ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Orlando Magic officials say they’re entering a three-year deal which designates the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League as the NBA club’s minor league affiliate.

Orlando is now the 16th NBA team to have a one-to-one affiliation with an NBA D-League team.

The deal allows the Magic to run the BayHawks’ basketball operations while the minor league franchise’s local owners continue to oversee off-the-court business including ticket sales, marketing and community initiatives.

Magic chief executive officer Alex Martins says he expects the relationship with Erie to further assist Orlando’s efforts to develop NBA talent.

NBA D-League President Dan Reed says the agreement demonstrates the minor league’s “increasing significance.”

The NBA D-League, which has operated for 13 seasons, had 36 players called up to the NBA during the 2013-14 season.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.