Ben Carloni transitions to Basketball Operations role with Detroit Pistons
DETROIT – The Motor City Cruise announced today that Max Unger has been named the franchise’s third General Manager. Unger is entering his second season with the Motor City Cruise, having served as the team’s assistant general manager during the 2023-24 season.
“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to build on the success of the Motor City Cruise and lead our players, coaches and staff members with the same values and principles established by Trajan Langdon and his team this offseason,” said Unger. “We look forward to a successful upcoming G League campaign and supporting the Detroit Pistons with the growth and development of our players.”
Unger, 31, was an integral part of a Cruise basketball operations department that delivered a league-high-tying five NBA call-ups during the 2023-24 season. Unger helped facilitate a trade with the Osceola Magic which netted guard Zavier Simpson prior to the season. Simpson set Cruise franchise-highs for total points scored (938) and assists (388) in a season and helped lead Motor City to the G League Showcase Tournament. Unger was also instrumental in the additions of Sam Peek, Nathan Knight, Devon Higgs and Jayce Johnson, and helped set the framework for the Cruise’s developmental process.
Unger began his NBA front office career with the San Antonio Spurs, serving as a basketball operations quality assurance assistant for two seasons (2019-2021). He was hired by the Detroit Pistons as a college scouting coordinator in December 2021 and held that role prior to being promoted to assistant general manager for the Cruise last season.
A native of Huntington Woods, MI, Unger graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in International Studies in 2015 and earned a Master of Management from the Ross School of Business in 2016.
In a related move, Ben Carloni has transitioned to a role with the Detroit Pistons basketball department as director of basketball administration. Carloni served as general manager for the Cruise from 2022-2024.
-detroit.gleague.nba.com-
