Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Hood, Stokes, Jackson, Anderson

June 6th, 2014 at 9:42pm CST by Zachary Links

This morning, Hoops Rumors learned (Twitter link) that Duke sharpshooter Rodney Hood will audition for the Celtics, Kings, Hawks, and Hornets in the next few weeks. As previously reported, his future workout schedule will also include the Sixers and he has already worked out for the Bulls, Magic, Nuggets, and Suns. Back in May, Hood told Hoops Rumors that he could go as high as No. 6-12 and it sounds increasingly plausible as he has worked out for most of the top half teams. Here’s the latest draft news..

Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders explains why he thinks Noah Vonleh would have limited upside as a lottery pick. Duncan thinks Vonleh’s leaping ability has become overrated, and cites poor instincts on both ends of the floor as reason to temper expectations.
Robby Kalland of Hawks.com checked in with Brian Schroeder of Hardwood Paroxysm to get the goods on first round draft prospect Jusuf Nurkic. Schroeder raves about his size, relative mobility, rebounding, and scoring touch. Currently, the big man is slated to go No. 11 to the Nuggets in DraftExpress‘ mock draft.
Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders runs down some common mistakes teams make in the draft, highlighting players from this year’s pool that could produce similar letdowns.

Earlier updates:

Jabari Parker would have no issue with being drafted by the Bucks, his father Sonny and Duke teammate Hood tell Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
The Suns were expected to work out Adreian Payne, Jordan Adams, Markel Brown, Sean Kilpatrick, Daniel Miller, and C.J. Wilcox today, reports azcentral sports.
Shawn Glover worked out for the Jazz today, reports Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune, and both Payne and David Stockton will work out for Utah tomorrow, Falk tweets. Payne is projected near Utah’s No. 23 overall pick, but neither Glover or Stockton (son of Jazz legend John Stockton) are projected as either first or second round picks.
A source tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that Clemson small forward K.J. McDaniels will work out for the Thunder tomorrow. McDaniels is projected as a mid-to-late first-round pick and while he figures to be in range, he could be gone by the time OKC picks at No. 21.
Hoops Rumors has also learned (via Twitter) that Stanford forward Josh Huestis auditioned for the Knicks this week and will be playing in front of the Magic today. The source adds that there aren’t enough days before the draft for Huestis to work out for every team that wants to see him (link).
In continuing their trend of working out point guards, the Magic will work out Tyler Ennis and Elfrid Payton over the next few days, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
Hoops Rumors has also learned (via Twitter) that former Tennessee Volunteers big man Jarnell Stokes is one of the 12 players working out for the Jazz today. Stokes is projected to be a first round pick thanks to his tenacious rebounding and high motor.
A source tells Hoops Rumors (via Twitter) that Cincinnati forward Justin Jackson has worked out for the Bulls with the Mavs, Pacers, Hawks, Hornets, and Suns still on the docket. To learn more about Jackson, a second-round prospect, check out the interview we conducted with him last month as a part of our Prospect Profile series.
Former UCLA point guard Kyle Anderson will work out for the Thunder tomorrow and the Sixers on Monday, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.

Draft Notes: Wiggins, Jazz, Randle, Sixers

June 4th, 2014 at 8:32pm CST by Alex Lee

The debate over how the top three picks of the 2014 NBA Draft will shake out has been covered ad nauseam at this point, and NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper throws his hat in the ring by examining what could dictate where Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins will land. Meanwhile, here are some other draft-related updates:

Along with Nick Wiggins (brother of Andrew), the Jazz will work out Deonte Burton, Jordan Clarkson, Alex Kirk, Sean Kilpatrick and Artem Kilmenko on Thursday morning, tweets Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz have three picks on June 26, including two in the first round (5 and 23).
As Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders opines, just because Julius Randle is no longer widely classified within the top tier of this draft class isn’t reason enough to sleep on the talented Kentucky forward, who still has a shot at becoming a top-5 pick.
In a separate story, Kennedy writes that there is no confusing how much is riding on this talent-rich draft for the Sixers, who are the only team with two top-10 selections (3 and 10). Adding two franchise cornerstones to go with Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel could make Philadelphia an attractive landing spot around the league, according to Kennedy.
After working out for the Hornets today, Northwestern’s Drew Crawford is scheduled to work out with the Kings, Jazz and his hometown Bulls, according to the Wildcats’ Twitter feed.
The Nuggets will have Michigan State’s Gary Harris and Mizzou’s Jabari Brown in town for a workout on Thursday, tweets Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. Denver picks at 11, 41 and 56.
According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Magic will work out Randle, Aaron Gordon and Noah Vonleh individually before the draft. They will also work out Dante Exum at some point and are expected to bring in Marcus Smart for a second look. Orlando picks at 4 and 12.

Ford’s Latest: Cavs, Embiid, Trades, Payton

June 3rd, 2014 at 4:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s unlikely the Cavs will promise any player they’ll draft him at No. 1, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who writes in an Insider-only piece. That means there’s a strong chance that Joel Embiid, who’s scheduled to work out and take a physical for the team, will go through the same with the Bucks and perhaps others. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is pushing new GM David Griffin to make the playoffs next season, Ford hears, adding that he believes Cleveland would prefer to trade the top pick. There’s more from Ford’s piece amid this afternoon’s look at the draft, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

An NBA GM tells Ford that he’s surprised at the number of picks available via trade, seconding what others have told the ESPN.com scribe. The Celtics, Lakers, Kings, Hornets, Wolves and Suns are all at least open to the idea of trading their lottery picks, Ford hears, though he says via Twitter that the teams are “shopping” those picks, suggesting that they’re actively seeking deals and not just sitting back and listening to offers. In contrast, the Bucks, Sixers, Magic and Jazz are likely to retain their picks, Ford also writes.
The Bucks, Hawks, Mavs, Blazers and Raptors will probably look to acquire additional first-rounders, Ford adds.
Sources tell Ford that Elfrid Payton is “in the mix” to go to the Kings at No. 8 overall.
Ford adds the Bulls to the list of teams that have worked out Jordan Clarkson.

Draft Notes: McRae, Hood, Young, Suns, Smart

June 2nd, 2014 at 5:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

Earlier today, our own Zach Links (Twitter links) spoke with Tennesee guard Jordan McRae who told Hoops Rumors that he has worked out for the Heat, Pistons, and 76ers in addition to his previously reported audition with the Bulls. Still on the docket for McRae are workouts with the Bucks, Raptors, Mavericks, Wizards, Pacers, and Rockets. In total, McRae says he has “about nine” workouts to go, so there should be even more clubs on the horizon for him (link). DraftExpress currently has McRae pegged to go to Toronto at No. 59 in their mock draft. Here’s the latest draft news from around the league..

Rodney Hood, James Young, Zach LaVine, and Clint Capela are among those working out for the Suns today whom we hadn’t previously heard about. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details (Twitter links).
Marcus Smart says he’ll work out a second time for the Magic, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
The Knicks will audition Patric Young, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com hears (Twitter link). They brought Markel Starks in for a look this weekend, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Orlando Sanchez has already shown off for Kings, and he’ll also do so for Pacers, as Josh Newman of SNY.tv chronicles.
The Bucks brought Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Cameron Clark, Josh Huestis, Melvin Johnson, Ovie Soko, and Fuquan Edwin in for auditions today, the team announced. Our own Zach Links interviewed Huestis in April as a part of our Prospect Profile series.
Edwin also has the Suns on his agenda, and he’s already worked out for the Spurs, Sixers, Kings and Clippers, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel adds the Knicks and Sixers to the list of teams for which Antetokounmpo auditioned (Twitter link).
Bryce Cotton is headed for a workout with the Mavs on Wednesday, tweets Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal.
DeAndre Kane, Jake Odum, Jakarr Sampson, and Okaro White are among those performing for the Grizzlies today, as Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal details in a subscription-only piece.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Offseason Outlook: Orlando Magic

June 1st, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Guaranteed Contracts

Arron Afflalo ($7,500,000)
(Glen Davis $6,600,000)*
Victor Oladipo ($4,978,200)
(Al Harrington $3,804,900)**
Nikola Vucevic ($2,751,260)
Tobias Harris ($2,380,594)
Maurice Harkless ($1,887,840)
Andrew Nicholson ($1,545,840)

Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Jameer Nelson ($8,000,000; guaranteed for $2,000,000)***
Jason Maxiell ($2,500,000)****
Ronnie Price ($1,316,809)*****
Doron Lamb ($915,243)******
Kyle O’Quinn ($915,243)*******
Dewayne Dedmon ($816,482)********

Free Agents / Cap Holds

No. 4 pick ($3,326,700)
Fran Vazquez ($1,898,300)*********
No. 12 pick ($1,803,400)
E’Twaun Moore ($1,148,163 – QO)***********
(Jeremy Richardson $915,243)

Draft Picks

1st Round (4th overall)
1st Round (12th overall)

Cap Outlook

Guaranteed Salary: $33,448,634
Options: $0
Non-Guaranteed Salary: $12,463,777
Cap Holds: $9,091,806
Total: $55,004,217

While a lot of the teams that struggled last season are dreaming of a playoff berth, the Magic have a different timetable than most. Orlando, coming off of a 23-59 season, isn’t expecting a major transformation in 2014/15 and while they’d surely like to make the postseason, they know that the road back to contention may have to be a bumpy one for the next couple of years.

That’s not to say that Magic fans don’t have reason for optimism. Orlando has a promising young core featuring rookie Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, and Tobias Harris, and their continued development alone should mean an improvement over last year’s dismal mark. However, Orlando’s offseason moves will mean the difference between a five game bump and significant steps forward.

The Magic’s main problem in 2013/14 was a matador defense (Ole!) that allowed 104.6 points per 100 possessions. Their defensive lapses can’t be pinpointed to one player or one unit, but we can start the finger pointing with the front court. Orlando has just one real shot blocking threat in Kyle O’Quinn and that’s not enough to keep anyone at bay. The easy solution, after looking at O’Quinn’s stat sheet, would be to play him more than ~17 minutes a night. However, his offensive shortcomings mean that starters minutes would be a bad idea. Arron Afflalo and Oladipo were solid defenders on the outside last season, but they’ll need some big bodies behind them to keep opponents honest.

Speaking of O’Quinn’s offense, or lack thereof, it’d be great for Orlando if they could get a big man that can make an impact on both ends of the floor. If the ping pong balls went the Magic’s way, rather that the Cavs’, they could have an easy fix in Kansas big man Joel Embiid. Unfortunately for the Magic, they’ll be picking fourth. It’s not a bad consolation prize, especially in this year’s draft, but it seems like the KU big man won’t be on the board for them, unless his medicals leak out and appear questionable.

So, if Embiid is out, who is in play for the Magic at No. 4? Australian guard Dante Exum seems to be getting rave reviews from everyone and if he gets past the Sixers at No. 3, he could give Orlando their one-guard of the future. Exum is a dynamic athlete who can score but isn’t purely a chucker. The 19-year-old has great court vision and the ability to dish on offense and his 6’6″ frame should allow him to be a pesky defender at the NBA level.

Exum’s arrival, or the acquisition of any promising young point guard, could spell the end for Jameer Nelson‘s time in pinstripes. The veteran guard is set to make $8MM in 2014/15, but he’s guaranteed only $2MM, so the Magic could let him go elsewhere without much penalty. Orlando has until July 15th to decide his fate: that’s when his deal goes from $2MM guaranteed to fully guaranteed at $8MM.

If the Magic tab Exum at No. 4, they can get another talented international prospect at No. 12 in Jusef Nurkic. Nurkic, also 19, would give the Magic a big presence, serious strength, and a 7’2″ wingspan: just the type of enforcer that they can use on defense. The very fair knock on him is that he’s something of an unknown. Due to conditioning issues, the Bosnian saw limited minutes last season, averaging 15.4 minutes in Eurocup action and 16.6 minutes per night in the Adriatic league. Even with his question marks, teams have been drooling over Nurkic’s upside as his stock has shot up from a mid-to-late second round prospect to a very real lottery possibility. If the Magic intend to be patient with their timetable, they can afford to take the time to help the center realize his full potential.

Another major area of need for Orlando is outside shooting. The aforementioned Exum would give them a scorer, but not a three-point shooter. At No. 12, the Magic could be in line for Michigan standout Nik Stauskas or sharpshooting Duke small forward Rodney Hood. Stauskas is currently pegged to go No. 13 in DraftExpress’ mock. Hood is slotted at No. 15, but he told me in May that he could go as high as No. 6. That guarantees very little, but the possibility exists that he won’t be an option for Orlando with their second first-rounder.

Of course, with just ~$33.4MM in guaranteed salary for next season, the Magic aren’t just confined to the draft. They can turn to the free agent market to get impact veterans at their need positions and this summer is ripe with quality options. No, LeBron won’t be taking his talents to Epcot, but one has to think that the Magic could come away with a Luol Deng, Kyle Lowry, or Lance Stephenson, even if a recent report indicated that such a move would be a “shock“.

Dwight Howard is long gone and Orlando’s title contention hopes are as well – at least for now. With the right moves and responsible spending, the Magic can position themselves for a small step forward in 2014/15 and a big leap the following year.

Cap footnotes

* — The Magic waived Davis in February despite guaranteed salary remaining on his contract through 2014/15.
** — The Magic waived Harrington in August 2013 despite partially guaranteed salary remaining on his contract through 2014/15.
*** — Nelson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 15th.
**** — Maxiell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 10th.
***** — Price’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 10th.
****** — Lamb’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 1st.
******* — O’Quinn’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s not waived on or before July 15th.
******** — Dedmon’s salary becomes guaranteed for $250,000 if he’s not waived on or before opening night.
********* — The Magic hold the draft rights to Vazquez, who’s yet to sign an NBA contract. He was the 11th overall pick in 2005, and his cap hold is equal to 100% of the rookie scale for the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft. The Magic can erase it from their books and still retain the draft rights to Vazquez if he and the team agree in writing that he won’t sign during the 2014/15 season.
*********** — Moore’s cap hold would be $915,243 if the team declined to tender his qualifying offer.

ShamSports and Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ were used in the creation of this post.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Magic

May 31st, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Cray Allred

The Heat are headed to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, looking to pull off a three-peat. It’s possible that the outcome of the Finals could sway Miami’s big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in their decision to stick together or move on. Here’s a rundown from the Southeast Division:

A league executive expects the Heat to have a definitive plan in place with James, Bosh, and Wade well before their early-termination deadline of June 30, telling Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel that the league isn’t interested in investigating whether teams breach negotiation limits if it helps them retain their own players. “There are plenty of rules,” the long-time executive said, “but the legacy that [David Stern] left, and I believe [commissioner Adam Silver] will adhere, is there are two priorities: making as much money as possible for the league and keeping players with their current teams.”
Word around the Magic is that there are no untouchable players on Orlando’s roster, although Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders hears that GM Rob Hennigan wouldn’t easily part with core players like Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless or Tobias Harris.
In the same piece, Taylor surmises that the Suns and Bulls could make for a draft-night trade partner with the Magic, since both own multiple first round picks and Orlando might be looking to move down if the player they want doesn’t fall to them at No. 4.

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Bucks, Magic

May 30th, 2014 at 8:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Marc Berman of The New York Post notes that Carmelo Anthony has until June 23rd to decide if he will opt out of his contract with the Knicks and become an unrestricted free agent. Most NBA players have until June 30th to decide. It was reported earlier that Anthony is considering opting in and putting off free agency until next summer.

Draft Notes: Vonleh, Stauskas, McDermott, Harris

May 30th, 2014 at 11:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Indiana big man Noah Vonleh looked impressive in a workout this week, and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com adds the Magic to the list of teams auditioning the potential top-five pick (Twitter link). There’s news on a few other projected lottery selections among the latest on the draft:

Nik Stauskas will work out for the Lakers and Celtics, Goodman reports, adding that the same two teams are on Doug McDermott‘s agenda (Twitter links).
Gary Harris will show off for the Suns and Lakers, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Adreian Payne is set to audition for the Celtics, Suns and Jazz, Goodman hears (Twitter link).
The Hawks worked out Nick Johnson on Thursday, notes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Jahii Carson, Justin Cobbs, Cory Jefferson, Artem Klimenko and Akil Mitchell are all performing for the Bucks today, the team announced (on Twitter).
The Suns will audition Lamar Patterson today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Phoenix is also getting a look at De’Mon Brooks, according to agent Keith Kreiter (Twitter link).
The Sixers worked out Patterson, Semaj Christon, Devon Saddler, Casey Prather and Langston Galloway, reports Tyler R. Tynes of the Philadelphia Daily News. The Pacers had a look at Galloway, Jabari Brown, Markel Starks and C.J. Wilcox, as Tynes also writes.
The Celtics and Bulls will audition Kadeem Batts, Sportando’s David Pick tweets.

Draft Links: Hancock, Jazz, Vonleh

May 29th, 2014 at 8:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The 76ers worked out Luke Hancock, who’s also set to audition for the Pistons, Bucks, Jazz and Rockets, agent Pedro Power of You First Sports tells Hoops Rumors.

You can find more of tonight’s draft links worth passing along below:

In addition to Hancock, Utah will bring in Semaj Christon, DeAndre Kane, Travis Wear, and Jamil Wilson for workouts tomorrow, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (via Twitter).
Noah Vonleh has drawn serious praise after his Wednesday workout in New York, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN. Though Vonleh’s shot may have been off, one NBA executive told Ford that Vonleh was impressive in every other category. “Vonleh was good. Didn’t shoot it well but everything else was very good to ridiculously good.” Another executive feels that Vonleh has the requisite athleticism to rival those at the top of his draft class. “(He’s) got elite physical tools and is very skilled. He should be in the same group with Wiggins, Embiid, Parker & Exum” (All Twitter links).
The Raptors reportedly like both Nik Stauskas and Tyler Ennis, but they also know that neither will realistically be available by the time the team selects at No. 20 on draft night. The team could possibly attempt to trade for a higher selection, but Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun says that it’s highly unlikely (Twitter link).
Wolstat adds (via Twitter) that Melvin Ejim has a workout with the Raptors on June 4. Ennis has upcoming workouts with the Kings, Lakers, and Magic.
Ejim will also join Thanasis Antetokounmpo, DeAndre Daniels, and Cleanthony Early in a workout for the Hornets, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Former Iona guard Sean Armand will work out for the Bulls, a source tells SNY.tv’s Adam Zagoria (Twitter link).

Draft Notes: Sanchez, McRea, Williams

May 28th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s the latest information regarding the rapidly approaching NBA Draft:

Javon McRea has scheduled workouts with the Bulls, Sixers, Grizzlies, Raptors, and Magic, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). McRea is projected as a second round pick.
Chaz Williams is scheduled to work out for Celtics on Monday, tweets Josh Newman of SNY.tv.
Jerrelle Benimon will work out on Friday for the Sixers, and has workouts scheduled next week with the Knicks and Bulls, and the following week with the Hawks, Hornets, and Mavericks, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal looks at the draft prospects and workout schedule of former University of Memphis guard Joe Jackson. Smith adds the Knicks, Rockets and Mavs to the list of teams auditioning Jackson. Jackson’s college teammate Tarik Black will work out for the Grizzlies, and Geron Johnson, another ex-Tiger, will show off for the Knicks and Rockets.
Jordan Bachynski tweeted that he worked out for the Bulls today. The 7’2″ center is projected as a possible late second-round pick.
Former Nevada point guard Deonte Burton will work out for the Bucks on Thursday, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
Former St. John’s forward Orlando Sanchez is scheduled to work out with the Sixers on Friday, tweets Zagoria. Sanchez averaged 7.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.4 APG last season.
Daniel Leroux of RealGM breaks down the best and worst fits for each projected lottery pick in this year’s draft.