2:15 PM: Orlando has named Hammond its new GM, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
“John [Hammond] brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator,” Weltman said today. “He has experiences in everything from day-to-day operations to player development. He built a great team in Milwaukee, and won a championship while in Detroit. We are very fortunate to have him as part of the Magic family.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports that Hammons’ new deal with the Magic will be for five years. The 62-year-old executive had one year remaining on his contract in Milwaukee, but ownership had indicated that it was unlikely to bring Hammond back beyond his current deal. The Bucks agreed to let him out of that contract in order to clear the way for Zanik to become the GM.
1:14 PM: Bucks GM John Hammond is expected to be named the Magic’s new GM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Orlando hired Hammond’s long-term colleague Jeff Weltman as team president earlier today.
Stein adds that if Hammond heads to Florida as expected, Justin Zanik will become the Bucks new GM. Milwaukee hired Zanik as the team’s assistant GM last summer. Prior to joining the Bucks, Zanik spent three years as the assistant GM of the Jazz.
Hammond has been the Bucks’ GM since 2008. He previously worked in the Pistons’ front office and he also had several assistant coaching stints in the NBA and college ranks.
They spared no expense
I see what you did there, lol
Got to the Jurassic park reference before me… damn
Lol
don’t get the move from hammonds standpoint
Hammond had been planning a handover to Zanik and only had this year left on his contract.
Hammond has repeatedly expressed his love for and appreciation of an NBA GM job.
It’s simple as that — you get offered one of the 30 jobs in the world you love best, and in the process burn no bridges with your current employer, you go for it
It’s a lateral move so he wouldn’t make it unless he was unhappy with Milwaukees management, got a salary increase, or prefers working in the Florida area.
I’m guessing he got a big salary increase though.
He’s also going to work for one of his former colleagues. So he is familiar with how Weltman operates and trusts him. Besides he was not going to with the Bucks after next season so why not latch on to another team for 5 more years.