Tommy Sheppard, the newly appointed Washington Wizards interim general manager, will interview for the opened New Orleans Pelicans’ general manager position, according to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com.
Sheppard has been with the Wizards for 16 seasons as the senior vice president of basketball operations in the shadows of recently-fired team president Ernie Grunfeld. Sheppard has garnered attention around the league as a person of interest for searching executive positions.
Sheppard was promoted to his current interim role following Grunfeld’s dismissal, and he is a candidate to replace Grunfeld on a permanent basis.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis acknowledged that Sheppard was the only person of interest he has spoken with for the current opening. But no official interview has occurred.
While he is praised around the league, hiring him as the Wizards’ GM may be a tough sell for fans who believe that he shares the same strategy and approach as the unpopular Grunfeld. However, that’s not the case in some influential NBA insiders.
“Tommy has a wonderful basketball mind,” An agent of a current Wizards player said per Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “His greatest strength is understanding how a successful team is built on both talent and the strong character of its core. Unfortunately, he hasn’t even really had the chance to implement his vision.”
David Griffin, Danny Ferry, Trajan Langdan, Larry Harris, and Gersson Rosas are also candidates the Pelicans will be interviewing according to Duncan’s report.
