The Charlotte Hornets are throwing us a curveball.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the Hornets are hiring Jeff Peterson to be their new head of basketball operations. Currently an executive with the Brooklyn Nets, Peterson replaces Mitch Kupchak, who recently stepped down from his post as president and GM of the Hornets.
Peterson is only 35 years old, making him younger than some NBA players. He now becomes the youngest lead front office executive in the league, five years after getting hired as Brooklyn’s assistant GM under Sean Marks.
The news comes as a surprise since it looked like a notable current GM had been the frontrunner for the job. Earlier this week, we even heard that an executive with a famous last name might be getting the position. Instead however, the Hornets have opted for youth and (hopefully) longer-term stability in hiring Peterson, who will be called on to manage their rebuild.
