February 15, 2019
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Pelicans announced that after discussions with Dell Demps this morning, the team and Demps have decided to mutually part ways.
“We will immediately begin the process of restructuring our basketball operations department,” stated Pelicans Owner Gayle Benson. “This will include a comprehensive, but confidential, search aided by outside consultants to identify a new leader of our basketball operations, directly reporting to me.”
Danny Ferry will assume the team’s interim general manager duties. Ferry most recently served as the Pelicans’ Special Adviser for the last three seasons and has over 25 years of NBA experience as both a player and front office executive. His previous front office experience includes President of Basketball Operations and General Manager for the Atlanta Hawks (2012-15), Vice President of Basketball Operations for the San Antonio Spurs organization (2010-12), and General Manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10).
Benson added, “I would like to extend my appreciation to Dell for his tireless work and commitment to our team over the last eight-plus years. Dell, his wife Anita, and his family have been a credit to our city and I wish them nothing but the greatest success going forward. As difficult as these decisions are, my responsibility is to provide the leadership and resources necessary to deliver a winning team to our fans and community. I take that responsibility seriously and would like to assure our fans that I am prepared to provide any, and all, resources required to compete for championships. My expectations, and the expectations of our fans, are that this team will compete at a high level for the remainder of the season. While we still have many more critical decisions to make when this season comes to an end, I am focused on making sure we are properly positioned to succeed and that we are headed in the right direction. Finally, I would like to recognize and thank our fans for their support through all of this. I am excited about our future and the opportunities ahead.”