The Washington Wizards have begun their search for a new head of basketball operations. While the team reportedly has its eyes on Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, the Wizards have already formally interviewed one candidate.
According to Josh Robbins and David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Wizards interviewed New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon. This is the first known interview in Washington’s search.
The update in the Wizards’ search dropped just after Washington learned it came awfully close to winning the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery. However, the Wizards will select eighth in next month’s draft.
Langdon, 47, just completed his fourth season with the Pelicans, reporting directly to vice president of basketball operations David Griffin. Langodn’s name is familiar to a generation of college basketball fans. He starred for four seasons at Duke, earning the nickname the “Alaskan Assassin, referencing his home state Alaska.
Langdon played three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being selected 11th overall in the 1999 NBA draft. He then played overseas before retiring from basketball as a player in 2011.
Langdon joined the coaching ranks in 2012 with the San Antonio Spurs as a pro scout. In 2016, he was named the assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Nets. He also was the GM of the Nets’ G-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.
Last month, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis relieved Tommy Sheppard of his duties as the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager after four seasons. Leonsis vowed Sheppard’s replacement would come from outside of the organization.
Bringing in someone from the outside is a needed change in the Wizards’ culture. Washington hasn’t won more than 35 games during a season since 2017-2018.
Whoever is the next head of basketball operations for the Wizards will be tasked with either building a competitive roster around the supermax contract of three-time All-Star Bradley Beal or making the necessary changes to rebuild its roster to make Washington a contender.
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