Report: Jerry Stackhouse to interview for Magic coaching job

Jerry Stackhouse’s name has been linked to the Magic since late-February.

That was when reports first surfaced that Stackhouse, a former two-time NBA All-Star and current coach of the Raptors’ G League affiliate, was the Magic’s top choice to replace Frank Vogel.

The first step in potentially making that rumor a reality is now set to take place. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported that the Magic are one of three teams that Jerry Stackhouse will interview with this week.

Stackhouse, who had an 18-year NBA career, spent time as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors before taking the head coaching job with Raptors 905. There he guided the team to a title in 2017 and to the finals in 2018. Stackhouse has long been considered the frontrunner for the Magic because of his ties to Jeff Weltman, the Magic’s president of basketball operations who was the general manager of the Raptors when Stackhouse was an assistant coach for the team in 2016.

As the Magic set out on yet another rebuild, reports say the organization is seeking a player development coach, a position that Stackhouse is could be viewed as qualified for given his success in the NBA’s developmental league.

Stackhouse is in demand and will likely have options. He could be allured by the bright lights of New York and the chance to rebuild one of the league’s premier franchises, though that may not be an ideal environment for a rookie coach. Once hailed “the next Jordan,” Stackhouse will likely be heavily recruited by Michael Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Hornets, and like Stackhouse, a UNC-alum.

The Magic can offer their usual sales pitch of some young building blocks, new facilities, warm weather and no state income tax. But, given the competition, the ties between Weltman and Stackhouse might have to be pretty strong for Stackhouse to accept any offer the Magic might make.