Milwaukee Bucks general manager Johh Hammond has agreed to a five-year deal to become the new Orlando Magic GM. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to break the news.
Orlando Magic Hire New General Manager and President of Basketball Operations
Sources: Milwaukee GM John Hammond has agreed to a five-year deal to become Orlando's GM. Hammond will work under president Jeff Weltman.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2017
The news of Hammond’s hiring comes less than a day after the Magic announced that former Raptors GM Jeff Weltman would assume the role of President of Basketball Operations.
Toronto GM Jeff Weltman has agreed to a deal to become the Orlando Magic's President of Basketball Operations, sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 22, 2017
Both moves come as the Magic look to shake up the front office following the firing of general manager Rob Hennigan last month. During his seven yeae tenure, Hammond led the Bucks to the playoffs three times; with their latest trip to the postseason coming this year, on the back of a 42-40 record. Hammond has helped build and develop a talented roster, mainly through the draft, selecting promising young players such as Jabari Parker, Malcolm Brogdon and of course All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. During his tenure in Milwaukee, the Bucks held an overall record of 240-318, with a win percentage of .430. Hammond has successfully established a playoff contending team in Milwaukee, something he will surely be tasked with achieving in Orlando.
The decision to hire Weltman as President of Basketball Operations was announced yesterday, with the team seeking some stability as they head towards the draft. A statement from Magic CEO Alex Martins read:
The former Toronto Raptors general manager will be tasked with not only rebuilding the roster in Orlando, but will also be looking to establish a winning culture for a team that has not had a winning season since 2010-11. With his first major decison being the hiring of Hammond as GM, the first task facing the new front office is the draft, which is just under a month away. It is yet unclear what role interim general manager Matt Lloyd will take on in the organisation, but it is expected that he will remain with the Magic in a senior role.
Main Photo
NEW YORK, USA – APRIL 15: Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on April 15, 2015. (Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
