Brain drain in Brooklyn continues as J.R. Holden, Director of Player Personnel, departs to Detroit
Photo by Marko Metlas/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images
Jake Fischer and Vincent Goodwill report that Holden will become the fourth Brooklyn Nets executive to take a job elsewhere in recent months It’s a brain drain in Brooklyn.
On the final day of February, the Charlotte Hornets announced they’d be hiring Jeff Peterson, the then-assistant GM of the Brooklyn Nets, as their newest head of basketball operations, in a much that was heavily rumored since the summer of 2023. Peterson quickly hired Ryan Gisriel to join him, meaning Gisriel would be leaving his post as a director of BBall-Ops in Brooklyn to move down South.
Then, in May, the Phoenix Suns hired Matt Tellem, a renowned capologist who was working as Brooklyn’s Vice President of Strategy.
And now, J.R. Holden will be joining one-time Nets executive Trajan Langdon’s new regime with the Detroit Pistons, as per the reporting of Jake Fischer and Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
Sources with @VinceGoodwill: J.R. Holden is joining Pistons president Trajan Langdon as part of Detroit's new front office. Holden played with Langdon for years with CSKA Moskow, winning two Euroleague championships, and had since risen to Brooklyn's director of player personnel.— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 4, 2024
As Fischer mentioned, Holden will leave his post as Brooklyn’s Director of Pro Personnel after being with the franchise since the summer of 2019. He had also been serving as the general manager of Brooklyn’s G League squad, the Long Island Nets, as per his LinkedIn page and RealGM.
It is somewhat of a homecoming for Holden, who worked in Detroit from 2014 to 2018, ultimately being elevated to Director of International Scouting. It is unclear what his new title will be under Langdon.
In any case, it appears that Brooklyn’s coaching staff, now lead by Jordi Fernández, won’t be the only part of the organization undergoing an overhaul this offseason.
At Fernández’s introductory press conference in April, General Manager Sean Marks addressed the departures of Peterson and Gisriel, speaking about how the front office may be re-built in their absences.
“I think it’s always important to have a best-available list. Whether you’re looking at players or whether you’re looking at staff. So, we look at maybe who’s out there and who we could potentially bring in, but also our own staff here. I think some of our guys have done a terrific job.”
Marks then mentioned the Director of Player Evaluation for the Nets, B.J. Johnson, as potentially in line for a promotion. (Though it’s worth noting Johnson was mentioned by name in the question.)
“In terms of just simply drafting, I mean, you want to take B.J. Johnson. B.J. runs our draft and has done so for the last several years. So, there’ll be more pressure and more responsibility placed on several of the guys in-house here,” said Marks.
There’s no area of the Brooklyn Nets’ front office that hasn’t seen a departure in the last few months, from some of the top seats in the organization, to player development, to even cap strategy. Are folks eager to get out of Dodge, or is it a sign Sean Marks has stocked the front office with over-qualified candidates?
Well, if it’s the latter, he’ll have to do it again this summer.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings