At one point, the Oklahoma City Thunder had 40 percent of the candidates going for the Orlando Magic general manager job. They are now down to zero, if the reports coming from ESPN’s Ric Bucher are correct. The Magic was interested in two of OKC’s assistant GMs in Troy Weaver and Rob Hennigan at one point, but they are now focused on one primary target: Tom Penn.
Bucher writes, "Penn worked for seven seasons (2000-2007) as both legal counsel and assistant general manager for the Grizzlies and then three seasons as assistant GM with the Blazers. While with Portland, Penn helped the team pare a bloated payroll while remaining competitive but shedding their "JailBlazers" image. Penn also has some experience as a player agent."
Weaver and Hennigan will both be names to watch not only the rest of this year but in the next or more until they land jobs. The Thunder are likely to continue to remain competitive if not dominant over the next several seasons. At some point, the front office will find itself the target of multiple job searches.
For now, it seems the Thunder will keep its own talent in house.