Adrian Wojnarowski: Detroit Pistons assistant GM Pat Garrity will be departing the organization, sources tell ESPN. His contract was expiring and new GM Troy Weaver is starting to reshape the front office.
Troy Weaver Rumors
The Thunder have been in this position before. For the fourth time in their 12 seasons, the Thunder have lost an assistant general manager to another team. It’s a testament to the sharp minds general manager Sam Presti has surrounded himself with in Oklahoma City. This time is a little different. Troy Weaver was different, from his eye for talent (documented by The Athletic’s James Edwards III) to his truth-telling style, from his storytelling to his trash-talking.
Weaver — the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations for the last seven seasons — bridged the gap between executive and player better than any high-ranking front-office member in the Thunder’s history. It’s why so many players who’ve come through Oklahoma City were overjoyed when Weaver was named the general manager of the Detroit Pistons on June 18. When Thunder guard Chris Paul picked up his phone and saw Weaver was hired in Detroit, he called and congratulated him. Even before Weaver was hired — when there were reports Weaver was in the running for the Detroit GM job — Paul called then, too.
It was Weaver who helped Paul’s transition from Houston to Oklahoma City. “Personally, I had a tricky summer being traded when I didn’t know I was going to be traded, and Troy made my transition so smooth,” Paul said last week. “I can’t imagine going through last summer without someone like Troy.” Many former players can’t imagine their Thunder experience without Weaver.
Stefanski and his staff were able to keep the Pistons afloat, navigating through the salary cap and staying away from the luxury tax. They also added a couple of young pieces in the draft and through shrewd trades to buoy their future hopes. “Ed has come in and done a great job of stabilizing our front office and cleaning some things up,” team owner Tom Gores said this week. “We just felt it was time to go big or go home. Let’s just go get the best. We have a great coach ready to go. Dwane (Casey) and Troy have a great chemistry that they’ve built — that was important to me.”
When Gores targeted Weaver, it was with the understanding that he would fit within the existing structure and utilize the experience and feedback from the key stakeholders. Weaver brings the eye for talent, but working with the other key pieces helps to solidify everything and ensure everyone is going in the same direction. “There’ll be a nice divide-and-conquer coming in and again that’s why I trust Troy to come in as someone smart enough to leverage resources,” Gores said. “At a high level, we’ll work all this out in the detail. Really, Troy, and Ed and Dwane will work on a day-to-day basis with each other, and Troy will have normal — and even higher than normal — GM responsibilities and he’s got a lot to learn. He’s going to get on the ground and know each player well and connect with (Casey) and so on and then as it bubbles up to ownership, Arn and I — if there’s big decisions that need to be made — we’ll all gather.”
With Weaver in place, the Pistons could have a more traditional structure for the first time since 2018, with plenty of input from the other involved parties. It meant making room for Weaver’s expertise and agreeing to work collaboratively to make it work. “They all had reasons not to like this, because we’re bringing in a very powerful person in Troy,” Gores said. “Troy’s got a lot of responsibility and power in this team. I’m just really happy that he’s going to leverage all the resources, but at the end of the day, I think Troy will work with Ed on a day-to-day basis and coach, and as things bubble up that need Arn and I, obviously we’ll, you know, we’ll step in there.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons didn’t have a center under contract for next season. John Henson and Thon Maker will become free agents. Patton is a low-risk option and new GM Troy Weaver has seen him play.
To wit: Weaver was the only candidate to interview with the Pistons’ owner, Tom Gores, according to a person familiar with the search who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Beyond maximizing the Pistons’ forthcoming high draft pick and some newfound financial flexibility after the February moves to jettison Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, Weaver’s immediate challenges include learning his new terrain and meshing with the various voices in Detroit after spending the last 12 seasons in Oklahoma City. Gores leans heavily on Arn Tellem, the longtime power agent who serves as Detroit’s chairman, and Ed Stefanski, who will remain with the Pistons in his position as a senior adviser to Gores.
To wit: Weaver was the only candidate to interview with the Pistons’ owner, Tom Gores, according to a person familiar with the search who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Beyond maximizing the Pistons’ forthcoming high draft pick and some newfound financial flexibility after the February moves to jettison Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, Weaver’s immediate challenges include learning his new terrain and meshing with the various voices in Detroit after spending the last 12 seasons in Oklahoma City. Gores leans heavily on Arn Tellem, the longtime power agent who serves as Detroit’s chairman, and Ed Stefanski, who will remain with the Pistons in his position as a senior adviser to Gores.
Although team owner Tom Gores and Stefanski have conceded that the Pistons are beginning a rebuild, Weaver isn’t so quick to use that term. “This isn’t a rebuild — it’s a restoring. There’s been greatness here,” Weaver said Monday in his virtual introductory press conference. “The Motor City deserves a consistent winner back on the floor.”
“You have two veteran big-time players that are looking to restore their careers: Blake Griffin, who is a perennial All-Star, and Derrick Rose. Both guys have had some injury history and they’re looking forward to building their careers back,” Weaver said. “That stood out and we’re excited to get them healthy and help us moving forward. “The second piece is the young players on the roster: Sekou (Doumbouya), (Luke) Kennard, Bruce Brown and Svi (Mykhailiuk) and (Christian) Wood. We feel like we have a good mixture of young guys with those two staples to start there.”
Weaver, Gores, Casey, Stefanski and Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem were all on the video conference Monday. “I always recognized Troy as one of the top talent evaluators – you just look at the finished products in OKC, he had a big part of doing that. Not only that, he’s a man of his word,” Casey said. “He’s genuine, he’s real, and I will say this, and in today’s time, with all the unrest, here’s an opportunity for an African American man to be named to this position, and I’m going to credit Tom and Arn and Ed for opening up the door for the opportunity for him to step in.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons Ed Stefanski on draft pick: “Troy is terrific at what he’s done and we’re fortunate to get him. He’s the guy; he’s the GM. I have to imagine that was intriguing to him.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons GM Troy Weaver: “When I met Tom (Gores) on Zoom. I was blown away … what he has in his heart for the Pistons and who he is and what he stands for, I was sold in the first two minutes.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons Troy Weaver on evaluating talent during COVID: “The evaluation is just going to be stretched out. You won’t have the in-person communication as far as interviews and seeing workouts. Any good person has done their (evaluation) early.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons GM Troy Weaver on the roster: “You have two veteran, big-time players looking to restore their careers (Griffin and Rose). Both guys have had some injury history and looking forward to building their careers back. We’re excited to get them healthy.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons team owner Tom Gores on new GM Troy Weaver: “It’s an exciting day to be able to bring a person the caliber of Troy to Detroit.”
Eric Woodyard: Pistons Owner Tom Gores on hiring new GM Troy Weaver: “We just felt it was time to go big or go home.” Gores said they tried to talk with him a few years ago, too, but OKC wasn’t ready to let him go.
Rod Beard: #Pistons Gores: “He’s the GM, no doubt about it; he’s in charge of a lot of decisions … he has a great grasp of our basketball team and the roster, but I like his leadership.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons GM Troy Weaver: “This isn’t a rebuild — it’s a restoring. There’s been greatness here.”
During the league’s shutdown the Chicago Bulls hired Marc Eversley and the Detroit Pistons hired Troy Weaver, both African American, under the title of general manager. “The NBA has been at the forefront in diversity in sports. It doesn’t mean we can’t move further,” Embry said. “When it comes to hiring, those things go in cycles. But the NBA always looks to improve and we will still have the incentive to continue doing that.”
Rod Beard: #Pistons coach Dwane Casey on new GM Troy Weaver: “We’re rebuilding our roster and Troy brings a tremendous amount of experience. He’s one of those guys who has a knack for talent … the next couple of years of developing our roster is a key team in our organization.” via @NBATV
Adrian Wojnarowski: Troy Weaver agreed to a four-year contract as GM, sources tell ESPN.
Rod Beard: Confirmed that the deal is done and Troy Weaver is the #Pistons’ new general manager. Woj first.
Dunleavy Jr., a 15-year NBA veteran, started scouting with Golden State in 2018 and was promoted to assistant general manager last season. Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson and Thunder VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver are among the top candidates for the Pistons’ opening, SNY sources confirm.
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: Three serious candidates have emerged for the Detroit Pistons GM job: Clippers assistant GM Mark Hughes, Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson and Thunder VP of Basketball Operations Troy Weaver. Those conversations are continuing this week.
Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: Three serious candidates have emerged for the Detroit Pistons GM job: Clippers assistant GM Mark Hughes, Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson and Thunder VP of Basketball Operations Troy Weaver. Those conversations are continuing this week.
Pistons eyeing Troy Weaver as GM?
Marc Stein: Longtime Thunder executive Troy Weaver has emerged as the top choice in Detroit’s search for a new GM, @NYTSports has learned, with the Pistons actively working to complete a deal to hire Weaver
Vincent Goodwill: Sources to @YahooSports: Major hurdles have been cleared to pave way for OKC’s Troy Weaver to become Detroit Pistons new GM. Both sides want to make this happen
Pistons eyeing Troy Weaver as GM?
Marc Stein: Longtime Thunder executive Troy Weaver has emerged as the top choice in Detroit’s search for a new GM, @NYTSports has learned, with the Pistons actively working to complete a deal to hire Weaver
Vincent Goodwill: Sources to @YahooSports: Major hurdles have been cleared to pave way for OKC’s Troy Weaver to become Detroit Pistons new GM. Both sides want to make this happen
Joe Cowley: OKC’s Troy Weaver, Dallas’ Michael Finley, Denver’s Calvin Booth, OKC’s Nazi Mohammed, and Orlando’s Matt Lloyd are all in play for Bulls GM job, said a source. Booth might be the most ready – but hardest to get, while the source said Mohammed may end up being a gem.
With Connelly off the list, the Wizards will shift to previous candidates. Longtime executive Danny Ferry and Oklahoma City Thunder Vice President Troy Weaver conducted second interviews last weekend. Interim Tommy Sheppard, who took over the team’s day-to-day operations after Grunfeld’s dismissal, was in Chicago for the NBA draft combine last week before spending last weekend to scout international prospects.
