years two through four, but it will have a $1.5MM cap hit in Roby’s rookie year. That $1.5MM cap charge represents the highest first-year salary in NBA history for a college player selected in the second round of the draft, according to Marks.
Although that’s a significant investment for the Mavs, they aren’t near the luxury-tax line and still had $1.8MM left on their mid-level exception. As such, it makes sense that they’d be willing to go a little higher in Roby’s first year in order to get him locked up for the next four. His second-year salary will also be guaranteed, while the third year will be non-guaranteed and the final season will be a team option, tweets Marks.
The No. 45 overall pick in June, Roby averaged 11.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG in his final season at Nebraska. The 6’8″ forward declared for the draft as an early entrant after his junior year, and his rights were acquired by the Mavs on draft night in a deal that sent No. 37 pick Deividas Sirvydis to Detroit.
Prior to signing Roby, the Mavericks had 13 players on guaranteed contracts on their books. Roby will be the 14th, while J.J. Barea – who has agreed to a new deal with Dallas but has yet to officially sign it – figures to be No. 15.
Clippers Sign James Palmer To Exhibit 10 Deal
AUGUST 6: The Clippers have officially signed Palmer, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
JULY 26: The Clippers are expected to sign guard James Palmer Jr. to an Exhibit 10 deal, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The 6’6” Palmer went undrafted after his first two college seasons with Miami and the last two at Nebraska. He averaged 19.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 3.0 APG as a senior but made just 31.3% of his 3-point attempts.
He averaged 14.0 PPG in 26.8 MPG over four games with the Suns in summer league play this month. The Clippers signed former Heat guard Derrick Walton Jr. to a similar contract on Friday.
Udonis Haslem Re-Signs With Heat
AUGUST 6: Haslem posted a message on Instagram today confirming that he’ll return to the Heat for the 2019/20 season, and the team has issued a press release announcing that the deal is official. The veteran signed a one-year contract with Miami, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
AUGUST 5: Big man Udonis Haslem is expected to return to the Heat for a 17th season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Haslem, 39, has indicated he’s strongly leaning toward playing another year. The likely return of Haslem was a major reason why the team waived forward Yante Maten a week ago rather than having another partial guarantee in his contract kick in. The Heat are hard-capped and needed to create enough room for a veteran’s minimum contract.
Haslem would receive a $2.6MM contract but only $1.6MM would count against Miami’s cap. The Heat would look to add another veteran if Haslem decides to retire, Jackson adds. The team currently has 11 players with guaranteed contracts and a handful of others with partially- or non-guaranteed deals.
Haslem’s veteran leadership is valued, but he hasn’t contributed much on the court in recent years. He’s only appeared in 40 games over the last three seasons, including 10 last season. Haslem made an Instagram post in June to answer critics who urged him not to return.