Nuggets hire Rockets' Arturas Karnisovas as assistant GM

The purge of Houston Rockets' front-office executives continued with director of player personnel Arturas Karnisovas accepting the assistant general manager job with the Denver Nuggets, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Karnisovas, 42, will join new general manager Tim Connelly in the Nuggets' front office.

The Philadelphia 76ers hired away Rockets executive vice president Sam Hinkie in May to become the franchise's GM.

After joining the Rockets as an international scout in 2008, Karnisovas had been promoted through the organization and most recently held the title of director of scouting.

As a player, Karnisovas had a decorated basketball career. After starring under P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall, Karnisovas won two Olympic bronze medals (1992 and '96) for Lithuania and was selected as FIBA's European Player of the Year in 1996. He reached the Euroleague Final Four three times.

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