Utah Utes Hire NBA Exec Wes Wilcox as GM to Lead NIL Era Basketball Rebuild

The Utah Runnin' Utes’ basketball program didn’t stop at making a splash with its new head coaching hire; they pulled an executive straight out of the NBA to anchor its basketball rebuild in the front office.

On Wednesday, the Utes officially named longtime NBA executive Wes Wilcox as the program’s new general manager. While Wilcox and new head coach Alex Jensen are familiar (Wilcox hired Jensen in 2011 to lead the Canton Charge in the NBA G League), this move is more of a declaration of intent.

With college sports on the brink of an era defined by revenue sharing, NIL negotiations, and an ever-churning transfer portal that resembles professional free agency, the days of traditional coaching staffs handling everything are gone. Schools need executives who understand roster construction, financial modeling, brand strategy, and player development all at once — and Wilcox checks every box. 

Wilcox comes to Salt Lake City after five seasons as the Sacramento Kings' assistant general manager. Before that, he was the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, where he helped guide the team through one of its most successful modern runs. He brings 24 years of NBA experience, including stints with the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers, and multiple stops in scouting, player development, and basketball operations.

That kind of resume is not a luxury in 2025. It’s a necessity.

“I couldn’t think of a better person to trust with the general manager position for our basketball program,” Jensen said in the program’s announcement. “Wes has such a wealth of experience at various levels in the NBA and in front office roles for multiple organizations. That experience... will be critical as we move forward in this new frontier of college basketball.”

That “new frontier” isn’t theoretical. Within the next year, college programs will likely begin paying players directly through revenue-sharing models as the House antitrust settlement moves toward final approval. That means Utah’s GM won’t just be helping schedule flights or coordinating NIL logistics. He’ll build a professional roster,  with contracts, caps, and real market dynamics, all within the NCAA’s evolving framework.

In other words, Utah just brought in someone who’s run a team in the NBA to help them run one in college. That’s the new standard. And it’s a move that should position the Utes not just to compete, but lead, in this new era of professionalized college sports.