ORLANDO — After falling to the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on May 3, the Orlando Magic chose to part ways with coach Jamahl Mosley on May 4. Now, the organization must find its next leader.

However, the decision about who becomes the franchise’s 16th head coach will not heavily involve the team's core players, such as Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Franz Wagner.

"I would never put players in that position," President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said at a press conference shortly after firing Mosley. "You know, I think that, you know, it's our job to, like, listen to what they feel about the team and where we need to get better and the elements that we need to improve in. And then it's our job to go hire a coach."

The Magic finished with a 45-37 record and completed the regular season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference; falling well short of what preseason expectations projected them to be. It seemed as if Orlando was turning the page and reaching its long-awaited potential after taking a 3-1 lead against the Pistons, but a subsequent collapse led to a disappointing exit and the decision to fire Mosley almost immediately afterward.

For Banchero, Suggs and Wagner, Mosley was the only head coach they have had since being drafted by the Magic, and Weltman believes that the desire of the team to win is what makes the vacancy left by Mosley enticing.

"I think this team is incredibly hungry and competitive and dying to please our fans and prove to everybody, you know, how good the team is," Weltman said. "And so, I think that's one of the reasons that we are an attractive job. And I think that we're going to be speaking to some really interesting candidates.

"And yeah, I think that the players are going to embrace our new coach and give them everything they've got."

With Orlando’s talent comes a significant payroll, which Weltman acknowledges is a challenge. However, he believes the biggest move that can happen will be the selection of the right coach to lead the team.

"Yeah, those are our challenges," he said. "I mean, I think like, you know, I think that, you know, I said last time at the deadline, you know, do we really want to break into this core? Because if we're going to make a major move, then you're going to break into the core. So, we have to see what major moves are in front of us. 

"We have to see what smaller nibbles, you know, we can take," he added. "I will say this, short of acquiring a star player, I do believe that, you know, the greatest impact that you can have on a team is to, you know, bring in a new coach."

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