In a series of moves the last few days, the Brooklyn Nets gained a new assistant general manager and lost their head scout. The moves are typical of this time of year and don’t seem to be related.
The Nets promoted Makar Gevorkian, their capologist the last several years, to assistant GM joining long-time front office veterans B.J. Johnson and Andy Birdsong. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls hired Acie Law IV, the Nets player personnel director, for a similar position in the Windy City. The job is essentially
the organization’s top scout.
Gevorkian, who’s close to Sean Marks, has held a number of jobs related to the salary cap and has been part of trade discussions over the past several years. Having recently completed his sixth season with the Nets, Gevorkian joined the franchise in 2020 as a basketball operations assistant. He went on to serve one season as a salary cap and strategy associate and two seasons as the director of salary cap before being promoted to his most recent position, vice president of basketball operations alignment & strategic planning, in 2024.
Gevorkian, 32, is a lawyer. He graduated from the prestigious University of Chicago Law School where was a researcher for Appellate Court Judge Richard Posner, seen as one of the top legal thinkers on the federal bench. Prior to joining Brooklyn, he had worked at one of Silicon Valley’s top law firms, Wilson Sonsini. He also holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount in economics and a minor in applied mathematics
Two years ago, he was named to The Athletic’s NBA 40 under 40.
Gevorkian only joined the Nets organization in 2020; he began his professional career with a law degree from the University of Chicago and was an associate at two white-shoe law firms, only to join the Nets as a basketball operations assistant. He has since climbed the ranks in Brooklyn and was promoted this summer by general manager Sean Marks to a higher-ranking position in the front office running the Nets’ cap strategy planning, as the franchise navigates a new forward-looking path.
Said Sean Marks of the hire: “Makar’s strategic, forward-thinking mind, along with his comprehensive knowledge of the league’s salary cap structure, have made him a valued voice within our front office and we are excited to elevate him to this well-earned role.”
The Nets press release didn’t detail what parts of the front office would be Gevorkian’s responsibility. Johnson and Birdsong have essentially served as Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside, with Johnson responsible for the team’s outward facing aspects and Birdsong managing team operations.
Meanwhile, Law is leaving after a year in the job as director of player personnel, aka top scout. He arrived last season from Oklahoma City where he had been director of amateur scouting. Although neither Nets nor the Bulls have made any announcements yet, beat reporters in Chicago suggested that Law’s hire shouldn’t be surprising. Bulls newly minted GM Bryson Graham is filling out his front office and Law and he have been good friends going back to their days playing together at Texas A&M.
The timing however is surprising. It’s expected that Law will be in the Chicago Draft Room on June 23-24 rather than the Nets but no official word.
Law’s replacement as top scout will be the team’s fourth in four years, following J.R. Holden, Drew Nicholas and Law. One name suggested by league sources is Matt McDonald, currently the general manager of the Long Island Nets who also has some scouting responsibilities and was previously the Nets scouting operations coordinator.
Earlier this week, another veteran Brooklyn international scout Richard Midgley was named assistant GM of the California Berkeley men’s basketball team. Midgley credited the Nets and Marks with providing valuable experience. He and Marks traveled together to Australia on a scouting tour last year.
“My time with the Brooklyn Nets, learning from Sean Marks and the front office group there, was incredibly valuable,” Midgley added. “The perspective I gained — especially in roster construction and organizational alignment — will stay with me as I step into this role at Cal.”
