The Orlando Magic have fired head coach Frank Vogel, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
There was plenty of excitement in the Magic kingdom when Vogel was hired in May 2016. After all, he was coming off a six-season stretch with the Indiana Pacers with five postseason trips - including back-to-back conference finals appearances in 2013 and 2014 - despite boasting few elite lottery talents.
On the other hand, Vogel's hiring was made under the regime of former general manager Rob Hennigan, who was fired in spring 2017. Under new team president Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond, a change in direction behind the bench was always conceivable; Vogel was simply never their hire.
There was optimism that Vogel could do yeoman's work with the Magic's bevy of recent high draft selections given his history of getting the most out of teams built around middle-draft talents. However, Vogel struggled to push the team forward in their long ongoing rebuild; after a 29-53 record in his first year, the Magic took a step back in 2017-18, going 25-57 for a two-year total of 54-110 (.329).
Whoever inherits Orlando's reins has his or her work cut out. Last summer's No. 6 pick, forward Jonathan Isaac, is very much a work in progress and in need of rapid player development after appearing in just 27 games in his rookie campaign.
Complicating matters is the impending restricted free agency of de facto face of the franchise Aaron Gordon, who averaged 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds this season. Whether the team re-signs the high-flying dunker or allows him to leave, the team is yet again at a significant crossroads.
