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The Magic Should Pay Ibaka; Hezonja Returns To Rotation

January 14th, 2017 at 8:48am CST by Austin Kent

Second-year shooting guard Mario Hezonja will get a shot at reclaiming his spot in the Magic rotation, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The 21-year-old slipped out of head coach Frank Vogel‘s core lineup in mid-November.

For the next little while at least, expect Hezonja to back up starting small forward Aaron Gordon when the Magic elect to run a small ball lineup with Jeff Green at the four. After racking up 13 DNP-CDs in the first 40 games of the season, Hezonja will take what he can get.

In another piece, John Denton of the Magic’s website, explores other ways Vogel is shaking up his lineup – including returning Nikola Vucevic to the starting lineup.

  • The Magic should pay, and perhaps overpay, to keep Serge Ibaka in Orlando, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz argues that the 27-year-old big man has been the team’s best player on both ends of the floor. Ibaka has averaged 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game through Orlando’s first 40.
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Magic Notes: Dragic, Crabbe, Vucevic, Harkless

January 13th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Orlando is among several teams that have contacted the Heat about Goran Dragic, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The Magic are looking to solidify their point guard position, which belonged to Elfrid Payton when the season began, but was taken over by D.J. Augustin in late November. Dragic still has three years and more than $54MM left on his current contract. He is averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists in 32 games this season, but has missed time recently with back problems.

There’s more news today out of Orlando:

  • After losing six of their last seven and dropping to 16-24, the Magic need to act quickly to save their season, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Offense has been a problem for Orlando all year, and Schmitz says the team needs to find a scorer who can create his own shot. He suggests Allen Crabbe of the Trail Blazers as a realistic target and suggests offering, possibly with shot-blocking center Bismack Biyombo going to Portland in return.
  • Nikola Vucevic will be back in the starting lineup tonight, with Biyombo coming off the bench, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Vucevic was demoted along with Payton in the November shakeup. Coach Frank Vogel plans to utilize more “small-ball” lineups with Jeff Green moving to power forward and Mario Hezonja back in the rotation as a backup small forward.
  • The Magic made a huge error when they gave up on Maurice Harkless two years ago, Robbins argues in a separate piece. After three disappointing seasons in Orlando, Harkless was traded to Portland in the summer of 2015 in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2020. He was a regular starter for the Blazers during last year’s playoffs and has started all 40 games in which he has appeared this season. “It was a tough situation: a lot of guys trying to figure it out, including the staff and the front office,” Harkless said of his time in Orlando. “It was a unique situation. It was tough. Obviously, it wasn’t going to work out for everybody. I think a change of scenery is what I needed.”
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Latest On Paul Millsap

January 9th, 2017 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks officially traded away one veteran player on an expiring contract this weekend, sending Kyle Korver to Cleveland in a deal that netted them a future first-round pick. Moving Paul Millsap would net an even bigger haul, but it’s not clear yet whether the Hawks are ready to trade their standout big man. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Hawks haven’t yet been aggressive in fielding offers for Millsap, though they’ve suggested to rival teams that they could be serious about moving him.

A Saturday report from ESPN’s Marc Stein indicated that Atlanta would be seeking at least one “quality” first-round pick to headline a trade package for Millsap. Stein didn’t specify how many other pieces would be required in such a deal. Meanwhile, other reports identified the Sixers, Nuggets, Raptors, Pelicans, and Kings as teams that have expressed some level of interest in Millsap. The Trail Blazers have also been “sniffing around,” per Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).

In addition to those clubs, the Magic can be added to the list of potential suitors, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. While O’Connor doesn’t say that Orlando has conveyed interest in Millsap recently, he writes that GM Rob Hennigan “has a long-standing infatuation” with the three-time All-Star. A league source tells O’Connor that the Magic made a push to trade for Millsap last summer before acquiring Serge Ibaka and signing Bismack Biyombo instead.

With Ibaka and Biyombo now in the mix, along with Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon, the Magic’s frontcourt situation is crowded, making them an unusual fit for Millsap. Still, if Hennigan and the front office decides to shake things up by moving more than one of those frontcourt players, a Millsap deal would make more sense. So far, the club’s new-look frontcourt hasn’t been a success — Orlando is 16-23, good for 12th in the East.

The Hawks nearly dealt Millsap on two separate occasions in 2016. Atlanta had a deal lined up with the Nuggets at the trade deadline, but opted against trading him away. The Hawks were later prepared to deal him to the Raptors in July if Al Horford had re-signed with the team. Millsap can opt out of his current deal and become a free agent at season’s end, and he’s expected to do so, though there are conflicting reports about whether or not he has already made that decision.

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Magic Waive Arinze Onuaku

January 6th, 2017 at 9:12pm CST by Austin Kent

The Magic have waived Arinze Onuaku, the team has announced over Twitter. The announcement came after Friday’s game against the Rockets, a significant contest in that it featured Onuaku’s brother Chinanu Onuaku.

In eight games for the Magic this season, the 29-year-old forward averaged just 3.5 points per game, he was signed to a one-year deal in September after impressing the team in Summer League

Onuaku’s release comes on the eve of January 7, the last day that teams can waive players with partially guaranteed contracts.

Previously Onuaku has seen limited action with Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Pelicans.

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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/6/17

January 6th, 2017 at 8:07pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

9:24pm:

  • The Magic have recalled guard C.J. Wilcox, the team announced via press release. Wilcox has appeared in four games with the Erie BayHawks this season, averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

9:01pm:

8:07pm:

6:00pm:

3:32pm:

  • The Knicks assigned Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players will be able for tonight’s game.
  • The Bulls have assigned Bobby Portis and Paul Zipser to the Windy City Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The Spurs have assigned Dejounte Murray to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs, according to the team’s website. Murray is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 assists in 34.2 minutes per contest during 11 games Austin this season.
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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/3/17

January 3rd, 2017 at 9:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Magic have sent C.J. Wilcox to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. For Wilcox, whom Orlando acquired in an offseason trade, it’s the second time this season he has been assigned to the Erie BayHawks. During his first assignment, he averaged 10. PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG in two games with Orlando’s NBADL affiliate.
  • A day after being recalled to the NBA, rookie guard Bryn Forbes has been re-assigned to the D-League, the Spurs announced today in a press release. While Forbes has appeared in 13 games so far this season for San Antonio, he has seen much more playing time for the Austin Spurs, averaging 23.4 PPG in seven games for the NBADL squad.
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Turner Makes Magic Pay For Drafting Hezonja Over Him

January 2nd, 2017 at 8:31pm CST by Austin Kent
  • The Magic were reminded of what they could have had with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 draft on Sunday. Pacers big man Myles Turner dropped 23 points and 12 rebound on his former coach Frank Vogel, while Mario Hezonja – the player Orlando did select – failed to crack double-digits in minutes for the 13th time in 14 games since November 9.
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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/31/16

December 31st, 2016 at 12:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

  • The Magic assigned center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team tweets. The 7’0” center has appeared in eight games this season with the Magic, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 4.0 minutes. This is his third assignment to the BayHawks. He’s averaged 17.3 points, 13.5 rebounds 1.5 blocks in 34.2 minutes over six games with them.
  • The Suns recalled forward Derrick Jones Jr. from the Northern Arizona Suns, eight days after he was assigned to the D-League for the third time, the team tweets (Twitter link). He has averaged 14.0 points and 6.1 rebounds in 32.1 minutes over 14 games with Northern Arizona.
  • The Knicks recalled guard Ron Baker and center Marshall Plumlee and they will rejoin the team in Houston, according to their Twitter feed. They were assigned to the Westchester Knicks on Friday and started their game against Fort Wayne. Baker had nine points, four assists and four steals in 30 minutes, while Plumlee posted 16 points and six rebounds in the same amount of action.
  • The Hornets recalled guard Aaron Harrison and forward Christian Wood from the Greensboro Swarm, they announced in a press release.  Harrison has appeared in 13 Swarm games over three assignments, recording averages of 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 36.5 minutes per game. Wood has appeared in 11 Swarm games during two D-League stints, averaging 17.2 points, 9.3 boards and 2.1 blocks in 29.3 minutes.
  • The Lakers recalled Ivica Zubac from the D-Fenders, one day after assigning him to the D-League, Harrison Faigen of SB Nation tweets. The 7’1” center had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against Northern Arizona on Friday.
  • The Jazz recalled forward Joel Bolomboy after he appeared in one game with the Salt Lake City Stars during his latest assignment. the team announced in a press release. He recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes against Sioux Falls on Friday.
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Could It Be Magic If Cousins Goes On Block?

December 29th, 2016 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic could emerge as the best trading partner if the Kings ever get serious about moving DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Mannix of The Vertical speculates in his latest column.

The Kings have shown no inclination to trading Cousins, particularly since they’re in the running for a playoff spot, as Mannix emphasizes. If that dynamic changes, Orlando has enough young pieces and expendables bigs to make an attractive offer for Cousins, Mannix continues. A package that includes Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic would hold some appeal to Sacramento and give the Magic a clearcut franchise player to build around, in Mannix’s view.

Orlando’s glut of power forwards and centers has left Mario Hezonja, the fifth overall pick in 2015, scrounging for minutes despite a lack of floor spacers, Mannix adds. Hezonja would benefit from Orlando paring some frontcourt players.

Naturally, we’ve heard all kinds of rumors and proposals regarding Cousins. The Celtics have been prominently mentioned as another logical trading partner, given their glut of guards and extra draft picks, including the Nets’ first-rounder in June. The Magic are loaded with former lottery picks, so it’s fair to put them in that group of teams with enough assets to entice the Kings.

Cousins recently said he expects to remain put and there’s no rush for the Kings to cash in their biggest asset. He doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2017/18 season.

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Magic Roster Starting To Jell?

December 28th, 2016 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton sat in on the Magic‘s recruiting pitch for Bismack Biyombo this past summer, and some of the things they talked about during that meeting are starting to come to fruition, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Robbins pointed to Monday night’s win – in which Gordon scored 30 points, Payton added 16, and Biyombo had a double-double – as an example of Orlando’s roster beginning to jell.
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