The Orlando Magic and Frank Vogel have reached an agreement that will make him the team's next head coach, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the terms of the agreement had not yet been announced.
The hiring comes just a week after Magic coach Scott Skiles stepped down after his first season with the team and just two weeks after Vogel was let go by the Indiana Pacers after losing in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Magic acted quick and reached a deal with Vogel before another team hired him. It’s clear he likes the situation in Orlando. After a decent 19-13 start, the Magic struggled, winning just 16 of their final 50 games.
The Magic have a promising young roster with Nik Vucevic, Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon, and they are one of five teams who have improved their record in each of the last three season.
Orlando won 35 games last season, and general manager Rob Hennigan stated the goal is to make the playoffs next season.
Vogel was 250-181 in six seasons with the Pacers and had a 31-30 record in the playoffs. Vogel will bring a defensive mindset but also look to make improvements on the offensive end. Before his tenure in Indiana, Vogel was an assistant coach for the Pacers (2007-11), the Philadelphia 76ers (2004-05) and the Boston Celtics (2001-04).
Vogel will be the fourth Magic head coach in as many years.
The Orlando Sentinel first reported the agreement.
