New Orleans Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon Deserves More Credit
The New Orleans Pelicans made waves this offseason and received their fair share of media attention. That attention and praise, for the most part, has landed on David Griffin, who some have mistaken for the de facto general manager. But he’s actually not.
In May, after David Griffin joined the New Orleans Pelicans executive staff in April, the team hired Trajan Langdon as the general manager of the team. He was the assistant general manager with the Brooklyn Nets and has built an impressive resume. It was seen as another positive move by the franchise.
Many of us remember, not too long ago the Brooklyn Nets were looking at a bleak future with few assets. They had traded a plethora of first-round picks in exchange for veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Being a contender seemed like a pipe dream for the Nets. But they made some front-office changes hiring Sean Marks, a former New Orleans Hornet, as General Manager and Langdon as his assistant.
In his new position with the Nets, Langdon was touted for his ability to scout lesser-known players and ultimately helped set up the Nets for the position they are in today. That foundation led to the Nets signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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Furthermore, Langdon was recognized for his contributions to the Nets and their G-League team, winning G-League Executive of the Year last season.
After joining the New Orleans Pelicans staff, Langdon had a clear, immediate impact in the NBA Draft. While Zion was the obvious pick, the Pels had tougher decisions to make with the 8th and 17th overall picks. As previously mentioned, Langdon has shown his capability to scout players with slightly less recognition. This was shown with the Pelicans’ third pick of the first round, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
"“He probably has no idea how much I’ve watched him over the past two years.”"
Those were Langdon’s comments during Alexander-Walker’s introductory press conference. And in this year’s NBA Summer League, it was clear how much talent Alexander-Walker really has, as he made the All Summer League First Team.
While scouting is clearly his strong-suit, Langdon can also recruit players due to the number of connections he has around the league. He is well connected globally. Langdon played for Coach Krzyzewski at Duke before going pro overseas.
That Duke connection could’ve been what tipped the scale towards the New Orleans Pelicans during the JJ Redick negotiations. Furthermore, this is Langdon’s third front office job in the NBA, giving him countless connections to executives around the league.
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While all eyes were and still are on David Griffin, Trajan Langdon should get the recognition he deserves. As the general manager of the team, all of these decisions also need to be approved by Langdon. The pairing of Griffin and Langdon has already brought an incredible amount of attention and excitement to New Orleans basketball, and it’s only the beginning.