The Pelicans are hiring Troy Weaver as their new senior vice president of basketball operations. Weaver, who spent four years as the general manager of the Detroit Pistons, will work alongside Joe Dumars to build a path to contention in New Orleans. The 57-year-old has spent 20 years working in the NBA front office, starting as a scout for the Utah Jazz in 2004.
Weaver spent last season as a consultant for the Washington Wizards, where he was part of drafting what has been a great rookie class for the Wizards, featuring Alex Sarr, Keyonte George, and Bub Carrington. During his time with Detroit, he also did a great job of identifying talent through the NBA draft. Obviously, taking Cade Cunningham first overall in 2021 was a no-brainer and homerun pick, but getting Jalen Duren 13th overall in 2022 and up was a major hit, too.
What does this hiring mean for the future?
With President Joe Dumars, not having the most outstanding track record in terms of drafting, having a guy like Troy Weaver to somewhat lean on could be a massive boost in the Pels' front office. Weaver has built an incredible track record in drafting, going back to 2008 when he was working as an assistant general manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Weaver was cited for aggressively pushing OKC to take Russell Westbrook 4th overall.
At the time, Westbrook wasn't expected to be the league's future MVP but rather a raw, high-energy guard coming out of UCLA. But Weaver was adamant on drafting Westbrook, and it worked out for the franchise as Westbrook is arguably the greatest player in the franchise's history.
Weaver's drafting track record is critical for the Pelicans, as they have the 7th overall pick in this year's draft. His ability to identify talent will be very valuable, but that experience will be even more important in the years to come.
The 2025-26 season could be the last of the Zion Williamson era if the team doesn't show improvement or progress toward becoming a contender. New Orleans could find itself in a complete rebuilding process and trying to build through the draft, a place where Weaver thrives.
Weaver deserves a ton of credit for what the Pistons accomplished this season. Despite not being part of that team, he drafted arguably the team's three most impactful players last season: Ausar Thompson, a two-way monster; Cade Cunningham, who this season has become an arguably top-25 player in the entire association; and Jalen Duren, a monster athlete with a ton of untapped potential. These three contributed immensely to the 30-win improvement the Pistons had this season.