With all the success Sam Presti is having as the General Manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s no surprise that the Orlando Magic went with another young gun from the San Antonio Spurs family to fill their GM spot.
Rob Hennigan has spent the last couple years as assistant GM for the Thunder and has been a protégé of Presti. Back in 2004, he worked as an intern for the Spurs and was promoted to director of basketball operations in 2007. The 30-year-old Hennigan will now be the youngest GM in the league.
Hennigan wasn’t the only one with ties to San Antonio to be considered for the Orlando GM job. Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey was one of the three finalists who travelled to Grand Rapids, Michigan to meet with Magic owner Rich DeVos. New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower was the third, but Orlando wanted someone with championship experience, which Hennigan got with the Spurs.
Hennigan will have lots on his plate right off the bat. He has to find a head coach to replace the fired Stan Van Gundy. He also has to decide what to do with Dwight Howard. Howard’s contract is up at the end of next season, so rather than see him walk out the door for a new contract, Hennigan’s first move as GM may be to trade the All-Star center. In addition to all that, the NBA draft is only a week away and the Magic have the 19th and 49th picks. We’ll find out quickly if Hennigan has what it takes to be the go-to guy for the Orlando franchise.
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