According to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the San Antonio Spurs have hired former Utah Jazz and New York Knicks general manager Scott Layden to replace Dennis Lindsey as assistant GM.
Layden and Lindsey ended up trading places as Layden comes over from Utah, where he served as an assistant on Tyrone Corbin's staff.
Hiring Layden is a big win for the Spurs, who had already lost Danny Ferry, Don Newman, Jacque Vaughn and Lindsey this offseason.
But with the Spurs' success and with many of the front office staff and coaching staff being mentioned every summer for other jobs, Layden could use this as a stepping stone to making his way back up as a General Manager somewhere.
Front-office jobs with the Spurs are considered golden in the NBA, largely because of the chance to work under GM RC Buford and president-coach Gregg Popovich. In recent years, Spurs assistant GMs – including Lindsey, Danny Ferry, Sam Presti and Dell Demps – have taken a fast-track to becoming top executives elsewhere.Layden had a well-regarded run as the Jazz GM, before embarking on a tumultuous 4½-year stay in New York in 1999. As Jazz GM from 1992-99, Layden’s draft picks and deals played a significant part in the organization’s two trips to the NBA Finals and three straight 60-victory seasons.
Wojnarowski also said one of Layden's primary responsibilities will be administering the scouting department, and according to sources, Layden had some competition for the job from Gersson Rosas, the Rockets VP of Player Personnel.
The hirings of Layden and Ime Udoka seem to have taken care of some of the Spurs' most pressing needs outside of the roster.
