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Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz, Josh Robbins): Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith told the Sentinel that “I think it got personal” in talking about the Magic’s failed attempts to acquire C.J. Watson from the Warriors this summer via a sign-and-trade deal.

Smith played with the Warriors for a season and change before being selected by the Magic in their expansion draft. After his playing career ended, Smith returned to the Warriors and spent three seasons working in Community Relations before becoming Executive Director of Basketball Operations in 2002-03. He left after that season to rejoin the Magic as Director of Player Development.

My first thought was that Smith is suffering collateral damage from the fallout between Chris Mullin and Robert Rowell, but Smith worked under Garry St. Jean in ‘02-’03, not Mullin, who back then was just a special assistant learning the ropes in preparation for taking over. So who knows. Maybe the Warriors just really, really like Watson.

(BTW, in researching Otis Smith’s time in the Warriors’ front office, I stumbled across this account of Mullin’s ascension to power in 2004:

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