TRANSCRIPT: Jeff Weltman on "Open Mike" with Mike Bianchi - 4/16/24

[Knightro]

As always, questions have been edited for length and clarity.

Bianchi: We saw the emotions of the players after clinching the playoffs on Sunday. What were your emotions and the emotions of your staff?

Weltman: It’s a culmination of a lot of losses and a lot of difficult decisions. I’m glad you said “my staff” because I talk all the time about the strength of our organization. We have 70 people who fill up our building everyday, our practice facility and our office, and we wouldn’t be the same without every one of them. Just to see it all kind of come to the point where the guys showed themselves who they are. We slid a little bit at the end, but when they had to, they showed who they were and did what they had to do. Couldn’t be more proud and couldn’t be more appreciative of everybody in our organization. I always look at this way, Mike. We try to fill our players up with everything we can to put them in a position to succeed. And then when we get to game time, we pass the baton to the fans and the fans bring it home. Our team, where we are right now, we need the fans. We need them. It’s one thing to say “we can do this” and even to say during the season “wow, we actually are doing this” but we haven’t done it before. So there’s always going to be that little question of “can we really sustain this? can we do it?” When a team is at that stage, you need the fans. The fans are the ones who help push us over the hump. I look at our home record, and I know Coach Mose talks a lot about it post game in his pressers, but kudos to our fans. We appreciate them. We need them. Keep bringing it for us. They’re a big part of what we’re doing.

Bianchi: What does it mean to give the fans a team they can be proud of?

Weltman: It’s everything, man. I always say, these jobs are like civil servant jobs. These jobs bring people together, bring our city together, bring all Magic fans together. But I’m telling you, we can’t do it without them. We wouldn’t have the same record without our fans. I hope they’re patting themselves on the back a little bit. When we first talked about this after our big trade a few years ago (Vucevic trade), I said this is gonna be fun for the fans. They get to experience this with us. We had such a young and unpredictable team night-to-night. The fans get to live it with us in real time. They get to help us cross the finish line. They’re a part of it. Obviously, winning brings people together, cities together, fan bases together. Hopefully we get to the place where we expect to win and we’re used to winning. We’re always striving to reach that next level of winning. We were picked to win 36 or 37 games preseason. I really believe the fans embracing the team and getting behind us is a big part of a reason we won 10 more games than that.

Bianchi: The playoff mantra is “Everybody In” - what does that mantra mean to you?

Weltman: I think I just said it. From the people who come to work every day to help the coaches and help the players get themselves in position to get ready to play and get ready to win, to the fans who interact during the games and help carry us across the finish line, to everyone watching or listening to our games. I hope they all feel the sense that this is a team that plays for each other, a team that cares about one another, and yhis is a team that without those things wouldn’t be as good as they are. It takes all of us. You said it last week in your article. We’re the only team in the last quarter century to have 45+ wins and our top three leading scorers are all 22 and under. We’re in a unique spot right now. It takes a village, and we’ve got a great village.

Bianchi: What did you see in Coach Mose when you hired him?

Weltman: It wasn’t just me. It was me. It was John Hammond, it was Anthony Parker, it was Matt Lloyd. We went through the whole interview process and we all saw something that I’m surprised and scratch my head that something maybe got lost in his other interviews. Coach Mosley is a spectacular human being. He really invests himself in the lives of others. He’s a true coach. A true teacher. A true mentor. He just cares. That’s the first thing. Obviously, he’s grown up professionally in the NBA. He’s been around great coaches, lastly with Rick Carlisle. He has a unique ability to immerse himself in the player’s lives. One of the people I talked to when I was doing background told me “I would hire Jamahl if I were you” and I said “why?” and they said “his players won’t let him fail” - I think that is a lot of what we’ve seen. They know that he will do anything for them and they reciprocate. Our players reciprocate. I also look at Mose as part of the growth of our team. He’s completing his third year as a head coach and our whole team is growing and the trajectory we’re on, there’s no reason we shouldn’t expect continued growth. He’s obviously been a huge part of what we’re doing and we couldn’t be happier to have him at the helm.

Bianchi: Is there any sense of validation or satisfaction because of all the doubters that existed when you decided to blow up the roster and embark on a rebuild in March 2021?

Weltman: No man. We don’t work at that level. I’m just worried about how we can continue to get better. The job is never done. I’m glad we are where we are, but honestly I can’t look you in the eye and tell you I expected to be here this season. I believed in our guys and what we’re doing. I did expect to be here at some point. All we talk about is what’s next. We have a challenging summer ahead. We have contracts to negotiate. We have free agents to look at. We have the draft to tackle. We’re constantly thinking about how do we continue this trajectory. How do we not screw it up? *laughs* That all that we concern ourselves about. The pleasure that we take is really in giving our fans a team they can be proud of. That’s really what it’s all about. There’s no “I told you so’s” - we felt this (a rebuild) was the right thing to do. Obviously you need breaks along the way, every team needs that. We’re just going to try and continue to build it with the right people. That’s the most important thing. If we can do that, we can keep this thing on track and build something that’s sustainable. That’s not easy to do in this league because there’s a lot of flux and a lot of change. A lot of guys switching locker rooms in summers. We’re trying to create an environment that players want to come to and want to stay in. Something bigger than themselves. It takes the right kind of person to embrace that. That’s what we’re trying to do. Never any “I told you so’s”.

Bianchi: In hindsight, how tough was the decision to trade Vucevic 3.5 years ago?

Weltman: That’s a very multi-layered question. Without taking half an hour to answer it, it takes a dance partner to be able to do that. It’s one thing to say “we think there’s a ceiling on this team and we don’t know how we continue to get better considering our cap situation and the age of the team and the way the team fit together.” It’s a whole other thing to say “here’s a deal that allows us to proceed on another path.” - We were working that trade deadline both ways. To improve the team and to also reshape the team. When that deal lined up in the crosshairs, we said “ok, this is the one” and obviously went through all the machinations on our end to get approval. There was never any doubt in our minds that it was the right thing to do. I wouldn’t say we had any second thoughts on whether it was the right path to take, it was more “can we line up this deal where it makes this new path work?”

Bianchi: Listener question - how much or how little does this season’s success impact your mindset towards free agency this summer?

Weltman: This listeners always ask great questions. We were basically one half away from not making the playoffs. We always talk about the margins of winning and losing and how thin the margin is. That’s why it’s so important to do everything else right. To build an organization that wins on the margins. We had a great last half in the last game and made the playoffs, so now do we look at this summer differently? I think concept of free agency has really changed in the last decade, certainly in the last few years. There’s now more of a hybrid free agency/trade market where star players tell their teams “I may not resign here” and teams look to get something for them. The way guys change teams is not purely through free agency these days. We are positioned this summer to be able to sign a free agent. But what we’re really trying to do also is make ourselves a destination. When a player tells their GM or owner “hey I’m not sure this is working here, I would like to be traded and here are the 3 teams I would like to be willing to sign with” - you want to be on that list. I really believe that we’re getting there. People around the league are recognizing it’s good place to come to work. It’s a good locker room to be in. The practice facility is second to none. Our coaching staff, the way that they believe and connect and put our players in a position to succeed. All of those things are starting to flywheel and build. We’ll see where that puts us. We also have to be realistic. We talk about flexibility and it’s great to have it, but you also have to understand we’re a very young team right now. But as these guys grow up and we pay them, flexibility doesn’t last forever. And this isn’t just for us, it’s for every young team in the league. We have to be very cautious and very targeted in the way we build out our next steps. But I will say, we definitely feel that we’d be able to attract players that we would not have been able to a couple of years ago, that’s for sure. I don’t think there’s any reason we can’t be thinking about that being part of our plan going forward, attracting players from other teams whether it’s through free agency or trades. I’ll end it on this Mike, the No. 1 thing for us is internal growth. When your top 3 scorers are 22 and under, we’re not going to burn through there candle right now. We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on. If you do that and you have fortune, you’ll have success and you get the recognition of other guys around the league and maybe that can open up some fun conversations.

Bianchi: You didn’t give up on Jonathan Isaac despite all the injuries? Why?

Weltman: I’ve said it a couple thousand times in my seven years here. You bet on the person, man. We bet on the person. Jonathan, in a lot of ways, is a unique individual. He’s smart as a whip. He’s committed. He’s a worker. He’s serious. He’s focused. His talent speaks for itself. I believe a huge part of Jonathan’s talent is between the ears. That was an easy one. I can’t tell you how happy I am for him and what he’s been able to do this year. You talk about naysayers and all the turmoil he’s been through over the years. For him to be able to show who he is, it’s really gratifying. It comes out through the way he plays, but he’s also such a lifter of others. His game lifts other people. The way he plays puts other people in a better position to succeed. That’s what good players do. That’s just who Jonathan is. We’ve had his back from Day 1 and he’s showing who he is on the court. It really wasn’t tough to keep him.

https://969thegame.iheart.com/featured/open-mike/content/2024-04-16-magic-president-jeff-weltman-no-validation-for-proving-doubters-wrong/

[Petre1978]

Hope the Magic sign Monk and Fontecchio(backup SF)

[thelead]

Hope the Magic sign Monk and Fontecchio(backup SF)

Fontecchio is definitely worth looking into. I didn't realize he was a FA this summer.

[basketballRob]

I can't imagine Detroit not re-signing him. He outplayed Paolo in the game where he had the game-winner. I'd much rather take a chance on him over Klay.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[RookieStar]

wow a special shoutout to JI

[doct3r dr3]

Bianchi: Listener question - how much or how little does this season’s success impact your mindset towards free agency this summer?

Weltman: This listeners always ask great questions. We were basically one half away from not making the playoffs. We always talk about the margins of winning and losing and how thin the margin is. That’s why it’s so important to do everything else right. To build an organization that wins on the margins. We had a great last half in the last game and made the playoffs, so now do we look at this summer differently? I think concept of free agency has really changed in the last decade, certainly in the last few years. There’s now more of a hybrid free agency/trade market where star players tell their teams “I may not resign here” and teams look to get something for them. The way guys change teams is not purely through free agency these days. We are positioned this summer to be able to sign a free agent. But what we’re really trying to do also is make ourselves a destination. When a player tells their GM or owner “hey I’m not sure this is working here, I would like to be traded and here are the 3 teams I would like to be willing to sign with” - you want to be on that list. I really believe that we’re getting there. People around the league are recognizing it’s good place to come to work. It’s a good locker room to be in. The practice facility is second to none. Our coaching staff, the way that they believe and connect and put our players in a position to succeed. All of those things are starting to flywheel and build. We’ll see where that puts us. We also have to be realistic. We talk about flexibility and it’s great to have it, but you also have to understand we’re a very young team right now. But as these guys grow up and we pay them, flexibility doesn’t last forever. And this isn’t just for us, it’s for every young team in the league. We have to be very cautious and very targeted in the way we build out our next steps. But I will say, we definitely feel that we’d be able to attract players that we would not have been able to a couple of years ago, that’s for sure. I don’t think there’s any reason we can’t be thinking about that being part of our plan going forward, attracting players from other teams whether it’s through free agency or trades. I’ll end it on this Mike, the No. 1 thing for us is internal growth. When your top 3 scorers are 22 and under, we’re not going to burn through there candle right now. We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on. If you do that and you have fortune, you’ll have success and you get the recognition of other guys around the league and maybe that can open up some fun conversations.



https://969thegame.iheart.com/featured/open-mike/content/2024-04-16-magic-president-jeff-weltman-no-validation-for-proving-doubters-wrong/

Strap in for another quiet offseason, folks.

[eyriq]

Good stuff. Main takeaways:

- focused on developing our young talent
- mix of internal growth and strategic acquisitions
- attractive to top talent
- maintain flexibility
- looking for leadership
- staying patient
- open to trades

[tiderulz]

I can't imagine Detroit not re-signing him. He outplayed Paolo in the game where he had the game-winner. I'd much rather take a chance on him over Klay.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM Forums mobile app

Maybe Paolo can work some National team channels and bring him over.

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Hope the Magic sign Monk and Fontecchio(backup SF)

Fontecchio is definitely worth looking into. I didn't realize he was a FA this summer.

Restricted

[ORLMagicGirl15]

I’m shocked he spoke as direct as this. Most of the time he speaks in concentric circles.

[Knightro]

I got the sense that Weltman would much prefer to trade for a star than spend big money in free agency.

[KillMonger]

I got the sense that Weltman would much prefer to trade for a star than spend big money in free agency.

That's what I gleaned as well, but we'll see.... Honestly what Atlanta is doing should interest him.... Maybe Cleveland.... We're going to have a good opportunity to improve the team

Sent from my [Hands] using RealGM mobile app

[basketballRob]

Whispers of Giannis wanting out.

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[MagicMatic]

We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on.

We aren't adding anyone of consequence this offseason or addressing any needs. Otherwise he would have answered this much differently. The second to last sentence he plays his hand.

[RichCollab]

We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on.

We aren't adding anyone of consequence this offseason or addressing any needs. Otherwise he would have answered this much differently. The second to last sentence he plays his hand.

It’s classic Weltman. The opportunity has to be right we aren’t going to over pay to make something happen.

[MagicMatic]

We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on.

We aren't adding anyone of consequence this offseason or addressing any needs. Otherwise he would have answered this much differently. The second to last sentence he plays his hand.

It’s classic Weltman. The opportunity has to be right we aren’t going to over pay to make something happen.

By “opportunity is right” do you mean losing value on expiring players before trading them? He’s good at that.

Is he keeping Fultz by resigning him even though he’s basically unplayable? Is he adding a point guard vet? Is Gary Harris a mainstay on 0-2 shooting most nights?

[Knightro]

We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on.

We aren't adding anyone of consequence this offseason or addressing any needs. Otherwise he would have answered this much differently. The second to last sentence he plays his hand.

We'll see what happens, but that was certainly not an optimistic way of answering it.

Basically he seem to insinuate that he's willing to keep things status quo until a no brainer trade falls into his lap.

[SOUL]

I think people are reading into what they want to read and ignoring the rest.

"We also have to be realistic. We talk about flexibility and it’s great to have it, but you also have to understand we’re a very young team right now. But as these guys grow up and we pay them, flexibility doesn’t last forever. And this isn’t just for us, it’s for every young team in the league.

This in particular shows that they realize flexibility isn't something the team is able to have forever, so it would be wise to address at least one or two specific things this offseason.

[msmoore66]

We’re gonna slow simmer it and continue to invest in the players we have on our roster. Grow and develop them. We’ll always be opportunistic and seeking out the next ways to improve the team and if we can take a leap, we will. But I have no problem in doubling down on these guys right now. It’s kind of like what we committed to early on.

We aren't adding anyone of consequence this offseason or addressing any needs. Otherwise he would have answered this much differently. The second to last sentence he plays his hand.

We'll see what happens, but that was certainly not an optimistic way of answering it.

Basically he seem to insinuate that he's willing to keep things status quo until a no brainer trade falls into his lap.

I'm torn on this. On one hand it isn't a very optimistic tone, on the other hand, I don't want them making moves for the sake of it to appease fan noise. Needs to be the right moves and if they don't eventuate then focus on what we have.
All that said, there are surely beneficial moves to be made out there.

[Bensational]

We’ve got 2 more offseasons of strong cap flexibility, so we’ve got time to wait for the right move. I like that he’s mindful that the best names are moved via trade these days more than free agency. I like that he’s mindful that in order to be in the running for one of those names you’ve got to be a destination good enough/appealing enough to make the list. We can all want Lillard, but if he doesn’t want to come here then we can’t get him.

I’ll say it again, Donovan Mitchell seems to be the most likely target lining up for a move in the next 6 months. If we can get on his list we can beat an offer made by LAL or LAC.

If we don’t get a look in there then we probably pursue smaller names that can help give us a boost “in the margins”. Another Ingles/Harris/MoeWag type guy who can improve efficiency without disrupting the action too much.