Orlando Magic hire John Hammond as General Manager

The Orlando Magic announced Tuesday they have hired John Hammond, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks, as their general manager. According to Adrian Wojnorowski of The Vertical, Hammond’s contract with the Magic will run for five seasons.

Orlando moved quickly to install Hammond, as his hiring comes one day after it signed Jeff Weltman as its President of Basketball Operations.

"John brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator," Weltman said in a statement. "He has experience 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."

Hammond owns a wealth of NBA experience, having joined the NBA in the 1989/90 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach and scout. He’s also worked with the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons, and served as Detroit’s Vice President of Basketball Operations for seven seasons.

Hammond worked as Milwaukee’s GM starting in 2008, and he won Executive of the Year honors one season later. He and Weltman have their work cut out for them in Orlando, which is in the midst of a franchise-worst playoff drought spanning five seasons.

Their work begins with the NBA Draft, where the Magic will select sixth, 25th, 33rd, and 35th overall. Hammond’s skills as a talent evaluator—he famously drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo, a current NBA All-Star, 15th overall in 2013—will certainly come in handy there.