Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets, Bulls, Magic Complete Three-Way Deal

July 8th, 2018 at 8:27am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 8, 8:27am: The trade is now official, according to press releases from all three teams. In addition to receiving Biyombo, the Hornets will also acquire 2019 and 2020 second-round picks from the Magic. Orlando holds multiple second-rounders in each year, so it’s not yet clear which selections are changing hands.

“There were some elements of (the trade) that we were discussing individually the last few weeks, but the deal actually came together just [on Saturday],” said Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman. “It was really kind of a quick-hitter.”

The Bulls intend to waive Stone, per Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link).

JULY 7, 8:20pm: The trade has been agreed to in principle, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

JULY 7, 7:51pm: Charlotte, Chicago and Orlando are close to a trade that would send Timofey Mozgov to the Magic, Bismack Biyombo to the Hornets and Julyan Stone to the Bulls, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Bulls guard Jerian Grant will also go to Orlando in the deal, Woj adds (Twitter link).

The Hornets will give up more than $17MM in the trade between Mozgov’s $16MM salary for next season and Stone’s non-guaranteed $1,656,092. This will be the second trade of the summer for Mozgov, who was shipped from the Nets to the Hornets in a deal that became official yesterday. He has two years left on his current contract, with a $16.72MM salary for 2019/20.

In Biyombo, Charlotte picks up a shot blocker to replace Dwight Howard, who went to Brooklyn in the Mozgov deal. Biyombo’s contract is nearly in line with Mozgov’s, paying him $17MM in 2018/19, with a player option for the same amount the following season. Orlando breaks up a logjam at center that had existed since drafting Mohamed Bamba, while Mozgov becomes the third-string center in Orlando and probably won’t see much more playing time than he did in Brooklyn.

Chicago plays a minor role in the trade, creating modest savings by sending out Grant’s $2,639,314 salary in exchange for Stone’s non-guaranteed figure. The Bulls could be looking to shed any salary they can before their expected matching of the Kings’ offer sheet for Zach LaVine.

Stone’s guarantee date is August 1, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now, and the Bulls can increase their cap room to $16MM by letting him go and getting rid of Noah Vonleh‘s cap hold. Taking on Biyombo’s contract pushes the Hornets up to $120.3MM in salary with 14 guaranteed deals, just $3.4MM under the luxury tax.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Sign Aaron Gordon To Four-Year Deal

July 7th, 2018 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 7: Per Robbins, the four-year deal between Gordon and the Magic only amounts to $76MM in total value, with an average annual salary of $19MM. Gordon’s 2018/19 salary will be worth $21,590,909, decreasing by 8% of that amount each season through 2022.

JULY 6: The Magic have officially completed the signing of Gordon, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links), who notes that the annual salaries on the deal will decline each season, creating slightly more cap flexibility for Orlando in future years.

Orlando also finalized the signing of free agent point guard Isaiah Briscoe.

JULY 1: The Magic have reached an agreement on a four-year deal with restricted free agent Aaron Gordon, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charania reports that the four-year agreement will be worth $84MM, for an average annual value of $21MM.

According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link), no team or player options are included in the agreement. Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) first reported that the Magic and Gordon were closing in on a deal.

Gordon had been a restricted free agent, so while he could have agreed to a new contract with another team, Orlando would have had the right to match any offer sheet he signed. As such, it made sense for the two sides to negotiate a new deal directly.

Gordon, 22, enjoyed a breakout season for the Magic in 2017/18. After averaging 9.7 PPG and 5.3 RPG in his first three years in the NBA, the former fourth overall pick upped his numbers to 17.6 PPG and 7.9 RPG in 58 games last season.

Gordon’s shooting numbers were slightly down in 2017/18, as he posted a career-worst .434 FG%. However, that was largely a result of his increased willingness to launch outside shots. Gordon attempted 5.9 threes per game, knocking them down at a 33.6% rate.

Although Gordon suggested multiple times as his free agency approached that he’d love to land a maximum-salary contract, that was always a long shot, given the lack of cap space available around the NBA. Still, the former Arizona Wildcat did well to land a guarantee in excess of $80MM. It’s the largest overall free agent commitment so far in 2018 for a player who didn’t get a max deal.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

With Gordon back in the fold, the Magic will be an over-the-cap team and will have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available if they continue to explore free agent signings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Not Pushing To Sign Isaiah Thomas?

July 7th, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), the word in Las Vegas is that the Magic discussed a potential deal with Isaiah Thomas, but are unlikely to complete an agreement at this time, preferring to maintain flexibility to see what other opportunities develop. As Kyler notes, a patient approach to free agency helped net the club Jonathon Simmons last summer after San Antonio eventually withdrew Simmons’ qualifying offer.

Magic Sign Melvin Frazier

July 6th, 2018 at 1:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic have signed second-round pick Melvin Frazier, the team announced in a press release. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

A 6’6″ guard out of Tulane, Frazier was the 35th player selected in this year’s draft.

He spent three years with the Green Wave and was named AAC Most Improved Player this season while earning second team all-conference honors. He averaged 15.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and shot .385 from 3-point range.

Magic Sign Isaiah Briscoe

July 5th, 2018 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Magic have officially signed Briscoe, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

JULY 5: The Magic have agreed to a deal with free agent guard Isaiah Briscoe, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, Briscoe impressed the team in a recent mini-camp.

Briscoe, 22, declared for the 2017 draft as an early entrant out of Kentucky, but wasn’t selected last June. Although he caught on with the Trail Blazers for training camp last fall, the youngster didn’t make Portland’s regular-season roster, and was cut in October.

Rather than heading to the G League, Briscoe began his professional career overseas, signing with BC Kalev in Estonia. He had a big year as a rookie, averaging 16.0 PPG and 4.3 APG in 23 games and winning a title with the club.

If Briscoe earns a spot on the Magic’s regular-season roster, he’ll likely slot in as their third-string point guard, tweets Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando may still be eyeing another Isaiah for a spot higher on the depth chart — a report earlier this week indicated that the team was talking to Isaiah Thomas about a possible deal.

Orlando Discussing Deal With Isaiah Thomas

July 3rd, 2018 at 8:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is working on a deal with the Magic, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Nothing has been finalized, he adds, but both sides would like to reach an agreement.

Thomas’ NBA life has been unsettled since being shipped from Boston to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving trade last summer. A two-time All-Star with the Celtics, Thomas struggled to find a role with Cavaliers, appearing in just 15 games after returning from a hip injury. He was traded to the Lakers in February and played 17 games there.

The Magic could use some firepower after losing Mario Hezonja to the Knicks and Marreese Speights to China. They have been in the market for a point guard since a midseason trade that sent Elfrid Payton to Phoenix.

Orlando also waived veteran Shelvin Mack in June before his salary for 2018/19 could become guaranteed, leaving D.J. Augustin as the only point guard on the club’s depth chart.

The Magic won’t have cap room available after agreeing to re-sign Aaron Gordon, but could offer Thomas some or all of their mid-level exception.

Magic Sign Mohamed Bamba To Rookie Deal

July 3rd, 2018 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have officially locked up their 2018 first-round pick, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Mohamed Bamba to his rookie contract. Bamba’s deal, like all other rookie scale contracts for first-rounders, will feature two guaranteed years with team options in years three and four.

Bamba, 20, spent a single college season at Texas, averaging a double-double (12.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG) with an impressive 3.7 BPG. He declared for the draft as an early entrant.

Bamba will join a crowded Orlando frontcourt that features veteran centers Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo, as well as power forwards Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon, who agreed to a new four-year deal with the Magic on Sunday. Khem Birch will also provide depth for the team at the four and five.

As the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bamba will be in line for a first-year salary worth just shy of $4.9MM. Assuming he plays out his full four-year deal, he’ll become extension-eligible for the first time in 2021, and would be on track to reach restricted free agency in 2022.

Knicks Make Offer To Mario Hezonja

July 1st, 2018 at 12:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:50pm: The Knicks have an offer on the table for Hezonja, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who reports that the one-year deal would be worth a portion of the team’s mid-level exception. While Hezonja is considering the offer, he had been seeking a multiyear contract.

If Hezonja ultimately accepts the Knicks’ proposal, it would signal the end of Michael Beasley‘s time in New York, Berman adds.

8:25am: The Knicks appear to the early favorites to sign free agent forward Mario Hezonja, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley.

Several league executives told Begley that Hezonja sees New York as his best option, However, the Knicks are only handing out one-year deals to preserve their 2019 cap space, so another organization could trump that with a longer offer. The Kings are among the teams with interest in Hezonja (Twitter link).

The Croation forward had a disappointing three years in Orlando after being the fifth player taken in the 2015 draft. However, he’s coming off his best season, averaging 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds and starting 30 of the 75 games that he played.

Magic To Guarantee Khem Birch’s Contract

June 29th, 2018 at 6:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic have decided to guarantee center Khem Birch‘s $1.38MM contract for next season, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.

Birch, an undrafted 25-year-old Canadian native, was a pleasant surprise in an otherwise dreary season for Orlando. The 6’9” Birch saw action in 42 games and averaged 4.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 13.8 MPG.

Birch, who played for UNLV for two seasons, began his pro career in the G League and then moved on to Turkey and Greece. Orlando signed him last summer.

He’ll be the team’s No. 3 center behind Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo unless one of those high-salaried big men is dealt.

Magic, Troy Caupain Discuss Two-Way Deal

June 29th, 2018 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic and guard Troy Caupain have discussed a possible two-way contract agreement, per Nicola Lupo of Sportando (Twitter link). Caupain spent last season with the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate.