Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Booker, Embiid, Karl

December 27th, 2016 at 9:22pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets landed Trevor Booker during the offseason by selling him on the opportunity to expand his role, as he tells Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (video link). Booker said the Hornets, Magic, Suns, Mavericks and Wolves were among the teams to reach out to him, but his relationship with GM Sean Marks made him feel comfortable joining Brooklyn.

Here’s more from around the league:

Joe Harris is enjoying the opportunity to play for the Nets, as he tells Scotto in a separate piece (video link). Harris, who signed with Brooklyn on a two-year deal during the offseason, is seeing a career-high 23.5 minutes per game this season.
Joel Embiid is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but it’s partly due to the struggles of the 2016 rookie class, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders details. Kennedy notes that there isn’t a single 2016 draft pick who is averaging at least 10.0 points per game.
In his book, George Karl claims that the NBA has a steroid issue, suggesting that performance-enhancers are the reason that players have longer careers in today’s NBA, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. It’s worth noting that in the book, Karl doesn’t present specific evidence of any particular player using PEDs nor does the former coach even acknowledge the advances in league-approved medicine or the increased awareness in players’ dietary needs, both of which have been proven to increase the length of an average career.

Payton May Get Starting Job Back; Fournier Hurting

December 26th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic point guard Elfrid Payton may have played well enough to win his starting job back, according to John Denton of NBA.com. Payton was among three players demoted when coach Frank Vogel changed the starting lineup November 27th. But Payton has raised his scoring average, assist totals and shooting percentages since the move, and Vogel is thinking about making him a starter again. “He’s competing and it’s my job to figure out if it’s best to keep him where he is and where he’s having success or to move him back in the starting lineup,’’ Vogel said. “I’m sure that we’ll probably look at that [starting him] at some point. I’d like to see him do this over a consistent stretch and I still might keep him where he is because he’s having success there. It’s just one of the things that I’m monitoring game to game.’’

The Magic have been without leading scorer Evan Fournier since Thursday because of a bruised right heel, Denton notes in the same story. Fournier has been trying ice, massages and stimulation to ease the pain on the heel, but he was forced to miss another game tonight. “It’s definitely getting better, but one of the bad things about the NBA is that when you have so many games and it takes a week or so, in that time you have three games,’’ he said.

Magic May Try To Trade Vucevic, Payton

December 24th, 2016 at 5:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic would like to find a taker for center Nikola Vucevic, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Appearing on a podcast with Zach Lowe, Windhorst said Orlando is hoping to make major changes that may also include point guard Elfrid Payton.

After trading for power forward Serge Ibaka over the summer and signing center Bismack Biyombo, the Magic are off to a disappointing 14-18 start. Coach Frank Vogel made some lineup changes last month that included sending Vucevic to the bench. Vucevic, who protested the demotion, is now averaging 27.8 minutes per night, the fewest in his five years in Orlando. His scoring has dropped dramatically, from 18.2 points per game a year ago to 12.8 this season.

Vucevic signed a four-year extension in 2014 and still has two more seasons and $25MM left on his contract.

The Magic are also “down” on Payton, Windhorst adds. The third-year point guard lost his starting job to D.J. Augustin in the November shakeup. Payton is still on his rookie contract and is under team control through the 2017/18 season.

Windhorst says Payton caused a lot of friction between the Orlando front office, which traded two first-round picks to acquire him, and former coach Scott Skiles, who didn’t believe he was good enough to play. The reporter adds that the Magic could be a potential destination for Goran Dragic if the Heat decide to move him.

Magic And Kings Have Discussed Rudy Gay

December 24th, 2016 at 8:47am CST by Austin Kent

The Magic have had conversations with the Kings about Rudy Gay, says Steve Kyler over Twitter. In his 11th season as a pro, the 30-year-old forward has shown an ability to produce despite turmoil and instability in Sacramento.

In 23 games so far this year, Gay has posted 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Kings and he does so with a reasonable $13.3MM contract, positioning him as a possible answer to the Magic’s offensive woes.

With so much going sideways in Orlando after an aggressive offseason of acquisitions, the decision to kick the tires on another established veteran falls in line with the approach they’ve been taking to their rebuild. Over the summer the Magic brought aboard veterans Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green, all with hefty contracts.

It’s unclear who would be on the way out of Orlando in such a deal, but there would need to be something significant exchanged as the Magic currently sit above the 2016/17 salary cap.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/19/16

December 19th, 2016 at 9:55pm CST by Luke Adams

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

9:51pm:

The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from their D-League affiliate, says the team in a press release. The center posted 17 points and nine rebounds in his lone game with the Santa Cruz Warriors Sunday night.

3:20pm:

The Raptors have sent Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet back the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Neither player has seen much action this season for Toronto, but with Cory Joseph and Delon Wright on the shelf, VanVleet was Kyle Lowry‘s backup on Sunday and played a career-high 23 minutes.
The Jazz have recalled rookie forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, according to a team release. During his most recent game with Utah’s D-League affiliate over the weekend, Bolomboy helped lead the team to a win with 28 points and 19 rebounds.
The Magic have recalled C.J. Wilcox and Stephen Zimmerman from their D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Both players were sent down on December 15.

J.J. Redick Open To Returning To Magic

December 18th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Austin Kent

J.J. Redick will be a free agent this summer and may consider returning to the Magic. According to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the sharp-shooting two-guard “hasn’t ruled out” returning to the club that drafted him back in 2006. Redick played parts of seven seasons in Orlando, before bouncing to the Bucks and eventually the Clippers.

Biyombo Has Fond Memories Of Toronto

December 17th, 2016 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic center Bismack Biyombo has great memories of the single season he spent with the Raptors, relays Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Biyombo helped Toronto advance to the Eastern Conference finals last season before a signing a four-year $72MM deal with Orlando in July. The 6’9″ center, who will face his former team for the first time Sunday night, said he was exchanging messages with Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan and other teammates all the way up to the start of free agency. “The expectation that everybody [had] was that I was going back there,” Biyombo said. “I had conversations with teammates before free agency was open. An hour before free agency was open I was still talking to all my teammates. Ten minutes before free agency opened they were still talking to me. So the expectations was high. But in the end, it was tough.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/15/16

December 15th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

The Raptors assigned point guard Fred VanVleet and forward Bruno Caboclo to their affiliate, Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed (Twitter links). They both played against the Oklahoma City Blue on Thursday, with VanVleet scoring nine points and dishing out 12 assists, while Caboclo had 13 points. VanVleet has seen action in six games with Toronto this season, while Caboclo has appeared in three games.
The Magic assigned guard C.J. Wilcox and center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced on its website. Wilcox has played in 10 games this season with the Magic. Zimmerman has appeared in four games this season with the Magic. He was previously assigned to Erie on November 28th.
The Suns recalled point guard Tyler Ulis and big man Alan Williams from the Northern Arizona Suns, the team tweets. Ulis, an early second-rounder, has played in 14 games with Phoenix this season. Williams has played nine games with the NBA club.
The Jazz assigned forward Joel Bolomboy to their affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, the team announced. This marks the fifth assignment this season for Bolomboy, who has played eight games this season with the Jazz.
The Grizzlies assigned guard Wade Baldwin IV to their affiliate, the Iowa Energy. Baldwin, who has appeared in 20 games with Memphis, played two games for the Energy last month.

Magic Notes: Point Guard, Lakeland, Wilcox

December 15th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this month, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Magic were in the market for scoring help, and were expected to explore potential deals that could help them add a player with that skill set. Robbins didn’t specify any players or positions the Magic were eyeing, but in an ESPN TrueHoops podcast this week, Brian Windhorst reports that Orlando is “calling around looking for point guard help.”

Although Windhorst adds that the Magic are seeking scoring help in general, the focus on the point guard position is interesting. Elfrid Payton, now 22 years old, hasn’t taken significant steps forward, having averaged a modest 10.9 PPG and a career-low 5.7 APG this season. His backups, D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson, provide decent depth, but neither player is the type that will fill up the score sheet on a given night.

As John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com details, the Magic see several benefits to moving their D-League franchise to Lakeland and gaining complete control over it. “Our Basketball Operations department will be able to set out a plan that can utilize and interact on a daily basis with our minor-league team,” said GM Rob Hennigan.
Magic guard C.J. Wilcox requested a D-League stint for this weekend as he recovers from an Achilles injury, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Because the team’s Lakeland franchise won’t be ready to go until 2017/18, Wilcox will head up to Erie to report to the BayHawks.

Magic To Buy, Relocate D-League Affiliate

December 14th, 2016 at 9:05am CST by ChrisCrouse

DECEMBER 14: The Magic have officially issued a press release announcing that they have agreed to purchase the BayHawks and relocated the franchise to Lakeland for the 2017/18 season (Twitter link).

DECEMBER 13: The Magic will have a new D-League affiliate in Lakeland, Florida and the team could play there as soon as next season, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The franchise has a press conference scheduled on Wednesday to announce the changes.

The team is currently in the last year of a three-year agreement with the Erie BayHawks to be its D-League affiliate. The distance between Erie, PA and Orlando, FL has prevented the team from utilizing its affiliate as much as the team would like, according to Robbins. The location of the new affiliate will make it easier for the Magic to send players to the D-League and they will have more opportunities to send injured players there rehab assignments.

The BayHawks were founded in 2008 as an expansion team and they were originally affiliated with the Sixers and Cavs. Both team have since established their own independent affiliates. There is no news yet on whether Erie will continue to support a D-League team once the Magic officially make their move.