NEW ORLEANS — The Pelicans have hired Nets assistant general manager Trajan Langdon to serve as GM under new executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin.
“From the moment I met with (owner) Mrs. (Gayle) Benson and her team, it became clear that her commitment to the success of our franchise is absolute. This is one more very clear sign of that commitment,” Griffin said in a statement announcing Langdon’s hiring. “Trajan is a tremendous talent and shares in our vision of what it means to be a part of the Pelican family, on and off the floor. We are excited to add he and his family to our leadership group as we continue building upon that vision.”
Langdon, 43, is a former Duke and NBA player who also played professionally in Europe. He has served as the Nets’ assistant GM since 2016 and has helped rebuild Brooklyn into a squad that qualified for the Eastern Conference playoffs as a sixth seed this season after finishing last in the East two seasons earlier.
Langdon interviewed with New Orleans for the top basketball operations job that went to Griffin in mid-April.
When Griffin was formally introduced by the Pelicans, he said he’d received a commitment from owner Gayle Benson to build up the management structure of the club. He has begun doing so by bringing in Langdon, and before that, hiring former Suns executive Aaron Nelson away from Phoenix to oversee injury prevention, rehabilitation, performance and recovery programs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.