Tuesday 23 June 2020 08:20, UK
Troy Weaver was named general manager of the Detroit Pistons on Thursday after 12 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise.
The 52-year-old Weaver's time in Oklahoma City included three-plus years as vice president of basketball operations. He served eight seasons as vice president/assistant general manager.
The Pistons had been without an official GM since overhauling their front office two years ago. Stan Van Gundy had been Detroit's coach and team president, with Jeff Bower serving as GM. After the Pistons moved on from Van Gundy in 2018, Ed Stefanski took over the front office and Dwane Casey became the coach.
"It's an honour for me to join a franchise with the history and tradition of the Detroit Pistons," Weaver said in a statement.
"I'm excited for the challenge of building this team into a consistent winner and assembling the pieces to compete at a very high level. We'll get to work right away, evaluating opportunities and installing systems that will make us all successful."
The Thunder denied Weaver the opportunity to interview when the Pistons were hiring a general manager in 2018. He was viewed as the favourite in the latest cycle as the Pistons step into a wholesale rebuild that could include trading away Blake Griffin.
The Pistons traded Andre Drummond and former Thunder guard Reggie Jackson was let go in February, leaving Detroit with more than $30m in projected salary cap space. The Pistons are also likely to have a draft pick in the top six.
