There is a concept where a person starts chopping a tree for whatever reason. They stop, either from fatigue, lack of interest or for several reasons. After doing that work, another person comes over and tips over the tree, doing almost nothing. One person did all the work, and the next person got the credit. Obviously, this is an unfair situation, but it happens more than one would think. So, was the case with basketball lifer, Troy Weaver, who is currently the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations for the
New Orleans Pelicans.
Troy played basketball all his life, starting in his neighborhood where there were really good players. One was the best of a generation, Len Bian, Rest in Peace. He was able to take notes from an early age.
Instead of going to his local public school, Weaver decided to go to a relative powerhouse Catholic school, Archbishop Carroll where he was an OK player, but established a great relationship with his coach, Carroll Holmes, which was a precursor to his years as coach and basketball administrator.
Much of Troy’s life and many of the friends who made up his circle were guys like himself who loved the game of basketball. In the early to mid-90s, he and a group of friends developed a powerhouse AAU program that would go on to win many games a few national championships and send a boatload of kids to Division 1 basketball programs. Through many of the people on the basketball circuit, he decided to leave the comfortable confines of DC and work as an assistant for a couple of college teams (Pittsburgh and New Mexico) before a position with Jim Beohiem and the Syracuse University Orangemen. It was there that he recruited a future Hall of Famer, Carmelo Anthony. The team won a national championship, which contributed to Weaver’s next step to the pro ranks and OKC. Prior to going to OKC, he worked with Utah Jazz, where his team went to a Western Conference final.
Upon getting to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Troy teamed up with another guy with an eye for talent. Sam Presti is universally thought to be one of the best talent evaluators in basketball history along with people
like Red Auerbach who assembled some great teams in Boston and Jerry West, architect of great Laker teams. Well, while Presti gets a lot of credit, Weaver did a lot of scouting and the two worked as a tandem to build not only one great team that included future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, with solid complimentary players like Jeff Green and Serge Ibaka. They came close to winning the championship with those young players. Just before Troy left in 2020 after 12 years, the Thunder were able to put together a team that won the NBA Championship and looks to be contenders for many years to come.
Unfortunately, many organizations do not practice a lot of patience. Troy’s next stop would be the Detroit Pistons. He was the actual General Manager. The team had experienced some lean years. He got there in 2020 and the lean years continued. However, when you have these lean years, you also have good/high draft picks. He also made some crafty free agent signings. It didn’t take long for these moves to bear fruit. The team began to see light the year after Troy left and ended up having the best record in the Eastern Conference in the 2025/2026 season. More on the later.
Weaver didn’t stay out of basketball for long. This time he went with his hometown team, Washington Wizards. Given all his years as a basketball mind, he was hired as a senior advisor. He didn’t stay there long as another team came calling. This time it was the New Pelicans. At the writing of this article, he has been there a little over a year, but you can expect that his eye for talent will produce results. The team has a good nucleus. As with other places, he will see draft picks and free agent signings that will make the Pelicans a proud franchise.
Still doing his thing and not really getting upset because those who need to know, know. Many times, people’s talents and contributions are not appreciated until they are no longer where the contribution was rendered. However, at every stop, Troy Weaver made the place better whether the organization gave him creditor not. He can hang his head high knowing that the trees that he chopped eventually fell. The falling was due to his heavy lifting and swinging and seeing things that others may not have seen or realized. In short, Weaver is and will always be a “tree chopper.” Let’s hope that he can use the wood the next time!
