The Orlando Magic met with Fred Hoiberg and Mark Jackson before hiring Scott Skiles on Friday.
“We found the right guy,” Rob Hennigan said.
The contract that Skiles signed runs for three seasons and includes a team option for the 2018-19 season.
The Magic also met with Mike Woodson.
The Orlando Magic have named Scott Skiles head coach.
During his 13 seasons as a head coach, his teams have reached the NBA Playoffs six times.
“Scott (Skiles) clearly distinguished himself as a tremendous fit,” said RobHennigan. “Our young roster will benefit greatly from Scott’s extensive head coaching experience and commitment to teaching smart, physical, unselfish basketball. We believe in Scott’s ability to establish a culture of winning habits and accountability that will help guide our team in a positive direction.”
“As we began our search, our internal discussions centered on finding a head coach with a solid resume of NBA head coaching experience, great leadership qualities, a motivating communication style, and someone with a strong strategic acumen,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “We feel Scott (Skiles) brings a balanced approach in all those qualities and we look forward, with great confidence, to him leading our young men in helping us reach our collective goal of sustainable success.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Skiles has signed a four-year deal.
The Orlando Magic have entered into contract talks with Scott Skiles and expect to soon complete his hiring as head coach.
Skiles also interviewed this week with the New Orleans Pelicans.
One source said the Magic hope to have a deal struck with Skiles as soon as Friday.
Skiles' candidacy has always had the strong backing of Magic ownership and team CEO Alex Martins, from the moment Jacque Vaughn was dismissed in February.
Scott Skiles remains the frontrunner for the Orlando Magic job, but he has also been interviewed by the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans and Magic both entered their coaching search with Tom Thibodeau as a candidate, but he remains under contract with the Chicago Bulls.
Jeff Van Gundy and Alvin Gentry have also interviewed with the Pelicans.
The Orlando Magic now have a strong frontrunner for their head coaching vacancy in Scott Skiles.
Rob Hennigan has discussed the opening with several possible candidates, but Skiles has clearly separated himself in the process.
Skiles has been the preferred choice of Orlando ownership, which has been fond of him since his playing days with the Magic in the 1990s.
Skiles has previously coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Skiles has a reputation for turning bad teams into competitive ones, though he's also occasionally burned teams out.
The Magic also had interest in Tom Thibodeau, but they haven't wanted to offer draft compensation for the chance to acquire him.
Skiles didn't have a good relationship with Tobias Harris during their time together with the Bucks. Harris is a restricted free agent this offseason.
The Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets are expected to seriously consider trading their lottery picks.
All four teams want to accelerate their rebuilds.
The New York Knicks are also expected to entertain offers for the No. 4 pick. The Knicks like Justise Winslow, but they're not believed to be sold on Emmanuel Mudiay.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will pick first in the 2015 NBA Draft, joining the list of previous lottery winners. The Wolves are expected to decide between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks swapped pre-lottery standings at No. 4 and No. 2, while the Philadelphia 76ers stayed put at No. 3.
The 76ers have their own lottery pick, while they could have also received the Lakers' pick if it had fallen out of the top-5 and/or Miami's if it fell out of the top-10.
You can view the lottery history of each team, including the players selected with their picks, by clicking on the below links.
Draft Lottery Results
1. Minnesota Timberwolves (25%)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (11.9%)
3. Philadelphia 76ers (15.6%)
4. New York Knicks (19.9%)
5. Orlando Magic (8.8%)
6. Sacramento Kings (6.3%)
7. Denver Nuggets (4.3%)
8. Detroit Pistons (2.8%)
9. Charlotte Hornets (1.7%)
10. Miami Heat (1.1%)
11. Indiana Pacers (0.8%)
12. Utah Jazz (0.7%)
13. Phoenix Suns (0.6%)
14. Oklahoma City Thunder (0.5%)
Andrew Wiggins, Nerlens Noel, Jordan Clarkson, Nikola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton have been named to the 14-15 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
On the second team are Marcus Smart, Zach LaVine, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jusuf Nurkic and Langston Galloway.
From Gary Neal and Landry Fields in 2011 to Marc Jackson in 2001, the All-Rookie First Team has had a surprising number of one-hit wonders.
Tom Thibodeau has no plans of stepping away from the $9 million owed to him by the Chicago Bulls over the next two seasons.
Both Thibodeau and the Bulls appear to prefer a separation this offseason.
Gar Forman and John Paxson, however, are not willing to fire Thibodeau and allow him to leave without compensation. The Bulls are not even prepared to engage in compensation talks until they have a commitment from a replacement that excites them.
Fred Hoiberg is the Bulls' preferred choice, as he's seen of being capable of fixing their offense. Hoiberg is only two years into a 10-year, $20 million contract at Iowa State.
"He can leave whenever he wants," one front-office source said. "Why now?"
The New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic all have coaching vacancies.
With the Chicago Bulls eliminated from the playoffs, the future of Tom Thibodeau becomes a pressing question for several franchises.
Thibodeau is widely expected to not return as head coach of the Bulls.
The Orlando Magic are interested in Thibodeau and sources say there is mutual interest with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Thibodeau has two seasons and $9 million remaining on his contract with the Bulls.
When asked after the game if he expects to remain with the Bulls, Thibodeau sounded unwilling to step down.
"Until they tell me I'm not, I expect to be here," said Thibodeau.
Derrick Rose said he would like Thibodeau to return.
As one source close to the situation puts it: "Thibs is gone. They know it and he knows it."
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