Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs Trade Joe Harris To Magic

January 12th, 2016 at 3:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nelson Chenault / USA Today Sports Images

The Cavaliers have traded Joe Harris to the Magic along with a protected 2017 pick for a future protected 2020 pick, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) and the Cavs and Magic officially announce. The picks going both ways are second-rounders, and the Cavs are also sending cash to Orlando, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). That cash comes to about $1MM, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The 2017 pick headed to Orlando is Sacramento’s, which Cleveland acquired in a previous trade, while the 2020 pick going to Cleveland is Portland’s, which Orlando had from a prior deal. Both picks are top-55 protected, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Harris is likely out six to eight weeks after undergoing right foot surgery, Haynes reports (Twitter link), so it would appear the cash is the main asset going to the Magic, who will release Harris, according to Robbins. The $845,059 salary Harris is making was set to cost the Cavs four times as much in luxury tax payments, so even though Cleveland is sending out cash in the trade, the deal is liable to have saved owner Dan Gilbert between $3MM and $4MM.

The Cavs made Harris available in trade talk last month, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported, hoping to land a second-rounder with greater value than one that’s top-55 protected and, most of all, save money against a gargantuan tax bill that’s poised to push Cleveland’s total outlay past the $170MM mark. The injury to Harris made the effort more difficult. The Cavs didn’t end up netting a pick without heavy protection, but they were at least able to find a taker for Harris, as Orlando used its empty roster spot to accommodate the swingman. A desire to keep Jared Cunningham past the date that his contract would become guaranteed also drove Cleveland to put Harris on the block, according to Lloyd, though the Cavs kept Cunningham past last week’s guarantee date anyway, perhaps confident they could make the trade they’ve just pulled off.

The deal gives the Cavs an open roster spot, an asset they’d aimed for with the idea of having the flexibility to add a player in the buyout market after the February 18th trade deadline, as Lloyd wrote. Harris, whom the Cavs drafted 33rd overall in 2014, wasn’t contributing much at the NBA level for Cleveland this season. He appeared in twice as many D-League games as he did NBA games.

The deal allows Cleveland to create a trade exception equivalent to Harris’ $845,059 salary. The Magic likely used the $1,599,619 trade exception they have from offloading Maurice Harkless to the Trail Blazers this past summer, posits Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Orlando had little choice other than to use the exception, since Harris is on a three-year contract and the minimum-salary exception can only accommodate two-year deals, as I explained last month using Harris as an example. The Magic are just barely over the cap, so they could have opened cap room if they renounced the trade exception, a move that would have allowed them to absorb Harris into that cap space. Doing so would have wiped out the entire trade exception, however. Using the trade exception to absorb Harris would preserve a $754,560 sliver of it that could prove useful if the Magic want to trade for a player who’s making the rookie minimum salary on a contract that runs more than two seasons.

Which team do you think makes out better in the deal? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Eastern Notes: Jennings, Butler, Biyombo

January 9th, 2016 at 10:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings is growing tired of all the trade speculation and questions regarding his next contract, when all he really wants to do is focus on returning to form as he makes his way back from an Achilles injury, David Mayo of MLive relays. “The worst stuff, the stuff I’m tired of getting asked about, is my contract for one, if I’m going to be here next year, and if I’m going to start. Obviously, you guys have heard the trade rumors,” Jennings said. “All I get is Knicks feed in my Twitter mentions. So it’s kind of like, all right, we just won last night, how about our game? How about this person played bad, this person played good? I’m just getting all types of questions that has nothing to do with how I feel or how I’m playing.”

Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:

With the Magic‘s record currently sitting at 20-17 and the franchise holding a half-game lead over the Celtics for the final playoff spot in the East, the team is facing unfamiliar pressure to win while rebuilding, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando is a team still learning how to compete and close out games, and the question still remains as to whether or not the past few seasons of losing basketball has impacted the players’ outlooks, Schmitz adds.
The Bulls‘ offense is starting to round into the form the franchise envisioned when it hired coach Fred Hoiberg this past offseason, and it is due to the team moving the ball and playing unselfishly, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Much of the credit should go to Jimmy Butler, who is playing less one-on-one ball and more within Hoiberg’s system since his comments regarding the coach’s laid-back coaching style caused a stir, Friedell adds. “I think we all got a lot of love for each other,” Butler said. “Everybody wants to see everybody be successful. That’s why we’re winning games. We’re buying into any given night. It could be anybody that’s scoring. It could be anybody that’s got it going. You get the ball to them and they’ll take us where we need to go. But that’s special just showing how much everybody wants everybody else to be successful.”
The struggles on the defensive end the Hornets are enduring can’t be placed solely on the absence of small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but on the organization’s offseason focus to add more offense, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Bonnell points to the Hornets’ decision to allow Bismack Biyombo depart as a free agent without so much as tendering him a qualifying offer, and the team’s failure to add a rim protector to replace the center, who signed with the Raptors over the summer.

Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Fournier, Heat

January 8th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hornets decided in the offseason to emphasize offense at the expense of defense as they made their personnel moves, and Charlotte has indeed taken a step back on the defensive end, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer examines. Part of that has to do with the absence of prime defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but his return, which he’s promised to make before season’s end, won’t solve all of the club’s defensive problems, Bonnell writes. Nonetheless, the Observer scribe wouldn’t be surprised if the former No. 2 overall pick is playing within a month’s time. See more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic aren’t entirely sure about keeping Evan Fournier in restricted free agency this summer, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. It’s expected they’ll at least look into other options before recommitting to him, just as with the team’s courtship of Paul Millsap that preceded the Tobias Harris re-signing this past summer, according to Kyler. In any case, the team’s use of Fournier at shooting guard instead of Victor Oladipo doesn’t signal that the franchise has lost faith in the former No. 2 overall pick and instead shows that the team is adjusting the way it’s developing young players as it focuses more on the present, Kyler explains.
Soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside‘s style of play, personality and general way of going about his business is “not congruent” with the way of the Heat, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com opined on a recent edition of “The Lowe Post” podcast with ESPN colleague Zach Lowe (audio link; transcription via RealGM).
Wizards draft-and-stash prospect Tomas Satoransky has a deal on a four-year extension with Barcelona of Spain that includes NBA outs, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). He’s put pen to paper, Pick reports, though Javier Maestro of Encestando counters that he hasn’t officially signed it yet (translation via HoopsHype). In any case, Satoransky is in no hurry to come to the NBA, Maestro writes.

Magic Work To Set Up D-League Team In Florida

January 7th, 2016 at 8:15am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 8:15am: The team confirmed that it’s begun the process of setting up a local one-to-one affiliate.

“Our goal is to have our Development League team closer to home, and we are beginning our due diligence to look at options in Central and Northern Florida,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said in a press release. “Having our D-League team closer to Orlando would give us the best opportunity to continue to develop our young players, while also extending the Magic brand in our region.”

Two of the eight locations the Magic are considering, Fort Myers and Estero, are in southwest Florida and closer to Miami than Orlando.

WEDNESDAY, 2:15pm: The Magic have begun work to have a D-League affiliate in Florida starting with the 2017/18 season, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The Erie BayHawks, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, became the Magic’s one-to-one affiliate last season, but the contract for the partnership between the two clubs is up after next season, Robbins points out. The Magic don’t own the BayHawks outright and instead have a “hybrid” partnership in which they run the basketball operations and Pennsylvania-based management is in charge of the business side. It’s not entirely clear whether the Magic would seek to move the BayHawks south or opt against renewing the contract and instead start a new D-League team of their own.

Magic GM Rob Hennigan has made it a goal to have a one-to-one affiliate in Florida since he joined the team in 2012, Robbins tweets. Partnering with the BayHawks represented a step toward that, as the Magic shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with five other NBA teams the season before they hooked up with Erie. Still, having an affiliate about 1,000 miles away isn’t ideal, particularly since other NBA teams, like the Thunder and Lakers, have D-League affiliates that play in the same city as they do. Orlando has only used its affiliate twice this season, sending Devyn Marble on a pair of assignments.

The Magic have sent requests for proposals to officials from eight Florida cities, including two locations in Orlando, a Magic spokesperson told Robbins. No D-League team currently plays in the southeastern United States, but the Hornets will place their affiliate in Greensboro, North Carolina, next season, and the Hawks are reportedly investigating the possibility of having a one-to-one affiliate in the future. The Heat have a one-to-one D-League partner, but it’s the Sioux Falls Skyforce, who play in South Dakota.

Eastern Rumors: Sixers, Grant, Oladipo

January 5th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers reached out to retired shooting guard Jason Richardson prior to their signing of big man Elton Brand, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Hawks waived Richardson, who played 19 games with the Sixers last season, in late September after signing him to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal the previous month. But Brand was the team’s top target to fill its leadership void, a move that was orchestrated by new chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, Pompey adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Knicks coach Derek Fisher hasn’t lost faith in point guard Jerian Grant, despite the rookie’s decline in playing time, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Grant received a three-game benching last month and played sparingly in others until his 24-minute outing against the Hawks on Sunday, his longest appearance since November 15th. “There’s a lot of good things about him,” Fisher told the team’s beat writers. “That’s why he’s here, and we believe in him. …We still believe in who he is. We’re still invested in him. We like his future.”
Victor Oladipo returned to the starting lineup against the Pistons on Monday, a change that would have happened even if point guard Elfrid Payton didn’t sit out with an ankle injury, Magic coach Scott Skiles told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors. The team had shown serious defensive slippage, Skiles indicated, “so it makes sense to put my best defensive player back out there. [Offensively] it’s a tough balance for a player as talented as him — whether to dribble, drive, do things like that, or if the ball movement is more important for our team. You play better when the ball is moving around, so they’re not easy decisions. But we need him to be aggressive.”
Stanley Johnson needs to improve his shooting but that won’t lead to a reduction in minutes, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said during a Monday press conference that included Hoops Rumors. The rookie small forward has been a fixture in Van Gundy’s rotation since opening night, averaging 21.2 minutes, despite shooting 37.8% from the field. “I’d certainly like to see him shoot the ball better,” Van Gundy said. “I know he’d like to shoot the ball better but it’s not something I worry a whole lot about.”

Southeast Notes: Kilpatrick, Skiles, Schröder

January 4th, 2016 at 9:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Wizards strongly considered signing shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick prior to inking Jarell Eddie back in December, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (via Twitter). Kilpatrick, 25, was in training camp with the Pelicans this season, and he is currently lighting up scoreboards for the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate. The guard has made 20 appearances for Delaware this season and is averaging 26.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 38.1 minutes per contest. With teams becoming eligible to sign players to 10-day contracts Tuesday, look for Kilpatrick to end up in the NBA at some point this season, Wolfson adds.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic have slowed since getting off to a solid start to the 2014/15 campaign, and coach Scott Skiles may have run out of buttons to push with the current roster, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. The team’s lack of elite talent has made it difficult for the coach to maintain a consistent rotation, and there appears to be no obvious solution with Orlando’s current crop of players, Schmitz opines.
Despite Shelvin Mack taking over backup point guard duties during the Hawks‘ last two games, coach/executive Mike Budenholzer insists that Dennis Schröder is not in the doghouse, Matt Winkeljohn of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “No. He keeps competing in practice, doing what he’s doing,” Budenholzer said when asked if Schröder has fallen out of favor. “Part of it is Shelvin’s been busting his butt, working hard. I think to give guys opportunities and to develop all 15 guys is important. Dennis will get his opportunities.”

And-Ones: Lamb, James, D-League

January 1st, 2016 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Thunder shooting guard Jeremy Lamb will face his old team for the first time Saturday and comes into the game playing the most consistent basketball of his four-year career in his first season with the Hornets, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman details. The Hornets acquired Lamb in a June trade. The 23-year-old then signed a three-year, $21MM extension in November, a deal that was met with some criticism because Lamb had not shown any consistency. Entering action Friday night, Lamb was averaging per game career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (4.4), minutes (21.7) and field goal percentage (47.5), as Horne notes.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

LeBron James‘ season to this point has a positive vibe to it, something that was absent in the first two months of last season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. The difference has to do with James, who recently turned 31, feeling healthier now than he did last year, Vardon adds. “I think he’s pretty healthy,” Cavs coach David Blatt said. “I think he’s obviously been able to play in every game. He could’ve played in the Miami game. I pulled him out. It wasn’t his wish or any need on his part except for what I saw not wanting him to play in that horrific back to back that we had. I think he’s good, I think he’s strong. I think he feels good and hopefully that’s going to continue in the same vein. When and if necessary we’ll look to reduce the load on him if we can.”
The Raptors recalled Anthony Bennett, Norman Powell and Delon Wright from their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
The Magic assigned Devyn Marble to their D-League affiliate, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Fournier, Korver, Hornets

December 29th, 2015 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Evan Fournier confesses that he’s mindful of his contract situation, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Fournier is headed into restricted free agency this summer after the Magic failed to reach a rookie scale extension agreement with the swingman by the November 2nd deadline. “Of course. It is in the back of your mind,” Fournier told Schmitz. “You are trying to play your best basketball. … I don’t want to be a mediocre player or average. I know if I have a very good season, the money is gonna follow.”

In other news around the Southeast Division:

Kyle Korver‘s shooting slump has worsened but Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has instructed his starting shooting guard to keep firing away, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Korver is a 2 of 16 from the field and 1 of 13 from 3-point range in the last two games. “He is very hard on himself,” Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We like to try to pick him up a little bit. He’s a perfectionist. So, I think we are all confident.”
Dwyane Wade admits he’s not sure where this Heat season is headed after 30 games, as the veteran shooting guard relayed to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald following the team’s loss to the Nets on Monday. “I said it since training camp, we don’t know what this team is going to be yet,” Wade said. “No one knows. I have no idea. 18-12, that’s what we are. I know we have a good team. I know that. 18-12, that is pretty good in the Eastern Conference. So that’s all I know.”
Al Jefferson agrees with Hornets coach Steve Clifford’s decision to bring him off the bench for the time being, David Scott of the Charlotte Observer reports. Jefferson is still trying to get back in game shape after missing 11 games due to a calf injury and a suspension. Cody Zeller has been starting at center. “Right here, right now, it’s probably better that I come off the bench,” Jefferson told Scott. “In this league, it’s important to get off to a great start and you don’t want a guy like me coming in still trying to get back into the flow of things and slowing the offense down.”
The Hornets’ new D-League affiliate in Greensboro, N.C. will be called the Swarm, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. The Swarm will begin their inaugural season in 2016/17, Spears adds.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Wizards

December 27th, 2015 at 11:47am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat are still working to coalesce on the court, but the team owns a 18-11 record and off the hardwood, the team has chemistry, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald writes. New addition Amar’e Stoudemire believes the team’s communication can help them win games.

“You are free to say whatever you need to, to a player, without them feeling some kind of way,” Stoudemire said. “If you don’t like someone, and you tell them, get back or stop the ball, they’re going to think there’s another agenda with you saying that. But if everyone gets along with each other, and they know each other, then they won’t take it the wrong way. Which helps the team.”

Openly communicating is something that Miami has done all season long, but the team’s collective mindset has also been key to the its success.

“You’re not bringing in a lot of guys who individually are looking for self, self, self,” Dwyane Wade said. “At this point on our team, the only guy who is looking to make a self-proclaim is Hassan [Whiteside]. To show that he’s dominant and everything in this league. But no one else is really looking for that, so it kind of works from that standpoint.”

That’s an interesting quote from Wade, as Whiteside will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Evan Fournier has improved this season, and the 23-year-old has become Orlando’s best closer in crunch time, John Denton of NBA.com opines. Fournier will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and he reportedly is seeking a deal north of $10MM per season. He turned down a four-year, $32MM offer from the Magic earlier in the year.
Coach Scott Skiles‘ decision to include Fournier in the starting lineup is one of the reasons that the team has been successful this season, Denton writes in a separate piece. The Magic own a record of 17-13 in the first season of Skiles’ four year pact.
Kelly Oubre has started the last four games in Otto Porter‘s absence, and the rookie is making a case for additional minutes once the team gets healthy, J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. “The game is slowing down a little bit,” said Oubre. “Trying to make the right plays at the right times. Not settling and just trying to be an all-around player. I don’t want to be subjected to being a certain type of player.”

Southeast Rumors: Eddie, Humphries, Hardaway Jr.

December 26th, 2015 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards rookie Jarell Eddie made a strong case for staying in the NBA during today’s win over the Nets, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. In his first action since being signed out of the D-League on Wednesday, Eddie connected on four 3-pointers and finished the game with 12 points. Coach Randy Wittman’s advice to Eddie was,“Know who you are. I put you in there to shoot,” Michael notes (Twitter link). Eddie signed a non-guaranteed deal with Washington at the veteran’s minimum. Michael notes that Eddie can be cut anytime before January 10th without the Wizards owing him anything, but said Eddie should be safe if he keeps playing like he did today.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

A move back to the bench has seemed to help the Wizards‘ Kris Humphries get more comfortable in his “stretch forward” role, Michael writes in a separate story. Humphries has made five of six 3-pointers since the switch, breaking out of a 2 for 19 slump. “I’m still trying to find my niche where I can do what I do really well and also continue to stretch the floor,” Humphries said. The 12th-year veteran is signed through the end of next season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has barely played since being traded from the Knicks to the Hawks over the summer, but New York coach Derek Fisher is still a believer in the young guard, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He joined a team that already had an identity and has a lot of returning guys,” Fisher said. “It’s difficult to break through in those situations. I think he belongs here in the league and when he gets his opportunity hopefully he’ll make the most of it.” Hardaway has appeared in just four games with Atlanta since the deal. He has been inactive 17 times, including today, and spent two games in the D-League. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said Hardaway is being “very professional” and cites the team’s emphasis on “player development.”
With a core of young talent, the Magic are succeeding ahead of schedule, writes Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. The franchise was expected to have a long road back to respectability after the 2012 trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, but Orlando has drafted well and helped itself with deals that brought in Elfrid Payton and Evan Fournier.