Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Close To Deal With Greg Stiemsma

September 9th, 2015 at 4:54pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic are close to reaching an agreement with veteran center Greg Stiemsma, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports (on Twitter). The length and terms of the proposed pact are unknown, though it is likely a minimum salary training camp deal, and Wolfson does note that it would be a non-guaranteed contract.

Stiemsma, 29, appeared in 17 contests for the Raptors in 2014/15, averaging 0.8 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 3.9 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 203 games are 3.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.1 BPG to accompany a slash line of .509/.000/.705.

Orlando currently has a roster count of 17 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed pacts. The Magic could certainly benefit from adding some depth at the pivot, with Dewayne Dedmon and Jason Smith being the primary backups to starter Nikola Vucevic.

Southeast Notes: Sefolosha, Hornets, Gordon

September 9th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thabo Sefolosha isn’t sure he’ll be ready for training camp after suffering a broken leg in a scuffle with police in New York this past spring, he said to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Sefolosha also admitted an October 5th court date related to the incident, which would take place during camp, isn’t ideal. Sefolosha is pushing forward in the legal process as he seeks to clear his name, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Prosecutors dropped all charges today against former Hawks big man Pero Antic, who was also involved in the incident, Vivlamore adds. See more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets improved this summer, but so did others around them in the Eastern Conference, and with an unbalanced roster, they’ll still have a tough time making the playoffs this season, opines Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Facebook link).
The key for Aaron Gordon will be establishing himself as a starter this season, but the development of last year’s No. 4 overall pick will take some time for the Magic, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel isn’t counting on any of the Heat‘s camp invitees to make the regular season roster, but, in his opinion, Corey Hawkins stands a decent chance to make a strong impression with his three-point prowess, just as Andre Dawkins did when he made it to opening night last year.

Extension Candidate: Evan Fournier

September 7th, 2015 at 8:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tobias Harris failed to come to a rookie scale extension agreement with the Magic last fall. That turned into a windfall for Harris. Heading into restricted free agency, he wound up as Orlando’s third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

His strong season made him one of the most attractive small forwards on the market this summer. The Magic locked him up with a four-year, $64MM contract.

Could a similar scenario play out between Evan Fournier and the Magic this season? Fournier has shown plenty of promise in his first three seasons and his playing time has steadily increased. Athletic wing players with a reliable 3-point shot are in high demand and Fournier fits the mold. As a backup, Fournier will not approach Harris’ contract figures but he’s undoubtedly worthy of a significant pay jump from the $2,288,205 he’ll make this season.

Steve Kyler of Basketball insiders recently reported that sources close to the negotiations believe that an extension agreement between the parties could be reached before the end of training camp. The dilemma for Fournier is whether he should agree to a multi-year deal now or take the same path as Harris — increasing his value with a productive season and then cashing in next summer.

As Kyler points out, Fournier might also want to see where he fits in the Magic’s future. He’s stuck behind Victor Oladipo at shooting guard and there’s limited time available at small forward with Harris and lottery pick Mario Hezonja at that spot.

The Nuggets selected Fournier with No. 20 overall pick in the 2012 draft and he made good use of his limited playing time in his first season. He appeared in 38 games and averaged 5.3 points in 11.3 minutes, shooting 49.3% from the field and 40.7% on 3-point attempts.

His role in Denver expanded during his second season and his shooting percentage, predictably, took a hit from the lofty averages he posted as a rookie. He appeared in twice as many games, averaging 8.3 points in 19.8 minutes while shooting 41.9% overall and a still-healthy 37.6% from long range.

The Nuggets decided to bring in a more experienced shooting guard prior to last season, dealing Fournier along with Roy Devyn Marble to the Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo. The Magic exercised their fourth-year team option on Fournier last October, extending his contract through this season.

The 6’7” Fournier missed 24 games last season, mainly due to a hip injury, but was a rotation player when healthy. He averaged 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 28.6 minutes. He improved upon his shooting averages from the previous year at 44.0% overall and 37.8% on 3-point tries.

Advanced stats put the Bouna Ndiaye client in the middle of the pack among his peers. He ranked 35th out of 91 shooting guards in ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus rankings last season. His PER of 12.47 was below the league standard of 15.0 but an improvement over the 10.36 rating during his second season.

Fournier’s VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) rating on Basketball Reference was a minus 0.1 last season, mainly due to defensive shortcomings. He had a 0.2 Offensive Box Plus/Minus rating but a career-worst minus 2.3 Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating.

There remains a significant hole in Fournier’s offensive game. He needs to improve from the 3-16 feet area. Last season, he shot just 25% from 3-10 feet and 21.7% from 10-16 feet. He could also find his teammates more often. His assist percentage was a modest 11.5.

Defensively, he needs even more work. Perhaps new coach Scott Skiles can draw that out of him. Fournier has the quickness and length to be an above-average defender. A coach who emphasizes defense as a prerequisite to playing time may be just what Fournier needs to become a better two-way player.

If Fournier improves on that end of the floor, his overall value will invariably shoot upward. Will Fournier take a chance that he’ll stay on Skiles’ good side and keep his rotation spot? Or will he take the Magic’s best offer before the November 2nd deadline and give himself peace of mind heading into the season? For a young player without a starting role, that’s not an easy decision.

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Beal, Frye, Heat

September 7th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have gone through several key changes since Bruce Levenson self-reported racially charged emails he’d sent and announced a year ago today that he was selling the team, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recaps. Tony Ressler took over for Levenson as the principal owner, Mike Budenholzer assumed former GM Danny Ferry‘s responsibilities and received a promotion, and Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway Jr. replaced DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic as key parts of the roster. The team now faces the challenge of improving upon a season that saw “the most remarkable on-court run in franchise history,” as Vivlamore puts it. While we wait to find out where the Hawks go from here, see more from the Southeast Division:

Some people around the Wizards had questioned Bradley Beal‘s work ethic and whether he could become a great player, but the season that Paul Pierce spent in Washington helped Beal more than anyone else on the team, many Wizards insiders feel, reports Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Pierce opted out and signed with the Clippers, so it remains to be seen how Beal, whose extension candidacy I examined in depth Friday, will perform without the veteran mentor.
Channing Frye put up his lowest numbers in five years this past season after signing a four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic, and while he started 51 games, the Magic insisted that they brought him in as more of a complementary player than as a starter, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Next month, the 32-year-old Frye will try to hold off Aaron Gordon, who turns 20 in a few weeks, for a starting spot, but Frye would best serve the Magic in a reserve role that would emphasize his floor-stretching abilities, Schmitz believes.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel won’t be surprised if the Heat open the regular season with only 14 players on the roster, though he contends in his mailbag column that the team faces depth issues.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic, Hawks

September 6th, 2015 at 2:10pm CST by Will Joseph

There’s a decent chance that the clause in James Ennis‘ contract with the Heat that makes it fully guaranteed if he makes the opening day roster will hamper Ennis from securing one of the final spots with Miami, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in a mailbag Q&A. Ennis signed a three-year deal with the Heat in July. Ennis’ contract this season is worth $845,059. Ennis’ contract could still be modified, Winderman adds.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Magic missed on landing Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks, but Orlando locked up Tobias Harris and have built through the draft. The franchise would be best served if it continued to build through the draft after this upcoming season and then it has a better chance of being a preferred destination for free agents, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes in a 30 teams in 30 days series.
Citing Kyle Korver‘s age (34), Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders pegs the Hawks shooting guard, who was an All-Star last season, as a player who will likely see a decline in production this season. Korver has been very solid in Atlanta, but the Hawks added veteran Jason Richardson and acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. this summer to add depth to the shooting guard position.

Doc Rivers On Pierce, Allen, Celtics, Magic

September 3rd, 2015 at 8:54am CST by Chuck Myron

Doc Rivers believes Paul Pierce‘s choice in free agency came down to the Clippers and the Celtics, as the Clippers coach/executive said Wednesday and as Jay King of MassLive.com relays. That would mean the Wizards, with whom Pierce spent last season, finished no better than third.

“I think he wanted to go one of two places. He wanted to come back [to Boston] or he wanted to finish his career at home where he grew up, and I think it’s really cool for me that I can be a part of that,” Rivers said.

Those comments came while Rivers was in Boston for a charity function, so location perhaps played a role. Regardless, Rivers had plenty more to say about Pierce, the Clippers, the Celtics, and other topics, as we’ll round up here:

Pierce, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, was the team’s priciest free agent addition, but Rivers said he’ll use him judiciously, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rivers isn’t guaranteeing a starting spot for the 17-year veteran who turns 38 next month. “Paul will be great. Paul, I don’t want to overuse him. I know that,” Rivers said. “So, I don’t even know how we are going to use him yet. I want to play him at [power forward] a lot. What I want him to be is healthy in the playoffs. So however we can figure that out, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Rivers said he and Ray Allen recently played golf, but the Clippers executive added that he didn’t try to convince Allen to sign with the team, tweets Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News. The Clips were one of several teams that reportedly attempted to lure Allen this past season, when the shooting guard instead lingered in free agency.
Rivers said the collective trust the Celtics players had in coach Brad Stevens was readily apparent after last season’s flurry of trades, Souza also observed (Twitter link). An ESPN panel recently tabbed Stevens as Boston’s No. 1 reason for optimism about the C’s.
The Magic, another of Rivers’ former teams, have a shot to make the playoffs this year, Rivers said earlier Wednesday in an appearance on Mike Bianchi’s Open Mike radio show on 740 The Game in Orlando, as Bianchi transcribes in the Orlando Sentinel. Rivers praised new coach Scott Skiles. “I think he’s a wonderful coach,” Rivers said. “I think he was a great choice for the franchise. I think people will be surprised with how well they do this year.”

Florida Notes: Winslow, Vucevic, Chalmers

September 2nd, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Justise Winslow, who was selected No. 10 overall by the Heat in this year’s draft, is excited about the creative ways that Miami’s coaching staff is planning on utilizing his diverse skillset this season, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “It’s going to be good,” Winslow said. “The way they’re using me I think is going to be really special, really going to help me showcase a lot of my skills.” Winslow has been working with the coaching staff to improve the mechanics on his outside shot, which was one of the areas of his game that was criticized heading into this year’s draft, Jackson adds.

“I definitely feel comfortable shooting from three-point range but it’s working on everything – pull-ups, mid-range, posting up, finishing. There has been a huge emphasis on my shooting mechanics, trying to get everything more fluid and more natural so I can become a better three-point shooter. But there hasn’t been an over-emphasis on three-point shooting,” said Winslow.

Here’s more from the Sunshine State:

Winslow isn’t sure what position he’ll play this season, but noted that the Heat‘s system is built on versatility, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “The offense, all the positions are pretty interchangeable. And so I’m working on all my skills,” Winslow said. “Just playing alongside all the great players, some of the things will be limited,” he continued. “So just trying to find spots where if I’m in the game with Dwyane Wade , Goran Dragic and Chris Bosh, how I can be most efficient?“
One of new Magic coach Scott Skiles‘ goals this season will be to get center Nikola Vucevic to be more aggressive and consistent on the defensive end, and to get to the foul line more on offense, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes in his profile of the big man. Vucevic is entering the first season of the four-year, $53MM contract extension he inked with Orlando.
Though he is reportedly on the trading block, Mario Chalmers still remains the Heat‘s best option for a solid backup point guard, opines Winderman in his daily mailbag. The Sun Sentinel scribe notes that though Chalmers can be frustrating at times, he can thrive if placed in the right situations.

Southeast Notes: Wizards, Harris, Heat

August 29th, 2015 at 8:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders wonders if this is the year that the Wizards reach the Eastern Conference finals and take their seat among the conference elites. Greene believes Otto Porter’s development will be crucial for the success of the team this season. Washington failed to sign Paul Pierce, who opted to sign a three year deal worth approximately $10MM with the Clippers, leaving Porter to take on a bigger role with the team. New acquisition Jared Dudley should help to ease the burden, but the 30-year-old is recovering from offseason back surgery and is expected to miss nearly a month of the regular season. The Wizards also added Alan Anderson and Gary Neal via free agency and the duo should help boost the team’s bench unit.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic’s new four-year, $64MM deal with Tobias Harris makes him the team’s highest-paid player, and the team will call upon him to score in the clutch, putting him under the microscope like never before, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Harris, who cares about the way others perceive him, will have to deal with plenty of criticism based on how he performs, Schmitz adds.
The Heat shouldn’t need as much from Dwyane Wade on the offensive end as they have in past seasons because of the team’s offseason moves, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel writes in his weekly mailbag. Miami re-signed starting point guard Goran Dragic to a five-year deal worth $85MM. The team also added Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire in free agency.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Latest On Potential Heat Trades, Mario Chalmers

August 26th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat expect to keep Mario Chalmers until at least the start of training camp, and owner Micky Arison has made no demand that the team shed salary, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The prospect of trading for Jamal Crawford, an idea the Heat reportedly raised in talks with the Clippers nearly two months ago, “can’t be ruled out,” but Miami is satisfied with its depth on the perimeter, Jackson writes. The Heat are still willing to trade Chris Andersen, but the market for him has been soft, Jackson hears from a higher-up who’s been in contact with the Heat, and no evidence suggests the Clippers are interested in him as part of a swap involving Crawford, Jackson adds.

The Heat would still prefer to offload salary and haven’t ruled out trading Chalmers, set to make a guaranteed $4.3MM in the final season of his contract this year, as soon as October, according to Jackson. The point guard hasn’t given indications that he’s expecting to be traded, and team president Pat Riley denied reports around draft time indicating that the team was shopping Chalmers and Andersen. Grantland’s Zach Lowe nonetheless heard a couple of weeks later that Chalmers and Andersen were available “for nothing.” Andersen didn’t seem concerned about the rumors when he made a public appearance earlier this week, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel chronicles.

An opposing GM told Jackson in mid-July that Chalmers and Shabazz Napier were the players the Heat were shopping the most aggressively, and Miami dealt Napier to the Magic later that month for no salary in return. That, plus the swap that sent Zoran Dragic to the Celtics with no other salary involved, helped Miami lower its payroll, though the Heat still have about $90.4MM in guaranteed salary, which puts them about $5.66MM above the $84.74MM luxury tax threshold. The Heat would have to pay repeat-offender tax penalties if they’re still above the tax line on the final day of the regular season. Miami only has 12 players on fully guaranteed deals, and if they keep Hassan Whiteside on his partially guaranteed contract but get rid of everyone else, they’d have a tax bill of roughly $16.3MM. Jackson estimates the tax bill at around $23MM, though that appears to include some of the non-guaranteed contracts.

Do you think the Heat will move below the luxury tax line this season? If so, how do you think they’ll manage to do it? Leave a comment to tell us.

Heat Rumors: Chalmers, Andersen, Green, Draft

August 8th, 2015 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat would probably lack the depth needed to contend for a title if they ship out Mario Chalmers or Chris Andersen for luxury tax relief, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami recently got a measure of tax relief by trading Shabazz Napier to the Magic, but rumors persist that Chalmers, Andersen or Josh McRoberts could be sent elsewhere before the season begins. Winderman argues that dealing Chalmers or Andersen for little in return would damage the Heat by leaving them without veteran backups at point guard or center.

There’s more tonight from Miami:

The Heat should wait until at least midseason before making any more luxury tax moves, Winderman argues in the same piece. He contends the team needs a strong start after missing the playoffs last season, and that is more likely with all the veteran backups still around. Because the luxury tax is based on the season-ending roster, Miami could make a tax-relief deal or two during the season if it decides to pursue that strategy. He notes that owner Micky Arison is dedicated to keeping a “sustainable business model” as well as building a successful team.
Gerald Green feels “blessed” to be in Miami, according to Joe Beguiristain of NBA.com. Green, who signed a one-year minimum deal with the Heat last month, is happy to be reuniting with Goran Dragic, who helped Green post career highs in scoring and 3-point shooting percentage during their year together in Phoenix. “I never had anybody to make me better like that,” Green said. “He [Dragic] attacks the teeth of the defense, he puts pressure on the defense and he just does a great job of drawing two [or] three defenders.”
A series of trades has left the Heat low on draft picks over the next six years, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami has just three first-rounders and two second-rounders remaining in that span. That could change, although the odds seem remote, if Orlando has a top-five record next year or if Boston does in 2019.