The Orlando Magic have made their first big move of the offseason, hiring Toronto Raptors GM Jeff Weltman as president of basketball operations.
The Orlando Magic will hire Toronto Raptors general manager Jeff Weltman as the team’s new president of basketball operations, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports.
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
Weltman has been with the Raptors since 2013. He was part of the team’s rise to Eastern Conference contender, working as the general manager under team president Masai Ujiri. Like the Magic, the Raptors never had any high draft picks and got better through internal development with DeMar DeRozan and a shrewd trade to acquire Kyle Lowry.
While Toronto faltered in this year’s conference semifinals, the Raptors were one of the best teams in the conference throughout the year and reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history last year.
While Ujiri was the president of basketball operations, Weltman had a major hand in those decisions as the general manager leading to the team’s success.
It does not hurt either that the Magic have former Raptors in Terrence Ross and Bismack Biyombo on the roster and made that big deal for Serge Ibaka at the trade deadline with Toronto.
Weltman brings with him extensive experience throughout the NBA, an important attribute the Magic were looking for in their new hire. He was among several candidates many NBA front offices believed was next in line for an opportunity like this.
Before working for the Raptors, he previously worked with the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. He was the assistant general manager for the Bucks under current general manager John Hammond. Hammond was receiving some buzz for the Magic’s open president of basketball operations job this summer.
The Magic’s search took some strange turns with its seeming intense focus on trying to wriggle free Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin. Griffin was set to become a free agent this summer and his contract negotiations with the Cavaliers have stalled.
The Magic, though, could not wait much longer. Wojnarowski reported the Magic were denied permission to speak to Griffin during the break before the Eastern Conference Finals. It was clear the team needed to move on to their other candidates.
Wojnarowski reported the Magic zeroed in on Weltman.
Weltman does not have experience in the lead chair. But the way the Raptors operated was in a collaborative environment. He had plenty of input in the Raptors’ decisions. Weltman felt comfortable challenging and arguing for moves with the ultimate decision maker for the team in Ujiri. The results speak for themselves.
The Magic have talked about promoting a collaborative environment like this. It was one of the positives they noted even with Rob Hennigan’s departure. They just needed a new decision maker and a new decision-making structure.
The next choice — the first choice for Weltman — is who to hire as the team’s general manager working with him.
Matt Lloyd has filled that role for the team to this point as the interim general manager during this transition period. He is well thought of throughout the league. It was widely expected the Magic will retain him as general manager.
That decision is now up to Weltman to make.
Orlando did make some changes to its front office in preparation for this eventual move Monday, letting go of several staffers, according to Michael Scotto fo Basketball Insiders:
Sources: The Orlando Magic have let go of several staff members today, including Harold Ellis, Michael Arcieri, and George Rodman.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 22, 2017
Harold Ellis was the team’s head of pro scouting. Michael Arcieri was the team’s salary cap and collective bargaining agreement counselor. George Rodman was the general manager for the Erie BayHawks.
It is not surprising that the new president of basketball operations would want to bring his own hires in for these spots. And there may yet be changes to come.
Should these reports prove true, the Magic have made their big decision for the summer in hiring a new head for their basketball operations.
Next: Targets for Orlando Magic's No. 6 overall pick
That should allow them to turn their focus completely toward the draft and free agency to improve upon the 29-53 season they just completed.