Possible candidate for Pistons president and what it means for Monty Williams

The Detroit Pistons’ offseason is at a standstill until they hire a new president of basketball operations. 

That search has already begun, but so far, no information has leaked from the Pistons’ camp about how they are going about it. 

We’ve offered some possible candidates for the position from up-and-coming execs to guys with multiple rings. 

One name that has surfaced that would fit in the first category is Bryson Graham from the New Orleans Pelicans, who was named as a possibility by James Edwards III in a recent conversation on HoopsHype. 

Graham is currently the assistant GM of the Pelicans and has worked for the team his entire career, starting as an intern and working his way up. 

That connection to the Pelicans might give him an edge depending on what owner Tom Gores wants to do with head coach Monty Williams. 

Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations and Monty Williams 

The Pistons have indicated that the new POBO will decide the fate of GM Troy Weaver and Monty Williams and that person could choose to clear the slate and start over. 

But owner Tom Gores owes Monty Williams a ton of money, so firing him won’t be cheap and that’s before you even hire the next guy. 

Gores may be more inclined to hire a president of basketball ops who can work with Monty, in which case, Graham may get consideration. He has a strong relationship to Williams, who he called a “mentor, big brother and friend” after working together in New Orleans.

This would be a big jump for Graham but one he has earned after working at all levels of a franchise and learning from the ground up. In 12 years he’s held nearly every job you could on both the front office and coaching side, which is valuable experience. 

He’s mostly known for his work in the draft, where he was instrumental in some of the Pelicans’ recent picks where they found gems later or outside of the draft in Herb Jones, Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III. 

This would be a big leap for Gores, as Graham has never even been a GM, so his relationship with Monty would have to be a big factor. So, if you see Graham’s name surface from the team, you can make a bet on what that means for the future of Monty Williams.