ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) The Orlando Magic completed their search to fill the role of president of basketball operations.
It’s Toronto general manager Jeff Weltman, a veteran NBA executive but relatively unknown to the casual basketball fan.
Magic President Alex Martins announced the hire on Tuesday. It was first reported Monday night that Weltman and the Magic had agreed to a deal. The Magic have scheduled a news conference on Wednesday to introduce Weltman.
”Jeff brings tremendous experience and a team-first approach to our president of basketball operations position,” Martins said in team release. ”Jeff is a strategic thinker and strong leader, has great relationships in the industry, and will bring a collaborative approach to our basketball operations leadership.”
Weltman has worked in the front offices of Milwaukee and Denver. He joined the Raptors in 2013 as their vice president of basketball operations before taking over last September as GM under team president Masai Ujiri.
Weltman will report directly to Martins. His first major hire will be a GM to replace Rob Hennigan, who was fired last month after the Magic failed to reach the playoffs during his five-year tenure.
It had been reported the Magic would pursue Cleveland GM David Griffin, but with the hire of Weltman it seems unlikely that Griffin would make a lateral move.
Matt Lloyd, who has been the interim general manager since Hennigan was fired, is a candidate for the permanent job. He has been heavily involved in the upcoming NBA draft where the Magic currently hold the No. 6 overall pick.
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