Utah Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik could get his long overdue shot at running an NBA franchise with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA has always been a players’ league, but it takes more than just their efforts to make a winner. And as good as the Utah Jazz have been on the court over the last two years, they’ve absolutely had their stars behind the scenes as well.
One of them — assistant coach Igor Kokoskov — left the Jazz this summer for the top coaching spot in Phoenix. After 21 years with the team, longtime sports performance coach Mark McKown also vacated his post. Now, another of the team’s unsung heroes could be on the verge of taking a top spot with a new franchise.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik is in play for the Philadelphia 76ers’ general manager position. The Sixers have reportedly received permission to interview Zanik, as well as the Golden State Warriors’ Larry Harris and Gersson Rosas of the Houston Rockets.
Story soon on ESPN: The Philadelphia 76ers have been granted permission to interview three front office executives – Golden State’s Larry Harris, Houston’s Gersson Rosas and Utah’s Justin Zanik – for the franchise’s vacant general manager’s job.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 31, 2018
Philly’s GM position has been vacant since previous headman Bryan Colangelo resigned amid scandal in June. Head coach Brett Brown has been acting as interim GM since that time.
Earlier this week, Sixers’ managing partner Josh Allen told ESPN that he coveted an “elite talent” to lead the franchise into the future. I may be biased, but i would say that Zanik certainly fits that bill.
Really, he should be a GM already.
That was the plan, anyway, when he ended his first tenure with the Jazz in 2016. At that time, Zanik joined the Milwaukee Bucks as assistant GM under the assumption that he would eventually take over for then-headman John Hammond. When Hammond finally left Milwaukee, Zanik even took the reins on the team’s preparation for the 2017 NBA Draft.
However, the Bucks ultimately tapped Jon Horst as their next GM. Although Zanik had gained the support of co-owner Marc Lasry and then-coach Jason Kidd, he had apparently run afoul of Wes Edens, another co-owner.
In short order, Zanik was on the outs. He then returned to the Jazz, where his skill set has been put to good use.
Over the course of his two runs in Utah, Zanik has leaned on his past experience as an agent to assist Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey in the areas of contract negotiation and salary management. He’s also been involved in player scouting and, at one time, ran basketball operations for the Jazz’s G-League affiliate.
If Zanik were to leave the Jazz, it would be the third major loss the team has incurred this offseason. That said, he’s probably overqualified for his current gig and the Sixers job is one of the more attractive ones league-wide.