Good and bad potential lurks in free agency for Orlando
For a team with just a mid-level exception and a veteran’s exception, Orlando certainly is going to make some noise during free agency. The Magic have reportedly shown interest in Corey Maggette, Chris Duhon, Mickael Pietrus, Anthony Carter, and there might be some more on the list. All have the ability to help Orlando, but Otis Smith needs to be savvy in his moves, because one wrong move could stunt the growth of the origination.
There have conflicting reports in regards to Maggette, who would be a huge prize for the Magic. He is a talented slasher who would sure up Orlando’s shooting guard position. Some sites and papers are saying that it is the Spurs, along with Golden State and Philly who have the upper hand, with San Antonio clearly leading the pack. However, the San Antonio Express said that Orlando is right there with the Spurs.
Landing Maggette would be great, but there seems to be a potential roadblock…Orlando is close to offering Duhon. That would take Maggette out of the running. Duhon is an effective guard who can play D and could either start or come off the bench. The problem with Duhon is that he wants the full brunt of the MLE, which for a player of his caliber is a little much. Also, if Duhon did sign with Orlando for all of the MLE that would mean the Magic then wouldn’t be able to improve the SG or PF position.
Pietrus has reportedly been in contact with Orlando, despite some Otis Smoke Screens. Orlando would be tickled if they could land Pietrus and Duhon. Pietrus is a defensive minded wing player who could help contain some of the league’s best guards.
Obviously, things get complicated for several reasons. If Orlando doesn’t want Maggette, they will have to be patient. Signing Duhon for the money he wants would certainly take Maggette out of the running to come back to Orlando. Also the problem with Duhon signing for anything more than $4.5 million is that the Magic would still need a talent upgrade at guard. Bringing in Maggette for that much wouldn’t be a big deal because he is a 20 PPG scorer, and filling the void of a backup point could be done easily via the VET exception. Anthony Carter and perhaps Jayson Williams are on Orlando’s radar. They are different players but both could fill a need and would be able to contribute. It would be much more difficult to add a SG via the VET exception.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that free agency for Orlando is a mixed bag of nuts and the team will have to tip-toe through the tulips on this one. You could go out there and score big by landing Maggette and Carter, or a combo like Duhon and Pietrus. That being said, one slip up and you could end up with just one player that isn’t Maggette and would be reaching to fill a need with the VET.
Free agency is always entertaining, but I love the potential this class has for Orlando. I also hate the fact that there is a huge ability to mess up too. I guess time will tell, but the next week or so should be interesting to say the least.
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31 Responses to “Good and bad potential lurks in free agency for Orlando”
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:47 am
well lets hope that we can get something positive.. i realy dont think duhon is worth that much money.. he hasnt realy shown much, as to where maggette you no what your gonna get.. pietris would be a great addition as well, but we need a big man to help out howard as well, im surprised we are not hearing anything about the magic looking at any power forard, only diop, which is way too far fetched
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Okay I’m going to play Otis Smith for a little bit and it should be fairly easy because we would be at about the same skill level and I’m not employed in the NBA. Well I might be a little better than him.
Here’s what I would try to accomplish without giving it too much thought and I’m sure to receive some negative comments regarding my thoughts. First, sign Maggette – he wants to be in Orlando so get it done. Do it with the MLE or do it through a trade if it can be worked out. The most attractive player the Magic have to trade is Hedo Turkoglu and he plays the small forward position. Didn’t we just spend close to a billion dollars on another small forward? Sure Rashard played the power forward position but if you want him to last in this league past next year he really needs to play the small. Just doesn’t have the body to take the pounding. Both are capable 20 point per night guys playing the same position. So you do a sign and trade deal with the Clips for Maggette & Turk (sorry Hedo). You know the Clips would love to get something for nothing and it leaves Orlando with the MLE – swap it around I don’t care but we need to move Turk to make the progress this team needs to make next season. With Maggette you get a proven scorer/slasher and a lock down defender, which wasn’t one of Turk’s stronger points although he tried.
So now you have Dwight at the Center, Tony at the PF (still needs to be addressed with a banger) Rashard at the small, Corey at the two guard and Jameer at the point. You still have enough money to bring in a solid point and a serviceable power forward. OBTW….. Corey can also play the small forward position so if you want to play small ball move up Rashard, Corey and add in Keith Bogans or Courtney Lee – I watched this guy a bit at Western K and he can flat out play. Think Otis made his first good pick with this one and don’t give me that crap that Otis drafted Dwight. John Weisbrod made that pick and although he didn’t do much he nailed it with Superman.
MEMO TO THE MAGIC – Sign Corey Maggette!
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Dean you’re right, not hearing much on Orlando bringing in a big, and I think they are content with the position for now. Dwight is obviously a stud, Cook will be back (not a true big but he is our next Pat Garrity as someone here said) Battie will be back, Gortat will have another year under his belt, and although it isnt Shard’s natural position, he proved he can play down low with a certain degree of success. I think Orlando might traget Kurt Thomas or a veteran like that with the MLE, but other than that, a mid-season trade is the only upgrade you will see at PF or C…
Nice work Scott, you seem to have a pretty good grasp on the team like Dean and MAgic92 do…we always enjoy having great readers who offer a lot of insight.
I too think trading Turk would be a smart move, the thing is Otis wont…he loves “his guys” and he seems attached to him. Other than drafting Dwight (which as you said he didnt have full opinion in, although he was the one who strongly advised it, not Weisbrod) Otis hasnt done much other than binging in Turk for the MLE a few years back IIRC. He is dedicated to that guy and wont trade him unless a deal that is too good to be true pops up.
Bringing in Maggette seems like the right move, but whatever the Magic do, they need to do it with authorty, this wishy washy stuff doesnt send a good message.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Turk is a great player, so great that Otis wmont trade him, and i did say wont let me tell you why…
First of all hedo can play small forward, and shooting guard causing matchups all over the floor. He can bring the ball upcourt, and can run the offense quite well. He can hit the big shots, he can drive to the basket, he can pass. His only glitch is his defense. Now i might sound crazy on this one, but to be blunt i would rather have him than rashard lewis… rashard is good dont get me wrong, but Hedo is at another level. How many times did turk hit game winners? how many did rashard? they are both the same age, and can bring great things to the table.. This is why you dont trade him.. He can back up the 2guard spot and at small forward if they decide to move lewis back to his natural position.. i bet we see alot of that this year moving turk up and down the rotation.. he is extreemly versitile in that regard.
If i was Otis Smith i would start with addressing the 2 guard spot maybee going after pietris, or a maggette.
pietris can defend, and he is 6 6 so he can match up well with other 2 guards.
i would next go after a tough and aggressive PF like a haslem, or even Posey even if we had to offer a palyer(jj reddick) lol.
then i would try to get a true backup PG if dooling leaves like a duhon( who wants way to much money) or a jason williams.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I to would rather have Turkoglu that Lewis. They are very similar, but as Dean touched on, Turk handles the ball, drives, creates, and passes better.
Throughout last season, Turk played a total of 4 positions. Sure, most of his time was spent at the 3, but the point is this team depended on Turk a lot more than Lewis, and just as much as Howard; especially if you take in account that in the 4th quarter, the ball was put in Turks hands every game.
I know some people will say that Lewis coming here aloud Turk to step up his game. While that might play a small part, I don’t think that is the case.
I think the main reason Turk has elevated his game is simply because of Stan Van Gundy. Better coach, better system. He has confidence in him. He puts the ball in his hands. He gives him the “green light”, and doesn’t dump on him for making a mistake. He treated all the players the same, but the difference was how Turk responded.
Here is the biggest problem we have. Compare players like Turk, Lewis, and Maggette. They each have great qualities. The problem is, they are all pretty much playing on the same level. Turk is on a MLE contract. There is a good chance Maggette will sign a MLE contract, even though deserving a little more. And then there is Lewis, who is pretty much getting paid double what he’s worth.
That fact makes it tough for us now. It’ll make it tougher for us next year when Turk opts out. And I can’t see it getting any easier after that. So while I always wanted Lewis to come to Orlando, I never expected them to max him out for 6 years in the fashion they did.
After hearing my own words, I might have just convinced myself; they will not spend the full MLE on Maggette. With Lewis, Howard, and Nelson under new contracts, Turk coming up next year, Otis will want to, and almost have to spend our MLE on 2 players.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
If we sign Maggette, that pretty much ends it for J.J Reddick. We can get a average to good power forward using him (David Lee?). Also, we can bring Hedo Turkoglu off the bench, ala Manu Ginoblu for the spurs. But i agree with Damien. While i want Maggette on our team, i think otis smith will sign two players with the MLE. He has stated that he will do that and i think that is for the better. We get more depth on our team and make us a better team as a whole.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Damien, you nailed it by saying we paid too much for Rashard but that’s what the market was prepared to pay. There were a few other teams willing to pay close to what Orlando paid so with Rashard being the best player in free agency that year, what were we to do?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Turk but all of the mismatches he represents as a two guard on the offensive end become liabilities on the defensive end. How will he ever guard a two in the NBA? Sure he can bring up the ball, which is a great attribute but this team has a few guys who can hit game winning shots give the opportunity; OBTW Maggette has been know to hit a few of his own.
If we can keep Turk, great! Just get Maggette at all costs…… oh wait, all costs went to Rashard. Oh well -sign Corey! If that happens and we can keep Turk, there will be a few decent players willing to take the veteran minimum at a chance to win the championship so we should be fine there.
Parting thought and I am standing firm. If it takes Turk to make the deal I still say get it done.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Otis isn’t a poker player, especially in regards to a player he likes. He’s typically makes it painfully obvious.
I don’t recall a single team that had anywhere near the amount of money we had to offer. I know the Rockets dropped a jersey off at his front door, but they didn’t have any money.
Worse case scenario, you somehow lose Lewis and you end up making a push for Gerald Wallace. Hell, who knows, we could have signed Wallace and Darko instead? If that failed, we’d be major players right now.
Let me just put it this way. I’m happy we signed Lewis. I wanted Lewis. I was a little cut when I heard they were going to max him out. But then Otis poured salt in the wound when he did a sign and trade just so we could sign Lewis to a 6th year that would pay him 24 million? He’ll be 33 at the start of his last season, and there is no way he’ll be earning that money.
I probably shouldn’t be dwelling on the past, because there is nothing that can be done about it. But I guess it makes sense, considering it’s effecting the present and future.
Scott, I honestly don’t remember. Who else were major players in the Lewis sweepstakes?
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Boston, New York & Houston to name a few. I believe all three had the cap room but I’m not sure what they were willing to pay but it was close to what Orlando ended up paying. It happened (the signing) so quickly I’m not sure any of the teams were able to formally tender an offer.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:34 am
well if we loose turk next year everyone will see how good he realy was.. Lewis got way too much money for what he is worth, and turk is better than he is, and making way less
July 4th, 2008 at 3:42 am
Any news on maggette? I’m tired of waiting on him. either sign im or dont, GOSH!
July 4th, 2008 at 3:55 am
After Boston made the moves for Allen and KG, they had zero money.
New York has been way over the cap for years; and I’m talking big time.
And Houston had NOTHING near to what we were offering.
So again I ask, who was Otis betting against? Why did we pay Lewis as much as we did?
July 4th, 2008 at 3:58 am
By the way Dean, thank you for understanding the importance of Hedo Turkoglu.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:42 am
lol, you guys are on a roll. Sorry, I was at a wedding yesterday so that took up some time.
Seems like the Turk debate is pretty much solved here, but I’d like to elaborate on something Damien touched on…I think Orlando will and would be better off bringing in two guys with the MLE than one.
As Damien said, one player like Maggette wouldnt be bad but it would mean that Orlando would have A LOT of money tied up in one position and in the future that coul kill the team. Diversifying seems to be the right move, especially when you consider that Orlando is more than just ONE player away from winning it all…the Magic have a few holes to fill, so an off-season that would bring in someone like Duhon and Pietrus would be a bigger victory in my mind than Maggette, even though I certainly wouldnt mind having him. Imagine if Orlando used the Vet exception on Kurt Thomas too, that would be one hell of an off-season.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Some news in regards to FAs….
According to the Sentinel, Orlando is reportedly going to offer Chris Duhon a 3 year, $10 million (roughly) contract. Duhon seemed to enjoy his visit and I would not be surprised at all if he signs by the 9th. That would give Orlando another $2 million in MLE money to sign a guy and the VET exception too if they chose to use it.
In regards to Pietrus, I’m not sure why but it seems Orlando is cold towards him…perhaps a smoke screen I doubt it with Otis, but it seems like Pietrus would be interested in coming to play for the Magic, but I dont know about coming for $2 million.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Damien,
First, happy 4th of July everyone.
Boston traded for and signed KG and R Allen after Rashard was off the market. I think I stand corrected, I believe most of the teams were over the cap and were trying to make the deal via a trade. I did a little more research online.
I agree with all of you, just get something done that will help this team take a step in the right direction….. a big step!
Boston already won the title and now news has it the Celts are in the race for Maggette…. not good news for Orlando. There are a lot of teams in the east that will be much better next year than this past season and once again, without major work Orlando could take a lower seat or even be on the outside looking in at the end of the season next year.
Toronto, Washington, Philly, Miami, Atlanta….. yes Atlanta and others will all be better.
This free agent period will show us all if Otis is worthy to be a GM in the NBA. No risk, no reward and the Magic are not where they need to be and won’t with the players they have on the roster. Look at what Boston did in one year by making the deals they did with all the risk involved - three all stars coexisting and playing selfless ball. My hat off to Ainge although they drafted better than Orlando over the past several years and had more talent to offer other teams. Again, another one on Otis………
Please Otis make me eat my words but I believe you are going to take a very conservative approach to this free agent period and if so, I predict the Magic won’t finish with a winning record in 2009.
PROVE ME WRONG PLEASE!
July 4th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Damien,
ive been on the turkoglu ban waggon since he was in sacramento… He should be the magics priority next to howard.. i just think that turk is so more valuable than anyone else on the roster next to howard.. and if we end up loosing him, we are in some trouble.. hopefully we can manage to scrounge up some money so we can extend his contract next year. if im otis id be more worried about turk next year than any one this year ill tell you that. having our core guys here for many years to come is significant in us making a championship run… i cant see it happening without turk
July 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Thanks Scott and happy 4th to you and everyone else here!!
I agree Scott, this is a HUGE off-season for Smith. I think he will fair ok (on the safe side of course) but this is without a doubt a big off-season for him…we shall see what he does.
Dean, I like Turk too, but with his contract expiring by next season (he has a player option I believe) trading Turk might be a priority for Orlando mid-way through the season. If they plan on keeping him then I beg Otis to get it done ASAP. Rumors are starting to swirl that the Magic indeed are thinking about trading him at the mid-way point…again, we shall see
July 4th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I’m sorry for my stubborn nature.
KG was almost traded to the Celtics before the 2007 draft, but KG was against the deal. Then Allen was traded for that same June (before free agency), in which helped KG change his mind about going to Boston. KG’s deal did come in July after the Magic had signed Lewis. But after trading for Allen, the Celtics still didn’t have the money we did. And even if they did, after trading for Ray Allen, before the free agency period started, why would the C’s have been interested in Lewis? They would have been Seattle Part 2? Ha-ha.
Anyways, I’ll move on from that. I, like everyone here have questioned Otis Smith. It’s just up to him right now to make something happen and prove us wrong.
Brendan, would it not be better to trade Turk now, than in the middle of the season? Trades in the middle of the season, especially involving a guy that is key in the system, often don’t lead to positive results that year…maybe the next one, but it’s almost like throwing in the towel for one year (ala Suns and Mavs).
Scott, I understand where you’re coming from in regards to the East, and it improving. But if the Magic have a disappointing off-season, and do nothing, we will still finish over .500. Another year together, Lewis’s 2nd season on this roster, Battie and Cook back…forget all of that if you want, the fact that it’ll be another season and Howard will continue to improve. That will guarantee a winning season.
I’ll go on record right now saying the Magic will win over 50 games again. Now if Otis decides to wake up, that number could go to 55.
Update: Chris Duhon has reportedly stated he will sign with the New York Knicks. Another one down-whatcha doing Otis?
July 4th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I agree Damien, trading him now would make more sense, and I am somewhat of a proponent to it, as his value will never be higher.
I saw Duhon too, not surprised. It was between us and New York, and I guess money beats the chance to win. Duhon would have been a nice fit, but Anthony from Denver can be had for a lot less. Dooling might be brought back as well, but Miami is probably going to land him.
And yeah, what are you doing Otis?
July 4th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I can’t believe NY is going to give him the full 5.8 MLE! That team never learns. At least for their sake, it’s only a 2 year deal.
Otis? Hello; anybody home? I’m getting nauseous thinking about how we just extended Otis’s deal for another 4 years.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Well duhon is gone. i guess that means that we are either going to re-sign dooling and offer the full MLE to maggette. oh how i wish.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:21 am
hey magic92 it could happen…. wouldnt it be great?!!!!! but lets not jump the gun lets play it cool and see how it unfolds
July 5th, 2008 at 2:27 am
yea that would be crazy if otis pulled it off. But your right we have to stay calm and wait this out. and that is what i plan to do.
July 5th, 2008 at 6:36 am
That would be ideal right now, landing Maggette. dooling seems kinna mad that the Magic havent really offered him a deal yet, so let’s hope Otis hasnt done anything to mess that up yet.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Damien,
I’m as stubborn as you are and although I won’t debate the timing, I will the interest. Here’s one of many articles online siting Boston’s interest in Lewis. This intended all in good fun since we are both Orlando Magic and NBA fans.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/278843/rashard_lewis_next_destination_boston.html
Okay, moving on now. Yep Duhon is off the market but I wonder if Otis really had that much of an interest in signing him or if it was a bit of a smoke screen. If we got beat out by NY, shame on Otis unless it was all about the money (crazy cash paid for Duhon by NY!) and not about the chance to win. If CD was used as a smoke screen I’ll give one to O. Smith for at least trying to play the role of a NBA GM. I have a feeling it was all about NY’s willingness to pay him more.
Still, there are plenty of players on the market who could fill some holes for Orlando. I believe (and I’ll drop this point to) that we cannot use the MLE on one player unless Orlando is willing to part with Turk. Heck, we won’t be able to afford him at the end of his contract next year so move him now. If we can find a way to keep him, do it now. Do not wait until the middle of the season as anything can happen, bad season, injury, etc., then his trade value drops significantly.
Otis, let’s get this party started! Show us your cards or go down to the local drugstore and buy a deck. Anyone on this chat can show you how to play your cards right. Give the deck to Stan, he knows how to play the hand working under the master Pat Riley for so long.
July 5th, 2008 at 9:54 am
I question the legitimacy of that column. Even in the legit sites mentioning the possibility, Lewis is just mentioned like an afterthought. At one point or another, there was probably an article like that for all 30 teams in the league.
But for what you’re trying to say, let’s say that it was legit; the Celtics were interested in Lewis. Here is the key: That rumor and article was published before the Ray Allen trade and before free agency. Would they Celtics still have had interest in Lewis after the Allen deal? Free agency started with Allen as a Celtic, which would lead me to believe they would have no interest in Lewis by the time we signed him. As I could see them having interest in Lewis before they acquired Allen, but not after. Do you honestly think they would have had interest in Lewis after trading for Allen?
I don’t think that article helped your case, so that still don’t explain who Otis was bidding against, because considering the time of that article, it would basically imply it was not the Celtics.
Nice little debate we have going here. Like you said, it’s all in fun.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Any news on anything guys? are we close at all to either of our target free agents? this is so dead, but being that that cant actually sign a contract for 4 more days on the ninth its coming closer and closer each day, and i am starting to wonder if any changes will be made at all.
July 5th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Dean, I havent heard anything new…Dooling becomes a priority now, with Anthony Carter or Jason Williams being backups if that doesnt work.
Maggette could still be in play, but I dont think Orlando is being aggressive enough for him.
Other than that, i have no news, but look for Pietrus to be under the radar as well…
I’m glad that you two are being respectful here, this stuff can get messy some times.
I guess I will throw my hat in the ring here…With Lewis, I guess it comes down to this. There were other teams that were interested in him.
Houston and Boston seemed to be frequent teams, but very few could have offered the money Orlando could. where the problem lies is that Orlando overpaid for Lewis for no reason…we baically bidded against our selves.
Houston offered like 5 years, $75 million I think, which is aroud $3 mill more per year. Otis overpaid for Shard, no doubt.
My thought on that though is that Orlando was going over the cap for a while because they tied a lot of money into Shard, Dwight and Jameer, so they might as well have gone for broke. What is $3 mill when your team is investing that much money in three guys.
July 5th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I agree with you Brendan. I really couldn’t say it any better or differently that I’ve already put it.
But, what if we had that 3 million more to work with right now? Would that make a difference?
July 5th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Great point Damien, even from a luxury tax stand point…Orlando doesnt want to go over the luxury by too much and they dont have much wiggle room. An extra $3 million might be nice.
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