We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
What exactly is going on with the Magic? Do they have a plan? — Yancy Yeater
Orlando’s plan for the summer seemed to involve acquiring as much talent as possible, then worrying later about how it all fits together. They got two of the best shot blockers in the league by signing Bismack Biyombo and trading for Serge Ibaka. How they’ll mesh with holdover center Nikola Vucevic remains to be seen, and Vucevic may not be easy to move with three seasons and $36.75MM left on his contract. New coach Frank Vogel faces a big challenge in putting all the pieces together, but Orlando probably raised its talent level enough to challenge for a playoff spot.
Why didn’t the Knicks pursue Lance Stephenson? He’s only 25 and brings a strong resume playing in playoff competition. He’s a big guard, can defend well, rebounds great, passes well, shoots 48% from field and 39% from 3. He’s a New York City product and has the state high school all-time scoring record. Why no interest? — Harvey Ludwin
It’s not just the Knicks. A lot of teams that could have used Stephenson’s talent decided to pass on his personality. A series of incidents both large and small have resulted in him playing on three teams in the last two seasons. A rumor that the Nets might have a spot for Stephenson was seemingly debunked today, and Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe recently reported that the sixth-year swingman might have to play overseas for a while and work his way back to the NBA.