Orlando Magic Rumors: Orlando Magic have begun interviewing candidates for lead front office job

The Orlando Magic have begun interviews for their vacant president of basketball operations position. A final decision may still be a ways away.

The Orlando Magic have begun interviewing candidates for their now-vacant president of basketball operations position, Magic CEO Alex Martins told Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

As expected, the Magic have waited some time for teams to get eliminated from the Playoffs to begin the interviewing process. And all the candidates the Magic would like to interview are not yet available, as expected. But the team is rightly beginning the process and winnowing its list down some.

Martins did not tell Robbins who the team was interviewing, only that the process was beginning and the team would hire a president of basketball operations, who would select a general manager to work with him.

"“As we’ve said from the outset, we don’t expect a quick decision or a quick resolution due to the fact that there are some executives involved in the playoffs that we’re interested in speaking to and most likely we will not be granted permission [to speak with them] until those teams have been eliminated from the playoffs,” Martins told the Orlando Sentinel.“In light of that, we’re moving along well, and we’ve been going through our process. And we will not conclude it until we have the opportunity to speak to those individuals.”"

While Martins did not reveal any candidates the Magic had identified and interviewed already, he definitively confirmed to the Sentinel the team is seeking to change its organizational structure.

Since Martins hired Rob Hennigan, his first front office hire as the team’s CEO, the team has had a general manager reporting directly to him. It appears the organizational structure will change now with a president of basketball operations in charge of basketball operations and a day-to-day general manager beneath him. It is a structure that has gained increasing favor throughout the league.

The Magic used a similar structure when they went to the Finals in 2009 with Bob Vander Weide as the team’s CEO and Otis Smith as the president of basketball operations with a staff beneath him, including former co-general manager Dave Twardzik. Orlando moved away from this structure in taking a chance on the unproven Hennigan.

There are a lot of benefits to this structure. It requires less oversight and a better partnership and discussion between the team’s basketball and business interests.

Whom the Magic will hire remains a mystery. As does whom the Magic have interviewed already.

It is believed the Magic are targeting Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin. The Magic will not be able to contact or talk to him until after the Cavaliers are finished in the Playoffs.

Former Minnesota Timberwolves executive and coach Kevin McHale is also believed to be one of the team’s top candidates.

Whoever the Magic hire will be able to pick their general manager.

Matt Lloyd, the only holdover from the main executive staff from last year, is the acting general manager. He has conducted the Magic’s draft preparations with the Draft Combine set for next week in Chicago. Martins said the team would give him full consideration for the general manager job. It is believed he will gain consideration to stay on as general manager.

Ultimately the decision lies with whom the Magic hire for the lead job.

Next: Orlando Magic 2017 Year-End Awards

While the final decision may still be a little ways away, the Magic are beginning to narrow their focus.