Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Frank Vogel’s Job In Jeopardy In Orlando?

March 18th, 2018 at 11:07am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Magic wrapping up another lost season, there’s a sense in Orlando that it could be the last one for coach Frank Vogel, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.

Vogel is 50-102 in nearly two full years with the Magic, operating against a background of change. The team replaced GM Rob Hennigan and cleared out several other members of the basketball operations department last summer. New team president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond may prefer to select their own coach this offseason.

Neither would comment about the situation to Robbins, but speculation has been growing as Orlando quickly fell out of contention after an 8-4 start. When they assumed their new jobs, Weltman and Hammond said they planned to make this a season of evaluation, both for the roster and the coaching staff. Vogel signed a four-year contract in the summer of 2016, but the fourth season is a team option that hasn’t been exercised.

Robbins notes that the Magic made two important personnel errors that summer that left Vogel with a flawed roster. They traded Victor Oladipo to the Thunder for Serge Ibaka, then gave a four-year, $68MM contract to Bismack Biyombo, giving Vogel an abundance of big men at a time when the league was embracing guard play. Aaron Gordon was forced to play out of position at small forward and never adapted to the position.

The Magic have been hit heavily by injuries this season, with first-round pick Jonathan Isaac missing 47 games and Terrence Ross sitting out 48. Injuries also cost them 23 games for Gordon, 13 for Evan Fournier and 24 for Nikola Vucevic. Vogel has been in a difficult position since he came to Orlando, but even if the front office understands that, it may not be enough to save his job.

Jonathon Simmons Getting Familiar With Losing

March 13th, 2018 at 5:08pm CST by Austin Kent

After pursuing a larger role (and the inherently larger contract), Jonathon Simmons is getting his first taste of losing basketball. That’s made for a bit of an adjustment, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “I think he’s definitely tried to rally guys at certain times and make sure that we’re all understanding that it’s not acceptable to lose at the rate we’ve lost this year,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said. “But, at the same time, he hasn’t short-circuited, either. Sometimes guys short-circuit when they haven’t experienced losing like this. He’s been a team guy.“

Injury Updates: Leonard, Hill, Williams, Ross, Wall

March 12th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard will meet with coach Gregg Popovich on Tuesday to discuss his progress rehabbing from a quad injury, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reports. Leonard could return as early as Thursday if both parties feel he’s ready to play again. The team’s franchise player has been sidelined since January 13th with the lingering quad issue that has cost him all but nine games this season.

In other injury updates from around the league:

Pelicans forward Solomon Hill could make his season debut as early as this weekend, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Hill has been sidelined by a torn hamstring suffered in late August. “We’re so close to the finish line that we’re definitely not going to rush the situation now,” coach Alvin Gentry told Guillory. “I can see a situation where he might be able to play a few minutes here or there.” Hill is in the second year of a four-year, $48MM contract.
Suns reserve center Alan Williams could make his season debut on Tuesday, according to Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic. Williams underwent surgery in September to repair the meniscus in his right knee with a six-month timetable to return. He went through a full practice on Monday. Williams, whose three-year, $17MM contract is only guaranteed through this season, averaged 11.4 PPG and 9.1 RPG after the All-Star break last season.
Magic swingman Terrence Ross is questionable to return this season, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Ross has been sidelined since November 29th with a knee injury. A bone bruise has stalled Ross’ return, Robbins adds. “Some days it feels good, and then some days it kind of flares up,” Ross told Robbins. Ross has one season left on a contract that pays him $10.9MM annually.
Wizards point guard John Wall went through some non-contract drills Monday as he works his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports relays. If medically cleared, Wall could practice in full for the first time on Friday, Hughes adds.

Isaac Playing Through Rust

March 11th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by clarkcrum

Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac is trying to stay patient through the rustiness associated with returning from an injury, writes John Denton of the team’s official website. Isaac, who missed four months with an ankle injury, still has the confidence of head coach Frank Vogel, who said, “(Isaac) is a 20-year-old young man who is still finding his way on the offensive end. I encouraged him to be more aggressive than he’s been. To his credit, he plays within himself, but there’s going to be some growing pains that come along with that. I was just happy with the spirit that he played with (on Friday).”

NBA Teams With 2017/18 Cap Room Still Available

March 9th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

At this point in the NBA league year, most of the discussion about cap room focuses on how much teams will have in July. While 2018/19 cap space will be extremely valuable for teams looking to make a splash in free agency or on the trade market, there aren’t many reasons teams need ’17/18 cap room at this point — free agency is all but over, the trade deadline is behind us, and even the deadline for renegotiating contracts has passed.

Still, 2017/18 cap room isn’t entirely useless, even this late in the season. The current league year runs through June 30, so if a team wants to complete a trade before, during, or right after this year’s draft, having cap room available to accommodate a salary could come in handy.

Additionally, teams with cap room have fewer restrictions when it comes to signing free agents — if a club wants to take a flier on a prospect during the final few weeks of the ’17/18 regular season, it could use cap space to sign that player to a lightly-guaranteed contract that stretches across three or four seasons.

Here are the teams that still have cap space available for the 2017/18 season, along with their estimated total room:

Dallas Mavericks: $14,240,776
Chicago Bulls: $11,325,670
- Note: The Bulls are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.
Phoenix Suns: $6,749,365
Indiana Pacers: $5,423,615
Orlando Magic: $3,669,889
Sacramento Kings: $3,465,472
Brooklyn Nets: $3,128,440
- Note: The Nets are technically operating an over-the-cap team, but could use this cap room if they renounce their exceptions.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders, along with our own data, was used in the creation of this post.

Magic Waive Rashad Vaughn, Sign Rodney Purvis

March 8th, 2018 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 8: The Magic have officially signed Purvis to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Saturday night.

MARCH 7: Rashad Vaughn‘s 10-day contract with the Magic wasn’t set to expire until Sunday night, but the team has waived the third-year guard, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). As Robbins notes, Vaughn is dealing with right knee soreness, which wasn’t likely to heal before the end of his 10-day pact. The Magic have officially confirmed the move (via Twitter).

Vaughn, 21, was traded from the Bucks to the Nets to the Pelicans earlier this season and was subsequently waived by New Orleans. By signing a pair of 10-day contracts with Orlando, the former 17th overall pick reunited with Magic GM John Hammond, the executive who drafted him three years ago in Milwaukee.

Vaughn’s brief stint in Orlando wasn’t exactly a resounding success, however. In five games, he played 35 total minutes, posting just five points and four rebounds. Although his second 10-day contract with the team was cut short on the sixth day, Vaughn will receive his full 10-day salary.

According to Robbins, the Magic will likely fill the roster spot vacated by Vaughn by signing guard Rodney Purvis to a 10-day contract. Purvis – who is currently playing for Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic – is scheduled to head to Orlando shortly to complete a deal with the NBA club, ESPN’s Ian Begley confirms (via Twitter).

In 37 G League games this season, Purvis has averaged 20.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a .422/.389/.782 shooting line.

Kings Eyeing Mario Hezonja As Free Agent Target?

March 5th, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Mario Hezonja, who is playing some of the best basketball of his NBA career as of late, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he’s beginning to look like an intriguing target. According to various reports, the Kings are one team that’s expected to have interest in Hezonja when he reaches the open market.

Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee recently wrote that Hezonja has “fans in Sacramento’s front office” and figures to be a target for the Kings this offseason. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has expressed a similar sentiment, tweeting today that the club is a “real and viable threat” to land Hezonja. Kyler later tweeted that he continues to hear the Kings “have eyes” for the third-year forward, who was linked to Sacramento in trade rumors last October.

Hezonja, the fifth overall pick in the 2015 draft, struggled during his first two seasons in Orlando, but has looked better this year, particularly in recent weeks. For the season, the 23-year-old is averaging 9.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG with a shooting line of .463/.348/.826. In his last 15 games, Hezonja has boosted those averages to 14.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG on .473/.412/.868 shooting.

It remains unclear what sort of contract Hezonja will land in free agency. Cap space won’t be plentiful around the NBA, and the Croatian’s career track record will make teams wary of investing significant money. But he’s also just 23 years old, and if he continues to show signs of putting it all together, there should be teams willing to aggressively roll the dice on him.

Orlando’s level of interest in re-signing Hezonja hasn’t been reported, but if the forward finishes the season strong, bringing him back will be tricky for the Magic. Because the team turned down the fourth-year option on Hezonja’s rookie contract last fall, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and Orlando won’t be able to offer a starting salary of more than $5,167,231, the amount of that declined option.

Decision On Hezonja May Backfire

March 4th, 2018 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic may be regretting their decision to decline a team option on Mario Hezonja for next season, writes Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. The 23-year-old forward was coming off two uninspiring seasons when the new management team opted in October not to lock him up for another year. He has since developed into a versatile weapon off the bench, averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds over his last 31 games. The Magic could have had him under contract for approximately $5.2MM next season if they’d picked up that option.

Magic Notes: Isaac, Gordon, Vucevic, Ross

March 2nd, 2018 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

As we relayed on Thursday, rookie Magic forward Jonathan Isaac is on track to play on Friday night for the first time in 2018. Speaking today to reporters, head coach Frank Vogel confirmed that Isaac will make his return to the court, but cautioned that last year’s sixth overall pick will be on a minutes limit. As Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets, Isaac will play about 15 minutes in his first game back from an ankle injury.

Here’s more on the Magic:

Aaron Gordon recently admitted that it’s a challenge to stay in the present and not think about his upcoming free agency, as John Denton of the team’s official site writes. “Of course, of course, I worry,” said Gordon, who will be a restricted free agent in July. “It’s natural and it’s human to worry. But you work on your mentality so that you can enjoy the present moment instead of worrying. If you’re so caught up in what’s happened or what’s going to happen, you can’t fully enjoy what’s happening right now.”
Elsewhere at the Magic’s official site, Dan Savage takes an in-depth look at Nikola Vucevic‘s recovery from a broken bone in his hand, detailing how even a fairly common injury for an NBA player can result in a long, arduous rehab process. Vucevic, who suffered the injury just before Christmas, returned to action after the All-Star break.
Speaking of injured Magic players, Terrence Ross – who has been on the shelf since the end of November with a knee injury – had a small setback in February and is probably still a few weeks away from returning, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel wrote earlier this week.

Magic Sign Rashad Vaughn To Second 10-Day Deal

March 2nd, 2018 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

After his initial 10-day contract with the team expired Thursday night, the Magic have re-signed Rashad Vaughn, inking him to a second 10-day deal, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Vaughn, the 17th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has yet to develop into a reliable rotation player, having seen his playing time decline since he averaged 14.3 MPG in his rookie year in Milwaukee. This season, he has bounced around from team to team, having been traded from the Bucks to the Nets to the Pelicans. Vaughn eventually signed a 10-day deal with Orlando last month after being waived by New Orleans.

Although Vaughn’s stint with the Magic reunited him with John Hammond, the general manager that drafted him in Milwaukee three years ago, it hasn’t given him an opportunity for an increased role so far. In four games with the Magic, the 21-year-old has played just 25 total minutes, picking up five points and two boards during his limited action.

Re-signing Vaughn will leave the Magic with a second cap charge of $83,129 and will once again fill their final roster spot. When Vaughn’s new 10-day contract comes to an end, Orlando will have to decide whether to let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season deal.