John Hammond Agrees to 5-Year Contract to Become Orlando Magic GM

Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond has agreed to become the new general manager of the Orlando Magic. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, he has signed a five-year deal.

The team's public relations account announced the move with a statement:

The Bucks are expected to promote Justin Zanik as the new general manager, per Wojnarowski.

"John (Hammond) brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator," said president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, whom Hammond will work under. "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 inherited a 26-56 Bucks team in 2008. In the nine seasons since, Milwaukee made the playoffs four times, including three times in the last five years.

He hasn't been afraid to make outside-the-box moves to help the team in that time, including the selections of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker in the draft.

The front-office veteran will now help replace Rob Hennigan, who was fired as Orlando's GM in April.