A younger team on the rise in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic are not far off from being a team that can compete for a playoff spot. They won 34 games this past year for the first time since the 2018-19 season and with 2022 first overall pick Paolo Banchero leading the charge for this franchise, they have a lot of potential moving forward.

Serving as the team's general manager since 2017, the Magic announced on Wednesday that John Hammond would be moving into senior advisor role with the franchise and Anthony Parker will take over the reins as Orlando's new general manager. In addition to promoting Parker to GM, the Magic also made Pete D'Alessandro their new executive vice president.

Parker has been an assistant general manager in Orlando the last two seasons and he has continued to rise up the ranks in their front office. After playing in the NBA and EuroLeague, Parker became a scout for the Magic and also worked his way up as an executive in the G League. He will now be tasked with taking over the GM role from Hammond, who still figures to aid this team's front office.

“We are excited for John's well-deserved next chapter,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a press release. “He has, and will continue to be, an invaluable resource. His experience has helped set the table for the Magic's future and we look forward to continuing to lean on him in regard to everything from player evaluation to player development. He helped build a great team in Milwaukee and won a championship in Detroit. he has, and will continue to be, a great friend, mentor and confidant in the Magic family.”

This announcement comes days after the NBA's free agency period began, as the Magic have been quiet for the most part. Entering the offseason with most of their team under contract already, Orlando not only drafted Anthony Black and Jett Howard with the No. 6 and No. 11 picks in this year's draft, but they also signed veteran swingman Joe Ingles to a two-year, $22 million contract. On Tuesday, the team announced that they had waived 2019 second-round pick Bol Bol.

There is a lot to like about this team and as they enter a new era, the Magic made it a priority to bring in new voices and get younger in every aspect as a franchise. With Hammond moving into another role, they achieved this by elevating Parker to general manager.