The Orlando Magic have completely revamped their front office this summer. After yet another disappointing season, the team moved on from former GM Rob Hennigan. They replaced him with Jeff Weltman and John Hammond as President of Basketball Operations and general manager, respectively.
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, they’ve now added the next member of the front office: Pete D’Alessandro. Most recently working as an executive on the Denver Nuggets, D’Alessandro has been hired as the Magic’s assistant GM.
Sources: Orlando's hiring Denver executive Pete D'Alessandro as an assistant GM. Moves D'Alessandro back to basketball side from business.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 10, 2017
D’Alessandro is best known for his role as general manager of the Sacramento Kings from 2013 to 2015. His time with the Kings featured many miscues from the draft to free agency and trades. However, it’s unclear how much that was affected by ownership that has repeatedly been criticized for its hands-on approach.
D’Alessandro also previously worked as an assistant GM for the Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors.
The Magic have a lot of work to do before reaching contending status. They have a mix of young, unproven players and veterans on big deals but no demonstrable star to lead them on the court.
It’s unclear whether D’Alessandro and the rest of the new regime will be tasked with finding a star right away or if the Magic want to rebuild and create their roster through the draft, something they have not been exactly patient with.
