MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Bucks Director of Basketball Operations Jon Horst will be named the team’s general manager.

The decision was first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein and confirmed by ESPN Wisconsin.

Bucks scouting director Billy McKinney told media members after today’s draft workout that the Bucks will be making an official announcement this afternoon. An official press conference to announce the hiring is expected early next week.

The 34-year-old Horst has served as the team’s director of basketball operations for the last nine seasons. He has served in that role since joining the Bucks organization in May 2008 when former general manager John Hammond hired him.

Before joining the Bucks, Horst worked with Hammond in the Detroit Pistons organization as basketball operations manager for three seasons. Horst was described by multiple sources as Hammond’s “right-hand man” in Milwaukee, as well as a salary cap expert.

According to league sources, Horst was a finalist last summer for the Bucks assistant general manager position that ultimately went to Justin Zanik, the man that has served as the Bucks’ interim general manager since Hammond left for Orlando May 24.

As a current member of the organization, Horst’s move to general manager should be at least slightly easier than someone coming from outside of the organization. His working knowledge of the team’s preparation for the three biggest weeks of the year for any NBA front office will help, but there is less than a week until the 2017 NBA Draft. Free agency starts just eight days later.

The Bucks are expected to pursue a well-connected and experienced assistant general manager to assist Horst in the transition to GM.

The decision to hire Horst comes as a surprise to many. When Zanik was initially hired, it was reported that he was expected to become the team’s next general manager. Sources told ESPN Wisconsin that Zanik and the organization discussed his hiring as the start of a succession plan for Hammond.

It was widely reported that Milwaukee’s three finalists for GM were Zanik, Atlanta Hawks special advisor Wes Wilcox, and Denver Nuggets assistant general manager Arturas Karnisovas. Last week, Stein reported that the team had narrowed the candidates down to just Karnisovas and Zanik. Then, the position appeared to open up for Zanik when the Nuggets restructured their front office and Karnisovas was named the team’s general manager.

Ultimately, the Bucks ownership group was unable to come to an agreement, and turned to Horst as Milwaukee’s 11th general manager in franchise history.