Austin Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hawks Interested In Masai Ujiri To Run Front Office

May 14th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors executive Masai Ujiri has emerged as a target for the Hawks as they search for a new president of basketball operations, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article (subscription required).

Sources tell Stein that it’s unclear if Atlanta has a legitimate chance to lure Ujiri, who has been with Toronto for the past 12 years. Ujiri’s contract status hasn’t been made public, but Stein hears that he’s believed to be entering the final season of his current deal.

After starting his career as a scout, Ujiri worked his way up to assistant general manager with the Raptors in 2008 before leaving to become the GM in Denver in 2010. He was named Executive of the Year with the Nuggets in 2013, then returned to Toronto as executive vice president.

Ujiri bolstered his reputation as one of the NBA’s top executives when he built the Raptors team that captured the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2019. The final piece of the puzzle was a bold move to trade for San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, who was entering the final year of his contract and only spent one season with the team.

Ujiri, who has since been promoted to president and vice chairman, is still recognized as a master team builder, even though Toronto has fallen on hard times in recent years, missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Stein notes that after finishing 30-52 this year, Ujiri promised at an April press conference to bring another championship to Toronto.

The Hawks shook up their front office after being eliminated in the play-in tournament, firing general manager Landry Fields on April 21. Assistant GM Onsi Saleh was promoted to interim GM and is currently handling the day-to-day operations, but the new hire is expected to run the organization.

A Stein Line report last week indicated that owner Tony Ressler was exploring the idea of having a player agent take over the job, with Trae Young‘s agent, Austin Brown of CAA, among the top candidates. League sources confirm to Stein that Octagon’s Alex Saratsis, who represents Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, has also moved into the picture, as previously reported by Grant Afseth.

Hawks Interested In CAA’s Austin Brown For Front Office Job

May 10th, 2025 at 9:11am CST by Rory Maher

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported on Friday that the Hawks owner Tony Ressler was highly intrigued by the possibility of adding an “established” player agent to run Atlanta’s front office.

With that in mind, CAA’s Austin Brown has emerged as a candidate for a “top executive role” with the Hawks, sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.

Brown, the co-head of CAA’s basketball division, is one of the most powerful agents in the NBA. The Evanston, Illinois native played college basketball at DePauw in Indiana before becoming an investment banker with J.P Morgan and then attending law school, he said in an interview in 2022 (YouTube link).

As Afseth writes, Brown’s client list includes Hawks guards Trae Young and Caris LeVert. He also represents Donovan Mitchell, Jaren Jackson Jr., OG Anunoby, and Myles Turner in addition to several other noteworthy current and former players, per RealGM.

Brown’s name has popped up in the past when teams have made front office changes — he was previously linked to the Knicks and Bulls back in 2020. Fischer also reported a couple years ago that Brown remained an agent to keep an eye on for future front office openings.

The Hawks are looking for a new president of basketball operations after firing former general manager Landry Fields. Assistant GM Onsi Saleh was promoted to interim GM and is currently running Atlanta’s day-to-day basketball operations, but is expected to work under the new hire.

Former Warriors Exec Bob Myers Likely To Get Job Offers

July 29th, 2023 at 9:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bob Myers indicated that he wanted some time away from the game when he stepped down as president of basketball operations and general manager of the Warriors, but fans should expect to hear his name mentioned in connection to any openings that arise in the next few months, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The most obvious team for Myers, according to Fischer, is the Clippers because of his longtime association with team consultant Jerry West and the working relationship they developed during their time together with Golden State. Myers spent more than a decade with the Warriors and helped to win four championships, so Fischer believes he’ll be among the first names that any team will call if it decides to shake up its front office.

Fischer identifies a few other former general managers who may be in line for a second chance, including ex-Utah GM Dennis Lindsey, who is currently working in the Mavericks‘ front office, Kings assistant GM Wes Wilcox, who has rebuilt his reputation after his experience in Atlanta, and former Orlando GM Rob Hennigan, who is VP of basketball operations with the Thunder.

Fischer passes along more information about rising stars in NBA front offices:

Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon was among the candidates to become the Wizards’ president of basketball operations and he’ll likely be considered for similar jobs in the future, Fischer writes. Raptors GM Bobby Webster, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and new Clippers GM Trent Redden all appear headed for team president roles someday, Fischer adds.
Jeff Peterson, the Nets‘ assistant GM, is considered one of the league’s best young executives, according to Fischer. Peterson interviewed for the Pistons’ GM slot in 2020, and Fischer hears that he’s viewed as one of the favorites to take over the Hornets if they decide to replace Mitch Kupchak, who’s in the final year of his contract. Pelicans assistant GM Bryson Graham could be first in line to replace Langdon if he leaves, but league sources tell Fischer that he might get an opportunity with another team before that happens.
Tayshaun Prince is a valuable member of the Grizzlies‘ front office and has received overtures about running other teams, according to Fischer. Among other former NBA players, Jameer Nelson has built a strong reputation in the Sixers‘ front office for his work with their G League affiliate, and Acie Law appears headed for a promotion with the Thunder after Will Dawkins was hired by the Wizards.
Fischer identifies CAA’s Austin Brown as an agent who might move into a front office role, noting that he was a candidate to run the Bulls in 2020. Fischer also singles out agents Jason Glushon and Todd Ramasar, along with Kirk Berger, a legal counsel with the players’ union.

Bulls Notes: GM Search, Finley, Boylen

April 24th, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls remain on the hunt for a new general manager, and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that the interview process may carry through next week.

A since-deleted report on Thursday suggested that CAA agent Austin Brown was in serious talks to become Chicago’s next GM, but a source tells Cowley there’s no frontrunner at this point. Brown’s name is in the mix, per Cowley. Still, there has been no confirmation that he has even interviewed for the job yet.

Although no one has emerged yet as an obvious favorite – as new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas did during his own interview process with the Bulls – Cowley’s source says that Mavericks VP of basketball ops Michael Finley “made a great impression” on Karnisovas. Finley reportedly interviewed for the GM position last week.

Here’s more out of Chicago from Cowley:

Since being hired by the Bulls, Karnisovas has spent plenty of time reaching out to as many of the club’s current players as possible, as well as meeting with “what’s left” of the scouting departments, says Cowley. Karnisovas is collecting information and opinions on what he has to work with in the front office and on the roster, a source tells The Sun-Times.
While many Bulls fans are impatient to learn the fate of head coach Jim Boylen, a decision on Boylen’s future is further down on Karnisovas’ list of priorities, Cowley writes. As Cowley has previously reported, Boylen remains optimistic that he’ll retain the job. He has been staying in touch with his players for updates and to have them study film clips and has “regularly” met with Karnisovas this month.
While letting go of Boylen and letting one of his assistants finish the season – if it resumes – could be one path Karnisovas considers, Cowley suggests it’s not likely. A source tells The Sun-Times there’s no obvious candidate to replace Boylen on an interim basis, since the assistants are “all viewed to have equal footing from an experience standpoint.”

Knicks Make Marcus Morris Available

February 4th, 2020 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Steve Mills‘ ouster, the Knicks may reconsider potential paths at this week’s trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who notes that Mills was just on the phone on Monday exploring deals, including a possible pursuit of D’Angelo Russell.

Most notably, Wojnarowski suggests that ownership pushed the front office to change course on its plans for Marcus Morris. The Knicks, who were said to be “hell-bent” on retaining and trying to re-sign Morris, have now made him available in trade talks, says Woj.

Marc Berman of The New York Post reported earlier this afternoon that the debate over whether to retain or shop Morris was one issue Mills and GM Scott Perry were divided on. Based on Wojnarowski’s report, it sounds as if Perry was in favor of exploring the trade market for the veteran forward.

Morris, who is on an expiring $15MM contract, is enjoying a career year, with 19.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG with a .442/.439/.823 shooting line in 43 games (32.3 MPG). He has reportedly drawn some league-wide interest, including from the Clippers, and could potentially net the Knicks a first-round pick.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Although it appears Perry is making the decisions in the Knicks’ front office for now, the franchise has begun its search for a new president. According to Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (via Twitter), New York has given some thought to hiring a player agent for that role, like the Warriors (Bob Myers) and Lakers (Rob Pelinka) have done.
Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) that CAA’s Austin Brown is among the candidates being internally considered by the Knicks. One of CAA’s top agents, Brown represents players like Zion Williamson, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Russell, per Begley (Twitter link).
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports classifies the Knicks’ trade discussions with the Hornets involving Julius Randle and Terry Rozier on Monday as serious. However, he hears that Charlotte balked at taking Dennis Smith Jr. in a deal.
League sources tell Goodwill that Knicks owner James Dolan has had intermediaries get in touch with top executives around the NBA to ask, “What would it take to get you to take over this franchise?”