After a disastrous season, the Detroit Pistons fired general manager Troy Weaver on Friday, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Weaver was reportedly offered an off-site scouting role since he has term remaining on his contract, but he declined.
This is the first move for new team president Trajan Langdon as he begins to shape the future of the franchise.
Charania adds that New Orleans Pelicans vice president of basketball administration Michael Blackstone is being eyed as a potential replacement to work under Langdon.
A 2023-24 season to forget
The Pistons finished with a 14-68 record during the regular season, worst in the NBA. The lows of the 2023-24 season included an NBA-record 28-game losing skid after winning two games in October.
They eclipsed the NBA’s longest single-season skid at 26 games which was done by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers also lost an all-time record 28 consecutive games over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
Weaver was hired in June 2020 after a 10-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder in multiple capacities, culminating in vice president of basketball operations. Over his four seasons in Detroit, the Pistons went 74-244 for a .303 winning percentage. Their best finish over that span was in 2021-22 when they won 23 games.
Weaver inherited a roster without a franchise star to build around. During his tenure, the Pistons had four consecutive lottery picks highlighted by Cade Cunningham, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick.
Detroit also drafted Killian Hayes (No. 7 in 2020), Jaden Ivey (No. 5 in 2022) and Ausar Thompson (No. 5 in 2023).
With the 2024 NBA draft approaching, the Pistons hold the No. 5 overall despite having a league-best 14% chance of winning the lottery and selecting No. 1.
At the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, head coach Dwane Casey stepped down and moved to a front-office position allowing Weaver to make his first head-coaching hire in Detroit. Weaver selected former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and rewarded him with a six-year, $78.5 million contract with a two-year team option that would top out over $100 million. Weaver and Williams had a relationship stemming from their time in Oklahoma City.
The Pistons last won a postseason game in 2008 and last made the playoffs in 2019.
