Nets hire ex-Hawks aide Peterson as assistant general manager
The re-tooling of the Nets organization began with the hiring of Jeff Peterson from the Hawks to serve as assistant general manager, the club announced on Saturday. Peterson replaces Trajan Langdon, who left last week to take over as general manager of the Pelicans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff and his wife, Lauren, to Brooklyn,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jeff is an innovative basketball executive who shares our strategic team building vision and will fit seamlessly within our culture. His extensive scouting and front office experience will be tremendous assets to our group as we continue to move forward.”
Peterson spent the past seven seasons as a member of the Hawks’ front office, including the past three as assistant general manager. He was hired in 2012 in Atlanta as a seasonal basketball assistant. Peterson, 30, subsequently was promoted to coordinator of basketball operations and was named Hawks director of scouting in 2015.
Thanks to several Nets connections, Marks had great insight into Peterson’s work with the Hawks. The first four years of his tenure overlapped with that of current Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant coach with the Hawks under Mike Budenholzer. Peterson also served as an assistant coach of the German national team under former Nets assistant Chris Fleming, who recently joined the Bulls as assistant head coach.
Marks still must find replacements for Fleming, director of global scouting Gianluca Pascucci, who accepted an assistant GM position with the Timberwolves, and former Long Island Nets G League coach Will Weaver, who became head coach of the Sydney Kings in Australia.
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
