The University of Utah is targeting veteran NBA front office executive Wes Wilcox to be the school’s men’s basketball general manager, sources told ESPN.
A deal is expected to come together in the near future. It would mark the highest-ranking sitting NBA front office member to take a college front office job.
Wilcox is the assistant general manager of the Sacramento Kings, and his nearly two decades in the NBA includes a stint as the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks from 2015 to ’17. He also worked as that franchise’s assistant general manager from 2012 to ’15.
He has also been the director of player personnel for the Cleveland Cavaliers and worked as the general manager for the G League Canton Charge. He hired current Utah coach Alex Jensen as the head coach in Canton.
Wilcox joined the Cavaliers in 2003 and has worked in virtually every job in an NBA front office. Wilcox’s move to a college front office comes at a time when collegiate sports are rapidly being professionalized. With schools expected to be able to pay athletes directly through revenue sharing starting in the 2025-26 season, moves like the one Wilcox is making are expected to become more common.
Wilcox would bring an uncommon amount of NBA front office experience to college. This comes at a time when skills such as managing the salary cap and constructing a roster have become more valued.
Jensen, a former star player at Utah, takes over there in the wake of a 16-16 season that saw the firing of coach Craig Smith. Utah has not reached the NCAA tournament since the 2016 season.
