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Nets hire second assistant GM, Spurs’ Andy Birdsong

By Net Income

Andy Birdsong, the director of pro player personnel with the Spurs, has been hired by the Nets as their second assistant general manager, two days after hiring Jeff Peterson to the same position.

The Nets had lost two front office executives in the last week. Trajan Langdon, Sean Marks assistant GM, departed for New Orleans while Gianluca Pascucci, director of global scouting, left for Minnesota. Both became their new team’s No. 2.

Adrian Wojnarowski broke the Birdsong hire in a tweet. The Nets quickly confirmed the news.

Birdsong has been with the Spurs in front office positions for the last four years, most recently as director of pro player personnel as well as GM of the Austin Toros, jobs Marks held before joining the Nets. Birdsong had also been a Spurs intern while in college.

The Spurs media guide described his duties this way: “leads the pro personnel scouting efforts while assisting with strategic roster planning and day-to-day basketball operations as well as serving as general manager of the Austin Spurs.”

Before the Spurs, Birdsong was basketball operations manager and a scout for the Hawks for three years. He and Peterson (as well as Kenny Atkinson) overlapped for two years in Atlanta. Both men also have MBA’s from Florida State University, Birdsong receiving his in 2011, Peterson a year later.

Birdsong served as a graduate assistant under head coach Leonard Hamilton from 2009-11, one year before Peterson arrived as a grad-transfer in Tallahassee.

Mike Scotto noted all the overlaps and suggested Birdsong was someone ready for an upgrade.

Birdsong’s experience as GM of the Toros, the Spurs G League team, could suggest he’ll take over Langdon’s other main responsibility, GM of the Long Island Nets.

“Andy is an accomplished basketball executive who brings a wealth of experience in talent evaluation and roster construction to our front office team,” said Marks. “The knowledge he has garnered from his time as a member of such exemplary organizations as the Spurs and the Hawks will greatly benefit our group. We are excited to welcome Andy, his wife, Megan, and his son, Ace, to Brooklyn.”

The Nets still have two coaching spots to fill: Chris Fleming, architect of the Nets offense, left to be lead assistant to Jim Boylen in Chicago while Will Weaver, head coach of the Long Island Nets (and G League Coach of the Year) left to run the Sydney Kings of the Australia’s NBL.

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