The Orlando Magic fired general manager Rob Hennigan on Thursday, quickly making official what many expected to happen once this season ended after the Magic’s failure to make any notable improvements. While there are plenty of reasons you can point to for why the Magic needed to make this move — whether it be draft busts like Mario Hezonja, the failed Serge Ibaka trade, or the roster being so overloaded with frontcourt players — one of the reported final straws was a picture that got tweeted out by an agent.
The infamous whiteboard photo that leaked the Magic’s free agent and trade plans for the offseason, with the full list of possible targets across multiple positions, reportedly was taken by Hennigan himself, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher.
Sources: Ex-Magic GM Rob Hennigan took the photo of Patricio Garino signing w/whiteboard of FA info in background. Might've been last straw.
— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) April 13, 2017
If this is true, it would be truly stunning. Both for Hennigan to have the lack of awareness to be the one to take that photo without noticing what was in the background, and for that to be the “final straw” in making the decision to let him go from the Magic. After that picture was posted and scattered across the internet, Orlando had to do some damage control because one of the ideas floated on the board was a possible swap of young star forward Aaron Gordon for Sixers Rookie of the Year candidate Dario Saric.
Hennigan’s dismissal was officially billed as a needed change after a failure to produce wins on the court after taking swings on the Ibaka trade and free agent signings like Bismack Biyombo. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski called the leaked photo “one more indignity on the job,” but noted the decision to move on from Hennigan had been make prior to that being taken. However, it’s way more interesting to think a poorly thought out free agent signing picture turned out to be the breaking point for the Magic.
