Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Harris, Sefolosha, Dragic

April 10th, 2015 at 1:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tobias Harris says he and his representatives haven’t spoken about the idea of accepting a qualifying offer worth nearly $4.434MM this summer, as the soon-to-be restricted free agent tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Rumors linking him to the Knicks have been somewhat distracting, Harris also tells Robbins, but the combo forward insists he hasn’t thought much about his free agency and points out that he’s not in control of his next NBA destination, since the Magic can match offers. Just how willing Orlando will be to use its right of first refusal remains to be seen, particularly given the depth around the league at Harris’ primary position of small forward and the presence of fellow combo forward Aaron Gordon on the Magic’s roster, Robbins writes. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Hawks and the players union are separately scrutinizing the circumstances surrounding Thabo Sefolosha‘s arrest after he remained in custody for several hours without treatment for the broken fibula he suffered in the incident, reports Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. The injury has ended the season for the swingman.
Goran Dragic rated Miami his favorite American city in an interview with Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. The Heat guard, who plans to hit free agency this summer, ranks non-NBA city San Diego No. 2, followed by New York, San Francisco and Phoenix. Dragic reportedly made the Knicks, Lakers and Heat his favored destinations amid a trade request before the deadline, and Dragic has Los Angeles as an honorable mention on his top cities list.
A shakeup of Erik Spoelstra‘s Heat coaching staff this coming offseason is a distinct possibility, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel speculates in his mailbag column.

Latest On Tyus Jones, Draft

April 10th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones is “proceeding toward plans” to declare for this year’s draft and is setting up meetings with agents, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Jones is No. 21 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 24 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Minnesota native, who turns 19 next month, told Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune on Wednesday that he hadn’t made up his mind about leaving school, fresh off his Most Outstanding Player award-winning performance in the Final Four. NBA personnel recently told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that Jones’ stock doesn’t stand to climb much higher than it already is, making the case that he should declare this year.

The 6’1″ Jones has averaged 11.8 points in 33.9 minutes per game this season, but he’s been most impressive with his skills as a pure point guard, juxtaposing 5.6 assists against 1.9 turnovers per contest. He’s also displayed a decent outside touch, hitting 37.9% of his three-pointers for the season, though he could stand to work on his perimeter shooting, as Eddie Scarito wrote as he ranked him 20th in the latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings.

The Pistons, Pelicans, Sixers, Magic and Rockets have paid particularly close attention to Jones, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has reported. Jones breaks the mold of recent highly regarded NBA prospects from Duke, almost of whom have played other positions. Fellow point guard Kyrie Irving came from Duke, but he saw action in only 11 games in his lone season as a Blue Devil.

Southeast Notes: Hennigan, Tavares, Harris

April 9th, 2015 at 7:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Magic CEO Alex Martins wouldn’t confirm that the team will seek an extension with GM Rob Hennigan, but Martins made it clear to Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel that he’s quite pleased with Hennigan’s performance. The GM’s deal currently runs through next season. “Rob has maximized our return on every single transaction he’s been a part of from a player personnel standpoint,” Martins said. “He has taken our roster and assets, built and improved upon them and is putting the pieces in place for sustained, long-term success.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Discussing 2014 draft-and-stash big man Edy Tavares, who is also known as Walter Tavares, Hawks director of international scouting Himar Ojeda relayed that the franchise may indeed sign the player for next season, Mariano Galindo of Zoom News writes (translation by HoopsHype).”It’s too early to tell if we’re bringing him in for next season because we don’t know how the roster is going to look like and it’s not just our decision, but his too,” Ojeda said. “But yes, we seriously consider the possibility of bringing him in for the 2015/16 season.“
Magic forward Tobias Harris insists that he hasn’t ruminated about potentially becoming a restricted free agent this summer, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “This is the team I’m on right now,” Harris said. “This is the team I’m focused on. That’s all I can worry about. I trust in God’s plan for my life, and everything that’s going to happen in the future I know will work out for the best. That’s how I look at it. There’s a lot of things you have to look at in any type of free agency, but what I think what everybody’s beginning to forget is that [I’ll be] a restricted free agent. So whatever happens, it’s in the organization’s hands to make a call. So I think everybody has to really keep that in mind and not just say, ‘You might want to go here and there.’“
Hornets coach Steve Clifford‘s salary for the 2015/16 season became guaranteed when the team qualified for the playoffs during the 2013/14 campaign, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Clifford’s contract contains a clause that if the franchise made the playoffs in either of Clifford’s first two seasons, the third season would become fully guaranteed, Bonnell notes. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported this news.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Kentucky, Johnson, Jones

April 7th, 2015 at 2:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kentucky coach John Calipari acknowledged Monday that Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Andrew Harrison and Aaron Harrison are all likely to declare for the draft, as Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal relays. Devin Booker and Dakari Johnson are still weighing their options, according to Calipari, Tucker notes, adding that the coach expects that Tyler Ulis, Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee will decide to stay. Calipari later addressed the idea of his own departure for the NBA, downplaying the idea in a piece on his own website, wherein he said he doesn’t have a desire to prove himself in the NBA. A recent report indicated that Calipari “desperately” wants an NBA job, and he apparently still has supporters within the Nets organization. Here’s more on those potentially making the college-to-NBA leap:

Projected lottery pick Stanley Johnson is on the fence as he decides whether to enter the draft this year or return to Arizona for a sophomore year, sources tell Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com, with one source describing him as “really torn.” The small forward is the No. 9 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 11 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
NBA personnel who spoke with Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com are in wide agreement that Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones would go in the final third of the first round this year if he entered the draft, as Goodman writes in an Insider-only piece. Those sources also tell Goodman that the freshman point guard’s stock is peaking and that he wouldn’t benefit from staying at Duke another year, and even Jones’ father is encouraging him to declare. The Pistons, Pelicans, Sixers and Magic are among the NBA teams focusing on the Minnesota native, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Brice Johnson is returning to North Carolina, multiple sources tell Evan Daniels of Scout.com. The junior power forward was No. 50 in Givony‘s rankings, while Ford had the power forward 82nd.

Protected 2015 Second-Rounders Up For Grabs

April 6th, 2015 at 5:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The regular season ends a week from Wednesday, and by now most of the playoff spots and non-lottery draft order have been decided. A team’s place in the draft order can mean a lot when there are protections attached to a pick that’s been sent out in a trade. There are two first-round picks that could change hands or stay put based on the final days of the regular season, as we chronicled last week, and there are also second-round picks still up in the air. The protection clauses attached to some of them are complex, so we’ll dive in and analyze each of the three cases individually:

The Clippers owe their second-round pick to the Lakers if it falls from No. 51 through 55 and the Nuggets if it’s 56th through 60th. The Clips can’t finish with a record outside of the top 10 in the league, which they’d need to do to keep the pick. Still, whether it goes to the Lakers or the Nuggets is anybody’s guess. It would go to the Nuggets as it stands, but the Clippers are only a half-game better than the Spurs, with the Blazers and Cavs right behind them. So if any of those teams passes the Clippers, the pick goes to the Lakers.
The Wizards owe their pick to the Celtics, but only if it falls from No. 50 to No. 60. Washington would pick 49th if the season ended today, but the Raptors are only one game better, and the Mavericks and Bulls are tied at one game above Toronto. So, while the Wizards could improve their playoff seeding, it could cost them their second-rounder. Washington’s obligation to the Celtics would end if the pick doesn’t convey this year, so it all comes down to the final games of the season.
The Trail Blazers and Bulls will be giving up their second-rounders this year, but the teams that get those respective picks could switch places. The Magic get whichever pick is better, and the Cavaliers get the other one. Chances are that Chicago’s pick will be going to Orlando and Portland’s to Cleveland, since the Blazers have a four and a half game lead on Chicago. Still, the Bulls aren’t mathematically eliminated from passing the Blazers just yet.

RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

Willie Green Wants To Stay With Magic

April 5th, 2015 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Veteran guard Willie Green has carved out a nice role for himself with the Magic and he’d like to keep that going beyond this season, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Green is slated to hit unrestricted free agency in July, but if he has it his way, it sounds like he’ll be staying put in Orlando.

“Like I’ve said before, this is a great possibility for me to come back here,” Green said. “Obviously, I would have to talk it over with my representatives and [GM] Rob [Hennigan] and [assistant GM] Scott Perry. But I like what I see. I like where it’s going here in this organization, and I still feel like I have something to offer to the game.”

Green has appeared in 46 of the Magic’s 75 games this season, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18 minutes per game. The guard, who will celebrate his 34th birthday in July, is also shooting 35.1% from downtown and giving the Magic reliable defense off the bench.

After appearing in 46 of Orlando’s 75 games this season, Green has not tired of the daily NBA grind and says that he “definitely” wants to keep playing. In fact, the combo guard feels like he might have another “three or four years..or even more” in the tank.

The Clippers waived Green over the summer and hoped to re-sign him but their plan was thwarted when the Magic claimed him off waivers just a day later. Green wound up being mentioned as a buyout candidate in February, but that never materialized and he has since found a niche with the Magic.

Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Donovan, Chalmers

April 4th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Hornets big man Al Jefferson may be shut down for the remainder of the season due to the difficulties he has been experiencing with his balky right knee, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Jefferson has had fluid drained from the joint three times in 10 days, Bonnell adds. “He’s dragging his leg around and then you compensate, opening himself up to further injury,” coach Steve Clifford said. “The guy literally couldn’t pivot and turn. I don’t know if he’ll play again. It’s just not fair to him.” It’s unclear if the injury will affect Jefferson’s thinking this summer regarding his player option worth $13.5MM.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic should look for a coach with NBA experience rather than try to lure Billy Donovan to leave the college ranks once again, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel opines. With Orlando at a critical juncture in its rebuilding plan, Schmitz believes to attract free agents the team will need a coach who commands immediate respect from veterans.
Heat guard Mario Chalmers is extremely frustrated with his perceived lack of a defined role, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. “I don’t even really know what my role is on this team anymore,” Chalmers said. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. A lot of people are out of rhythm, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen — when you’re going to get the ball, when you’re going to shoot it, you just never know. You just got to be ready for everything, I guess.” Chalmers still has one season worth $4.3MM remaining on his current contract.
Lance Stephenson has not played in two of the Hornets‘ last three contests, something that baffles the mercurial swingman, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “Definitely I’m surprised,” Stephenson said. “I feel like I can help this group but it’s out of my hands and I’m just [trying to] stay ready and stay focused. I’m very frustrated but it’s a part of life and it’s very humbling, but [I’m] just trying to stay focused and positive and whenever my number’s called, just be ready.”

And-Ones: Temple, Powell, Vucevic

April 3rd, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unlike Orlando’s past star big men such as Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, Nikola Vucevic is determined to be a member of the Magic for his entire career, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “Yeah. I’m here for the long haul,” Vucevic said. “I love it here. I really love the city. I’ve improved a lot as a player. I’d love to stay here for a long time and make something special happen. If it takes years, it takes years. I ain’t going anywhere.” The big man will have a few years before his loyalty to Orlando will be tested since his current deal runs through the 2018/19 season.

Here’s more from around the league:

Wizards swingman Garrett Temple began running and participating in drills this week and said he is at 80% strength, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post notes. Temple, who strained his right hamstring back on March 9th, was projected to be out approximately four to six weeks, putting his return date within the original prediction.
The Mavericks have re-assigned center Dwight Powell to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. This will be Powell’s 13th trek of the season to the D-League.
The 2015 NCAA tournament is winding down and only four teams remain standing. Chris Mannix of SI.com looks at the draft prospects who have the most to gain from standout performances in the Final Four and beyond. Mannix’s list includes Justise Winslow (Duke), Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), and Devin Booker (Kentucky).

2015/16 Salary Commitments: Magic

April 2nd, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.

We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.

We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Magic’s cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Evan Fournier — $2,288,205
Channing Frye — $8,193,029
Aaron Gordon — $4,171,680
Maurice Harkless — $2,894,059
Andrew Nicholson — $2,380,593
Victor Oladipo — $5,192,520
Elfrid Payton — $2,505,720
Nikola Vucevic — $11,250,000

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Dewayne Dedmon — $947,276
Ben Gordon — $4.5MM
Devyn Marble — $845,059
Luke Ridnour — $2,750,000

Players with options:

None

The Magic’s Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $38,875,806
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $9,042,335
Total: $47,918,141

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Nuggets, Magic Plan To Target Billy Donovan

April 2nd, 2015 at 1:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets and Magic plan to target Billy Donovan among other candidates in their respective offseason coaching searches, and the University of Florida coach has an increasing desire to jump to the NBA, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It’s likely that other teams that make coaching changes this year will go after him, too, Stein adds. Rick Pitino, a longtime Donovan confidant, said on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike show today that he believes Donovan feels the pull of the pro game, backing up a growing sentiment around the league that he’s ready to pounce on the right NBA opportunity, according to Stein.

“I don’t recommend it for college coaches to do that unless they know what it’s all about,” Pitino said. “I take someone like Billy Donovan. I think Billy has looked at it, I think he has an urge to coach in the NBA — a strong desire to coach in the NBA — and would like to try it, very similar to Brad Stevens, who is doing a wonderful job with the Celtics. I think people like that with that type of personality will do very well. … If Billy doesn’t do well, he can go back to college. Brad Stevens can go back to college. When you get to be our age, Tom [Izzo] and my age, where are you going back to? The McBurney’s YMCA on 37th Street or 34th Street? If you’re happy where you’re at, it’s a good place to stay.”

Donovan this past December signed a deal that extended his contract with the Gators through 2020 and lifted his average annual salaries from $3.7MM to slightly more than $4MM, according to Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun. He can escape the contract, which makes him the fifth most well-paid coach in college basketball, with a buyout of just $500K, though a one-month window to leave Florida for free just lapsed, as Brockway details. Donovan’s contract didn’t allow him any NBA outs from 2007/08 through 2012/13, a penance for having briefly left the school to take the Magic coaching job in 2007, when he quickly reneged on that decision, as Stein points out.

Donovan indicated this past May that he wouldn’t rule out coaching in the NBA someday, shortly after he said that he had contact with a couple of NBA teams last year. Reports indicated those were the Cavaliers and the Timberwolves, who, according to Stein, made “serious overtures.” Donovan’s Gators went an uncharacteristic 16-17 this season, a year after a Final Four appearance. The coach, who turns 50 next month, has a history of producing high-level NBA talent. No college has produced a greater number of NBA players presently making $10MM or more per year than Florida has, as we pointed out last month, and all of them played for Donovan.