Earlier today we learned that Pacers president Larry Bird will meet with team owner Herb Simon next week, likely to finalize a deal that will keep the Executive of the Year in Indiana, setting up Kevin Pritchard's promotion to general manager and current GM David Morway's exit from the team. Since Pritchard and Morway have both been in the discussion for the Magic's GM opening, today's news has had an effect on more than one front office.
- Not surprisingly, Pritchard has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Magic job following the news of his pending promotion, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- The Magic's GM finalists could meet early next week with the DeVos family, which owns the team, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, noting that no hire will be made this weekend (Twitter link). The last we heard, from Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, was that Spurs executive Dennis Lindsey is the frontrunner, with former Hornets GM Jeff Bower, Thunder exec Troy Weaver and former Blazers salary cap expert Tom Penn in the running.
- The same report from Kyler indicated that Penn has an interview for the Magic GM position this week, but Penn and Pritchard are friends who worked well together in Portland, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com noted earlier. If Morway leaves the Pacers, as expected, that would create an opening that Penn could fill.
- The Clippers' search for a GM "hasn't gotten serious yet," according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
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