Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Bender, Wall, Durant, Brown, Lawson

October 1st, 2015 at 1:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

European phenom Dragan Bender will make his U.S. debut in Chicago tonight for Israel Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv for the first of a pair of exhibitions against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors first reported he was likely to do. The 17-year-old has stirred no shortage of excitement, as international journalist David Pick writes for Bleacher Report. Almost all 30 NBA teams are set to scout the contests, with the Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Bucks among them, sources tell Pick. Hornets GM Rich Cho will be there, too, tweets Jake Fischer of SI Now. The Nuggets, Sixers and Magic have had talks with Maccabi officials about the 7’1″ power forward, Pick also hears. Bender is well ahead of where 2015 No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis was at the same age, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress told Pick. Givony has Bender as the fifth-best prospect in next year’s draft, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him seventh.

“The only thing ’17 years old’ about him is his mustache,” Maccabi coach Guy Goodes said to Pick.

See more on Bender and other NBA news here:

Bender turns 18 next month, so he’ll turn 19 in 2016 and thus be eligible for early entry for the upcoming draft, but it’s not a given that he’ll declare, as Maccabi GM Nikola Vujcic, who also serves as Bender’s guardian, explained to Pick for the same piece. Vujcic suggested to Pick that Bender won’t enter the draft unless he receives a commitment from a team picking in the top three to five selections and suggested that he might decide to stay overseas for a while even if he is drafted.
John Wall says he and Kevin Durant are “really close” and reiterated that he’ll make a recruiting pitch to the former MVP who hits free agency next summer, though he adds that he’ll be cautious not to take an overbearing approach, as the Wizards point guard explains to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
The Nets declined to waive Markel Brown by Tuesday’s guarantee date, so his $200K partial guarantee jumped to a full guarantee on his $845,059 minimum salary, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That gives the Nets 13 fully guaranteed contracts among the 20 players they have in camp.
The Rockets are trying to minimize their risks with Ty Lawson, having told him that they’ll provide a ride for him to any destination at any time, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Lawson, for whom Houston traded this summer despite two DUI arrests in six months, has been on his best behavior so far, Aldridge notes.

Southeast Notes: Scott, Fournier, Williams

September 30th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks forward Mike Scott spoke publicly Monday for the first time since his arrest this summer on felony drug charges. The veteran would not discuss details of the case, but did note that the gym has been a sanctuary during the past few months, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. “I just come in every day and compete,” Scott said at Hawks media day. “Joke around and laugh with my teammates. This is kind of been my sanctuary for the summer. I come into the gym and work hard and put everything behind me. Then when in I get back to the locker room I’ll look at my phone and I’ll be ‘Oh, right. I forgot.’ Coming into the gym every day, working out with my teammates, is something that has been great for me.”

Scott did acknowledge that his situation has embarrassed the Hawks’ organization, Vivlamore adds. “I don’t like to make other people look bad,” Scott said. “I don’t like to embarrass people. I don’t want to feel embarrassed. I thought it made us look bad a little bit. I take full responsibility for that. Moving on.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southeast Division:

Evan Fournier is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Magic prior to this year’s deadline, and he’d welcome a new deal if the parameters made sense, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “It would be awesome,” Fournier said when asked about a possible extension. “But, to be honest, I don’t even think about it because that’s not in my power. That’s not in my hands. Right now I’m focused on getting healthy and just being back on the court. But, yeah, it would be awesome, man.“
John Wall would be happy to assist the Wizards in recruiting Kevin Durant, who is set to become a restricted free agent next summer, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays. “There’s gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to come back home,” Wall told CSNMidAtlantic.com. “But I know one thing of just knowing him, he’s going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I’m going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards. But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we’ll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch.“
Hornets coach Steve Clifford doesn’t expect the role of Marvin Williams will be diminished despite the offseason additions of Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough, and Spencer Hawes, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “He’ll play the majority of his minutes at [power forward], but he could play [small forward] some nights depending on matchups,” Clifford said of Williams. “He’ll space the floor and be a very good defender. He adds versatility because he can switch [defensively] with some of the perimeter guys. Really the way the NBA is going he’s becoming the prototypical [power forward] now — 6’8″ or 6’9″, can make 3s and guard different guys.”
Mario Chalmers, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, leaned on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for support to get through the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Heat, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “LeBron and D-Wade are my two closest people when I’ve got things going on in my mind,” Chalmers said. “I talked to those two in the summer and it really helped ease my mind. Bron, big brother, he told me, ‘Don’t worry — it’s a business.’”

Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Heat, Wizards

September 29th, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hawks guard Kent Bazemore is entering the final season of his current deal, but there is mutual interest between the team and the 26-year-old in reaching an agreement on a new contract next offseason, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Speaking about his feelings for Atlanta, Bazemore said, “I’ve come to love Atlanta. Of the whole summer, I was probably only gone two weeks. I’ve spent a lot of time here. I just moved into a new house. I’m renting it. Maybe I can buy it next year.” Bazemore and the Hawks will have to wait until next summer to work out a new deal since his current deal was signed for less than four years, meaning Bazemore is ineligible to sign an extension during the season, Vivlamore adds.

Here’s the latest from the Southeast Division:

Heat assistant Dan Craig was officially named as head coach of the franchise’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team announced. The news of Craig’s hiring was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Jaron Johnson‘s one-year deal with the Wizards is non-guaranteed and for the league minimum, while Jaleel Roberts‘ agreement is also for the minimum, but his includes a partial guarantee of $10K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter links).
The Heat‘s deals with John Lucas III and Tre Kelley are one-year pacts for the league minimum and do not include any guaranteed salary, Pincus tweets.
Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said that it may make more sense for the team to carry the regular season maximum of 15 players rather than keeping a slot open, Vivlamore tweets. Atlanta currently has 13 players inked to fully guaranteed deals.
The Hornets are hoping that Jeremy Lamb will get off to a fresh start in Charlotte after not seeing much playing time during his three seasons with the Thunder, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Lamb was acquired back in June in exchange for for Luke Ridnour and a 2016 second-round pick.
Greg Stiemsma‘s and Nnanna Egwu‘s one-year, minimum salary deals with the Magic are non-guaranteed, while Keith Appling and Jordan Sibert‘s minimum salary arrangements include partial guarantees of $100K, Pincus relays in a series of tweets.
The presence of Goran Dragic, who re-signed with the Heat this offseason, was a big draw for Amar’e Stoudemire to join Miami as a free agent, Surya Fernandez of SB Nation tweets. Of Dragic, Stoudemire said, “If he would have stayed in Phoenix, I would have thought about going back to Phoenix.“

Pistons Sign Jordan Bachynski For Camp

September 28th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 11:24pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

SEPTEMBER 25TH, 5:56pm: The signing has indeed taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an announcement.

SEPTEMBER 16TH, 12:14pm: The Pistons and former Arizona State big man Jordan Bachynski have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal, a source tells Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be the first official NBA contract for the 7’2″ Bachynski, who was with the Raptors and Magic for summer league this year. He’s the 20th Piston with either a signed contract or a verbal agreement to join the team, meaning the Pistons are at the preseason roster limit.

Bachynski, now 26, averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and an impressive 4.0 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game as a senior for the Sun Devils in 2013/14. He played four games with Turkey’s Ekishehir Basket early last season before surfacing stateside with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks. The Westchester Knicks gave him limited burn, as he notched 6.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 19.0 MPG. He managed even less playing him in summer league, averaging 4.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.4 BPG in just 10.0 MPG across eight appearances.

Detroit was one of several NBA teams to work him out prior to the 2014 draft, though he went unselected. Bachynski’s odds of sticking with the Pistons for opening night don’t look strong, since the Pistons have 17 fully guaranteed contracts, more than any other team in the league, as I examined last month. The team also has Adonis Thomas, who has a $60K partial guarantee, and Eric Griffin on a non-guaranteed deal, as our roster count shows.

Do you think Bachynski deserves a spot on an NBA regular season roster? Leave a comment to tell us.

Eastern Notes: Harris, Celtics, Napier

September 27th, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Tobias Harris, who re-signed with the Magic for a four-year deal worth $64MM, does not fear he will press and try too hard to justify his new contract, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Harris also wants to be the team’s leader, Schmitz adds.

“It doesn’t change me or my game. I don’t play the game just for the paycheck. I play for the love and the love of winning,” Harris told Schmitz. “When I signed my deal, the next day I was back in the gym, working just as hard. It’s no time to go out and celebrate crazy. I’m blessed enough to be in this position. It drives me. It just shows me if you want another one, you have to work twice as hard.”

Here’s more on the Magic and the Eastern Conference:

Shabazz Napier, whom the Magic acquired in a trade with the Heat, believes that contrary to what he initially heard, his new teammates have a “winning mentality,” Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays.
Amir Johnson, whom the Celtics signed to a two-year deal worth $24MM, has already impressed Boston coach Brad Stevens because of his versatility, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. That’s a good sign for Johnson, in terms of minutes, because the Celtics have a logjam at the power forward position, Forsberg adds.
Speaking of the Celtics, the team needs to find another reliable, high-impact scorer besides Isaiah Thomas, opines A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Celtics were the only team in the playoffs last year whose No. 2 scorer (Avery Bradley) averaged less than 14 points per game, Blakely points out.

Magic Rumors: Skiles, Hezonja, Fournier, Appling

September 26th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The month between the start of training camp and the start of the regular season will be crucial for new Magic coach Scott Skiles, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Skiles, who held his first full practice today, needs to change the team’s mindset, improve a defense that ranked 25th last season and establish a new identity, among other priorities, Robbins writes. Two of the main objectives will be to work in second-year player Aaron Gordon, who is limited at the start of training camp by a fractured jaw, and to help rookie swingman Mario Hezonja get comfortable with the NBA game.

There’s more news out of Orlando:

Hiring Skiles to take over a team with a young, talented nucleus has some in Orlando dreaming of the playoffs, Robbins writes in a separate story. The author notes Skiles’ track record of turning teams around quickly. In his first full season as the Bulls’ coach in 2004/05, the won-loss record improved by 24 games. When he took over the Bucks in 2008/09, their record improved by eight games in the first season and another 12 in the second season. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and our expectation is that we’ll compete for a playoff spot throughout the entire season,” said GM Rob Hennigan. “It’s important for us to be playing games that matter at the end of the season.”
Evan Fournier is hoping for an extension, Robbins tweets, with Fournier saying it would be “awesome” if it happens before the November 2nd deadline. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors examined Fournier’s extension candidacy earlier this month.
Hezonja was called the team’s best new addition by Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders in the site’s season preview of the Magic. The Croatian star, who was taken fifth overall in this year’s draft, impressed the coaching staff with his performance during summer league. Taylor said the rookie has shown an ability to pass, drive, hit open three-pointers and throw down some “highlight-reel dunks.”
Keith Appling‘s two-year minimum deal comes with a $100K guarantee, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Southeast Notes: Richardson, Heat, Napier

September 24th, 2015 at 10:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It was concerns regarding his long-term health that led Jason Richardson to call it a career and retire, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports writes. “I didn’t want to limp the rest of my life,” Richardson told Spears. “I still have my whole life in front of me, God willing. I sat alone at a park in Atlanta thinking and no one said anything to me because they didn’t recognize me since I just got there. I talked to my wife for an hour on the phone and then I sat for five hours thinking while listening to music before deciding that retiring was the right thing to do.” The 34-year-old had signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Hawks for the league minimum back in August. “I worked hard and had love and passion for the game,” Richardson added. “But I didn’t want to be that guy who was just there collecting a paycheck.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is excited about the team’s offseason additions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Gerald Green, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “If you had told me a year ago we would have an opportunity to sign both those players, I would have said that’s not realistic,” Spoelstra said. “We recruited Amar’e in 2010 and were fans of his game back then. His game has evolved and he has found a niche and a role the last couple of years we definitely can take advantage of. Gerald Green is an explosive player. Those type of game changing players are tough to find in this league. He has been very committed to get to know us and also be in a great shape. To be part of a championship culture and a team with high expectations. I told him you put on this jersey, there are different expectations. He loves the challenge of that.”
Point guard Shabazz Napier, whom the Magic acquired from Miami back in July, is expected to be the team’s third point guard behind Elfrid Payton and C.J. Watson, but the hope is that he can be developed into a future asset, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes.
The Magic are pleased with the progress they have seen from Payton, who is entering his second season in the league, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays. When asked about the young guard’s outside shooting, coach Scott Skiles said, “It’s better. He’s put in a lot of time. He’s dedicated himself to it. Obviously, it doesn’t stop just because the season starts. Elfrid’s a talented guy. He’s still a young player. It’s a tough position to learn. Generally, guys aren’t totally polished at that in their second year in the NBA. But as I said before, ‘progress, not perfection.’ We just want him to continue to make progress, and we’re really high on him.“

Magic Sign Greg Stiemsma, Nnanna Egwu

September 24th, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:18pm: The signings are official, the team announced via a press release.

11:02am: The Magic expect to bring Greg Stiemsma and Nnanna Egwu to training camp, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Robbins lists the pair along with Keith Appling, Melvin Ejim and Jordan Sibert, each of whom has a previously reported deal to join the Magic for camp. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities reported earlier that Stiemsma was close to a deal with Orlando. The additions of the veteran center, plus Egwu, a center who went undrafted out of Illinois this year, will give the Magic 19 players, including 13 on fully guaranteed contracts.

Stiemsma, 29, has five years of NBA service time and spent this past season with the Raptors after securing a regular season roster spot in camp last fall. His playing time was down sharply from a career-best 18.3 minutes per game for the Pelicans in 2013/14, when he made 20 starts. Stiemsma came off the bench in all 17 appearances for Toronto in 2014/15 and saw a career-low 3.9 minutes per game.

Egwu was with the Magic in summer league, when he posted 3.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game across five contests. The 6’11” 22-year-old, who turns 23 next month, also had a single-digit scoring average in each of his four college seasons, though he was a starter for all but one game the past three years for the Illini.

Veterans like Stiemsma don’t usually end up in the D-League, but it seems a decent chance exists that Egwu will ultimately make his way to Orlando’s D-League affiliate. The Magic can retain the D-League rights to as many as four of the players they cut at the end of the preseason.

Should the Magic keep Stiemsma for the regular season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Magic Sign Keith Appling

September 24th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 4:17pm: The signing is official, the Magic announced in a press release.

JULY 20TH, 2:51pm: The Magic and Keith Appling have agreed to a partially guaranteed two-year deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The point guard from Michigan State played summer league ball with the Magic earlier this month. Orlando has its $2.814MM room exception to spend, but it seems more likely that this will be a minimum-salary contract.

The Thunder reportedly met with him a couple of weeks ago. Appling was with the Lakers during the preseason last fall after having gone undrafted in 2014. He spent much of the season with the Lakers D-League affiliate before a trade sent him to the Magic’s D-League team. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.9 assists and 1.9 turnovers in 24.4 minutes per game across 38 total D-League appearances. The 23-year-old displayed more scoring prowess in summer league this year, posting 15.6 PPG in 26.3 MPG over five games.

The existence of a partial guarantee in his deal doesn’t necessarily mean he has a better shot to make the Magic’s opening night roster. Orlando reportedly gave Peyton Siva a partial guarantee in his deal last summer but viewed him as a D-League player. The Magic apparently used the partial guarantee as a way to gild his D-League salary and help keep him from signing overseas or ending up with another D-League team. NBA clubs can retain the D-League rights to as many as four of the players they waive at the end of training camp. Still, it appears he’ll have a chance to impress the Magic in NBA training camp and force his way onto the regular season roster.

What do you think Appling’s chances of making the opening night roster are? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Magic Sign Jordan Sibert

September 24th, 2015 at 4:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 4:16pm: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.

AUGUST 29TH, 8:46am: The Magic have agreed to a deal with undrafted free agent guard Jordan Sibert, David Jablonski of The Dayton Daily News reports. The length and terms of the contract are unknown, but it is likely a minimum salary training camp deal, though that is merely my speculation.

Sibert, 23, played in three contests for the Magic’s summer league team in Orlando back in July and averaged 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He spent his first two collegiate seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Dayton. Sibert’s career NCAA averages are 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists to accompany a slash line of .430/.364/.738.

Orlando already has a roster count of 16 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts. The team is especially deep in the backcourt, and Sibert definitely can be considered a longshot to make the regular season roster. It’s quite possible that the team has designs on sending Sibert to its D-League affiliate in Erie for the 2015/16 campaign after getting a look at the guard in training camp, though that is purely speculation.