John Hammond leaving Bucks to become Magic GM

Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond is leaving his position to take the GM job with the Orlando Magic.

“We are very excited to join Jeff (Weltman) and be part of the team in Orlando,” Hammond said in a release from the Magic on Tuesday afternoon. “The Magic are a first-class organization all the way around and we look forward to this tremendous opportunity. I want to thank the ownership in Milwaukee, Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, for their support and I certainly wish them well.”

POLL: What grade would you give John Hammond for his tenure as the Bucks GM?

Hammond will receive a five-year contract with the Magic, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

Hammond's hiring came on the heels of Orlando's announcement Tuesday morning that it had hired Weltman as its president of basketball operations, a position that Hammond also had applied for according to multiple reports. Weltman and Hammond worked together in Detroit for a year before Hammond took the GM job in Milwaukee in 2008 and brought Weltman with him as his assistant general manager. Weltman left for Toronto in 2013 and was promoted to the GM job there before last season.

“John brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator,” Weltman said in a release. “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's contract with the Bucks ran through the 2017-'18 season, though a succession plan was already in place.

It was widely known thatHammond, if he stayed in Milwaukee, would remain as the general manager for this upcoming season before moving into a consulting role. Assistant general manager Justin Zanik, who was brought in last summer as the heir apparent, would then shift into the general manager role.

That plan likely will get put into motion a year ahead of schedule.

“John Hammond has been an incredible asset to the Bucks organization these last nine years and a true professional in every sense of the word," Bucks ownership said in a release. "His keen eye for talent and relentless drive to build one of the finest teams in the league has helped the Bucks become a championship-caliber organization on and off the court. We wish John and his family nothing but the best in Orlando.

“We remain very excited about the prospects of our team and anticipate further announcements about the front office staff to be made in the near future.”

In an interview with the media earlier in the off-season, Hammond, 62, spoke glowingly about the future of the Bucks and shared his excitement about being part of the organization. He also implied he still has plenty to give as a general manager and is not anywhere close to retiring.

"I think those of us that have had these opportunities, I don't think we ever look at it that way," Hammond said when asked if there might come a time he gets tired of his job. "I think we know how lucky we are, how fortunate we are and you appreciate every single day."

Hammond's move to join Weltman in Orlando gives the pair nearly a month to prepare for the NBA draft on June 22. The Magic owns pick Nos. 6, 25, 33 and 35. It also gives the Bucks a month to adjust to Zanik taking over as general manager. Since arriving last summer, Zanik has been fully involved in all of the Bucks' front-office activities, including preparations for the draft.

It is not known whether any members of the Bucks staff will follow Hammond to Orlando, something that could impact Milwaukee's preparations for the draft.

Hammond has served as the Bucks general manager since April 2008, when he replaced Larry Harris. The Bucks have reached the playoffs four times during Hammond's tenure and he was named the NBA's executive of the year after the 2009-'10 season.

When it comes to personnel, Hammond was in charge of rebuilding the Bucks following a bottoming-out in 2013-'14 when the team went 15-67. During that time he assembled a strong, young core featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton and promising rookies Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker.

Antetokounmpo represents one of Hammond's most successful personnel moves. Early in 2013, Hammond and Weltman went to Greece to watch Antetokounmpo play and were impressed. A few months later, the Bucks took him with the 15th pick in the draft, knowing that he had immense potential but not realizing he would ascend to stardom as quickly as he has.

This season, Antetokounmpo started in the All-Star Game and earned a spot on theall-NBA second team, both firsts for the organization since Sidney Moncrief accomplished both feats in 1986.

Hammond's first draft pick in Milwaukee wasn't so successful as Joe Alexander, chosen at No. 8 in the 2008 draft, lasted only one season in Milwaukee and two in the NBA.

Other notable first-round picks by Hammond include Brandon Jennings at No. 10 in 2008, Larry Sanders at No. 15 in 2010 and John Henson at No. 14 in 2012. 

Zanik was hired by the Bucks last June after serving three seasons as assistant general manager with the Utah Jazz. He was a certified player agent before joining the Jazz and served as vice president of ASM Sports. He also worked for Priority Sports & Entertainment from 1998 to 2002 and managed European player contract negotiations.

Zanik graduated from Northwestern University in 1998 with a degree in economics.