Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Choose Weltman As President of Basketball Operations

May 23rd, 2017 at 9:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

MAY 23, 9:31am: The Magic have announced the hiring of Weltman and will hold a press conference Wednesday, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

MAY 22, 6:54pm: Bucks GM John Hammond also interviewed for the job, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

5:43pm: Raptors GM Jeff Weltman has reached a five-year agreement with the Magic to become their President of Basketball Operations, sources told The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The deal was finalized in a meeting between Weltman and Orlando’s CEO Alex Martins, as well as the team’s ownership group, Wojnarowski continues. He replaces Rob Hennigan, who was fired last month.

The Magic had seriously considered making an offer to Cavaliers GM David Griffin, but focused their attention on Weltman in recent weeks, Wojnarowski adds. Weltman had been working under Raptors president Masai Ujiri. He previously had high-level jobs with the Bucks and Nuggets after starting his front-office career with the Clippers. He had been with the Raptors since 2013 after leaving the Bucks organization.

Weltman will have the ability to hire a GM who’ll report to him but Matt Lloyd, who had been serving as the interim GM, could remain with the organization, Wojnarowski adds.

The Raptors will likely fill the GM vacancy with assistant GM Bobby Webster, Toronto beat reporter Doug Smith tweets.

Cavs Denied Permission To Talk To Griffin

May 22nd, 2017 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers did not grant GM David Griffin permission to interview for front office jobs with the Magic and Hawks, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The Magic were interested in hiring Griffin as President of Basketball Operations and had discussions with him but were not allowed to formally interview him and ultimately decided to hire Raptors GM Jeff Weltman, Windhorst continues. The Hawks are looking for an new GM. Griffin’s contract expires at the end of July and has been negotiating with team owner Dan Gilbert, Windhorst adds.

The Magic parted ways with several front office members, including Director of Pro Scouting Harold Ellis, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets.

Options Available To Magic At No. 6

May 21st, 2017 at 10:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Magic have several options that could realistically be available to them at the No. 6 pick, including De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel breaks them down.

Draft Notes: Allen, Irvin, Magic

May 21st, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Frontcourt may not be the Bulls‘ biggest need, but if someone as talented as Jarrett Allen is available at No. 16, the team shouldn’t hesitate to go in that direction, Mark Strotman of Comcast Sportsnet contends. Strotman believes Allen could be the team’s next Joakim Noah. Chicago drafted Noah in 2007 even though Ben Wallace was under contract and it worked out long-term for the franchise.

Allen may not surpass current starting center Robin Lopez this season, but by the time his rookie contract is up, Allen could be one of the best big men in the league. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has the Texas product as the 17th best prospect in his class.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

The Lakers recently met with Michigan’s Zak Irvin and the team was impressed with his workout, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Irvin will also work out for the Bucks later this week.
Pittsburg’s Jamel Artis will work out for the Lakers and Rockets later this week, Scotto reports in a separate tweet. Artis isn’t ranked in Givony’s top 100 prospects.
The Magic have several players scheduled to work out for the team on Tuesday, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel passes along. Cal’s Ivan Rabb, Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan, Villanova’s Josh Hart and Houston’s Damyean Dotson will all participate in Orlando’s workouts.

Draft Notes: Fall, Jones, Haas

May 18th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tacko Fall had a workout with the Magic today. He will work out for the Jazz and he may schedule one with the Rockets as well, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). The University of Central Florida center has previously worked out for the Celtics.

Fall is testing the draft waters but has until May 24 to make a final decision. The 7’6″ big man is the 92nd best prospect in the upcoming draft, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Here’s more on upcoming draft:

Andrew Jones is leaning toward staying at Texas for another season, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Givony has Jones as his 54th best prospect.
Isaac Haas will return to Purdue for his senior season, the university announced on its website. “After going through the NBA evaluations and workouts with multiple teams, I have had many long discussions with my family and the Purdue coaching staff. We came to the decision that it’s best that I come back to Purdue and help bring Purdue to a better place than last year for my senior year,” Haas said.
BYU’s Eric Mika will sign an agent and remain in the draft, according to the school’s Twitter feed. Givony has Mika as 79th best prospect in the field.

Cavs Will Attempt To Retain GM David Griffin

May 17th, 2017 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers general manager David Griffin has been a popular target this spring for teams in search of a new basketball operations executive, having drawn interest from both the Hawks and Magic. However, the Cavs don’t intend to let him get away. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, team owner Dan Gilbert is making it known that he’s prepared to offer Griffin a “substantial contract and title” to remain with Cleveland.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported in April that extension talks between Griffin and the Cavs had been “stalled for months,” and reiterated this week that the team hadn’t made a significant offer to its GM, whose contract expires at season’s end. Based on Amico’s report though, it sounds like Cleveland is ready to increase its offer, and perhaps offer him a president of basketball operations title.

Amico cautions that a deal is “far from done,” adding that the two sides may not meet for several weeks yet. However, several Cavs and NBA sources tell Amico that they think Gilbert has always planned to retain Griffin, and will meet with him before he talks to other suitors.

Gilbert has reportedly declined to respond to Orlando’s request to talk to Griffin, and since the GM’s contract doesn’t expire until the end of June, the Magic and Hawks may ultimately look elsewhere if they’re denied the opportunity to speak to Griffin until July.

It would be a bit of a surprise if Cleveland lets Griffin away, considering LeBron James has publicly endorsed a new deal for the team’s GM, who was responsible for constructing the roster that won a championship a year ago. Per Amico, multiple people under Griffin have let Cavs ownership know that they appreciate the positive work environment Griffin has fostered, and “greatly admire” the GM.

Lonzo Ball May Only Work Out For Lakers

May 17th, 2017 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The 2017 NBA draft lottery couldn’t have worked out much better for Lonzo Ball and his father LaVar, who have long expressed a desire for Lonzo to end up with the Lakers. In the wake of L.A. landing the No. 2 overall pick on Tuesday night, LaVar Ball told Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation that Lonzo may not audition for any other teams at or near the top of the draft.

“Just the Lakers,” LaVar said. “There’s nobody else that we need to work out for.”

[RELATED: 2017 NBA draft lottery results]

While LaVar’s comments sounded pretty declarative, a source close to Ball tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that Lonzo remains undecided on whether he’ll work out for teams besides the Lakers. That source admitted that Los Angeles is the preferred destination for the Ball camp, but said a decision would be made “closer to June” on whether the former UCLA point guard will work out for any other teams.

Both Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka indicated to ESPN that there are several options available to them with that No. 2 pick, suggesting that the team won’t necessarily just take whoever is left after the Celtics select Ball or Markelle Fultz. A Lakers source tells ESPN that players under consideration for the team at No. 2 include De’Aaron Fox, Josh Jackson, and Jayson Tatum, in addition to Ball and Fultz.

Still, it seems likely that the Lakers will ultimately land on one of those top two point guards, assuming they don’t trade the pick. And Pelinka says a trade probably won’t happen, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t explore it,” Pelinka said of the possibility of trading the No. 2 selection. “But this pick has extraordinary value.”

The Lakers didn’t interview Ball at last week’s draft combine, but intend to have him in for a workout in the coming weeks, Johnson confirmed, according to Mark Medina of The O.C. Register. The new Lakers president also said the club will work out Jackson, per Medina.

2017 NBA Draft Lottery Results

May 16th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics will pick first overall in the 2017 NBA draft, having won Tuesday night’s lottery one night after they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s, who exercised their rights to swap with the Nets, entered the lottery with the best odds (25.0%) to land that No. 1 overall pick.

The Lakers were the other big winners in the lottery, moving up to No. 2, ensuring that they’ll keep both this year’s pick and 2019’s first-rounder. Had Los Angeles’ pick fallen outside of the top three, it would have been sent to the Sixers, and the Lakers would’ve owed their unprotected 2019 first-rounder to Orlando. Instead, the Lakers will keep this year’s pick and 2019’s, and will send Philadelphia their unprotected 2018 first-round selection.

The Kings also moved up into the top three, but the Sixers will acquire that pick, exercising their right to swap with Sacramento. The Kings will pick at No. 5, which is where Philadelphia would have selected. Sacramento will also land the Pelicans’ selection at No. 10. That New Orleans selection was acquired by the Kings in February’s DeMarcus Cousins trade and was top-three protected.

The Suns are the night’s biggest losers, having moved from No. 2 in the lottery standings down to No. 4 overall. The Magic, Timberwolves, and Knicks each moved down one spot as well.

Here’s the full lottery order for the 2017 NBA draft:

Boston Celtics (via Nets)
Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers (swapped with Kings)
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings (swapped with Sixers)
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings (via Pelicans)
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Denver Nuggets
Miami Heat

Tonight’s lottery results are fascinating on a number of levels, but particularly so for two of the NBA’s most-storied franchises, the Celtics and Lakers. Boston is in position to either pick a player like point guard Markelle Fultz, considered by draft experts to be a future star, or to dangle that No. 1 overall pick in a trade for an established veteran star next month. The Celtics are coming off a season in which they earned the top seed in the East, and they also own the Nets’ unprotected first-round pick in 2018, so the franchise is extremely well-positioned for the future.

As for the Lakers, they’ll breathe a sigh of relief after hanging onto their 2017 first-rounder, and they’re in position to create a union that has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks. UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is widely viewed as the second-best prospect in this year’s draft, and he and his father LaVar have made no secret of the fact that Lonzo wants to play for the Lakers. Tonight’s lottery results make that a very real possibility.

The Kings are another winner tonight, having moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 and having also held onto the Pelicans’ pick at No. 10. Sacramento will be in a great position to pick two cornerstone pieces to kickstart the club’s rebuilding process.

Magic Await Permission To Talk To David Griffin

May 16th, 2017 at 10:21am CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic have submitted a formal request to the Cavaliers to speak with GM David Griffin, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Griffin is believed to be the front-runner to become Orlando’s president of basketball operations, with a report last month saying he will be offered the job when he becomes available.

The Cavaliers have not responded to the request, Wojnarowski adds, and have the option of holding onto Griffin until his contract expires at the end of June. With free agency starting July 1st, it’s possible that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will deny the interview request as a stall tactic to see if Orlando turns to someone else.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that Gilbert hasn’t made a substantive offer to try to keep Griffin, who built the Cavaliers into a championship team after LeBron James returned in 2014. James has been an outspoken advocate of keeping the GM, but his public comments seem to have had little effect on negotiations.

The Magic are getting ready to start interviewing other candidates for the position, including Hall of Famer Kevin McHale and Bucks GM John Hammond, who still has a year left on his contract in Milwaukee. Interim Magic GM Matt Lloyd has already been through the interview process and is highly thought of in the organization, according to Wojnarowski.

Orlando launched a front-office shakeup when the season ended, firing GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry. The Magic plan to put control of the front office in the hands of a president, who will then hire the next GM.

The team faces competition from the Hawks, who recently relieved Wes Wilcox of GM duties. Griffin is seen as a candidate in Atlanta, along with former Pistons executive Joe Dumars, Rockets VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, Knicks director of player personnel Mark Hughes and former players and current TV analysts Chauncey Billups and Brent Barry. Wojnarowski reports that the Hawks have received permission to interview Rosas and Hughes.

Magic Working Out Caleb Swanigan, Dennis Smith Jr.

May 15th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As Baird notes in his previously-linked tweet, Swanigan also has a workout lined up for May 22 with the Magic. That session will take place just two days before the deadline to withdraw from the draft and retain his eligibility — Swanigan appears likely to take that decision down to the wire.
One of this year’s top point guard prospects, Dennis Smith Jr., worked out today for the Magic, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel details.