Magic hire Weltman, who names Hammond as GM

Jeff Weltman didn’t wait long to make his first move as the Orlando Magic’s president of basketball operations.

Hours after the Magic formally announced Tuesday morning they had hired Weltman, he named longtime NBA executive John Hammond as the club’s new general manager. Hammond replaces Rob Hennigan, who was fired last month after the Magic failed to make the playoffs during his five-year tenure.

Hammond, 62, spent the last nine seasons as the Milwaukee Bucks general manager. In Hammond’s 26 years in the NBA, his teams have made 15 postseason appearances.

“John brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator,” said Weltman. “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.”