Report: Many around NBA view Rockets executive Eli Witus as future GM

Could veteran Houston Rockets executive Eli Witus — currently executive vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager —  potentially become a general manager, himself?

In a column about the NBA’s next wave of front-office executives, Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports cites sources from other teams around the league as being bullish on Witus’ future job prospects.

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From the article:

Despite the Rockets’ bumpy rebuild, Houston assistant general manager Eli Witus also registered strong support among various league personnel to pilot his own program, with several league figures pinning Witus as their choice for the smartest front-office figure in the league.

Witus has served as Houston’s No. 2 basketball operations executive since October 2020, working hand in hand with general manager Rafael Stone. Prior to that, Stone was second in command to Daryl Morey (now in Philadelphia), with Witus slightly lower on the chain.

At 51 years old, Stone doesn’t appear likely to step down from his post in the near future. Thus, if Witus wants to lead his own team, he might need to make a move elsewhere in a similar manner to how Monte McNair (Sacramento) and Gersson Rosas (then Minnesota) left the Rockets during the Morey years for external promotions.

Then again, Witus — who does extremely few interviews — might prefer the relative anonymity that accompanies a secondary role.

Whatever the case, if Houston’s rebuild proves to be successful, it could be a decision for Witus to make in the coming years.

The last time we did this exercise, Calvin Booth, Landry Fields, Mike Dunleavy Jr., and Michael Winger all appeared on the list. For @YahooSports, the next wave of general manager candidates around the NBA: https://t.co/qUHDmiKGws

— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 27, 2023