Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic, Nikola Vucevic Interested In Extension

January 24th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Chuck Myron

Center Nikola Vucevic hasn’t shown the rapid growth this season that he displayed in a breakout campaign last year, but Magic GM Rob Hennigan nonetheless remains high on the 23-year-old, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). Vucevic is similarly enthused about a long-term future in Orlando, Schmitz also notes, and he’ll be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this summer.

“I’d love to be in Orlando for a while,” Vucevic said. “I like the direction of the team. We have a lot of good stuff going forward. I’d love to be a part of it.”

Hennigan is similarly hopeful that he can accommodate the client of BDA Sports Management. Vucevic could sign an extension for up to four years, or five if the Magic are willing to make him their designated player, which would restrict them from handing out another five-year rookie scale extension anytime soon. He could get a starting salary worth as much as 25% of the salary cap, or 30% in the unlikely event he triggers the Derrick Rose Rule provisions. The Magic can sign him to an extension any time between the end of the July Moratorium and October 31st this year. He’d become eligible for restricted free agency if the two sides can’t agree by Halloween.

Vucevic, who’s missed most of this month with a concussion, is averaging 13.0 points and 11.0 rebounds with a 17.8 PER, numbers almost identical to the ones he posted last season. A 6’10” consistent double-double producer is a valuable commodity in the NBA, but it’d be a stretch for him to command the max. He could fit into the $12-13MM range that Al Horford and Joakim Noah make on their deals, though that’s just my speculation.

Southeast Rumors: Beal, Magic, Heat, Wade

January 23rd, 2014 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The max extension John Wall received this summer had an influence on Bradley Beal‘s willingness to stay with the Wizards when he becomes a free agent, as the second-year shooting guard tells USA Today’s Adi Joseph.

“It’s good for the team,” Beal said of Wall’s contract. “He’s the leader. He’s the head of the snake. It just makes my decision that much easier, if I want to continue to play with him over the next couple of years.”

Beal won’t become extension-eligible until the summer of 2015, and the earliest he could hit restricted free agency is the summer of 2016. Still, Wall’s contract appears to have forged some stability for Washington, which has sorely lacked it in recent years, as Joseph notes. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic were one of 26 NBA franchises to turn a profit last year, according to a Forbes.com report, but teams typically dispute those figures. Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that his club didn’t wind up in the black. “We have not made a profit in over a decade,” Martins said. That’s a product primarily of the DeVos’ approach that they’re going to continue to reinvest in the business and continue to reinvest in the product on the floor. But to assert that we made an operating profit last year is completely inaccurate.”
The Heat‘s money-saving moves have weakened the team at the wing positions, making them more vulnerable to the Pacers, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com examines.
Heat stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are two of the most noteworthy omissions from the preliminary roster that Team USA released this morning, and it’s a sign of the times for the 32-year-old Wade, who’ll miss his fourth straight game tonight with knee soreness. Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald has more. “We appreciate the service he gave us … but it’s time for us to move on,” USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo said of Wade.

Draft Notes: Embiid, Parker, Smart

January 21st, 2014 at 5:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Jabari Parker is universally regarded as the top talents in the 2014 draft class, but the Duke star may not enter his name into the mix at all. Executives around the league are reportedly starting to wonder if he might take an extra year with Coach K & Co. while his father says that he has yet to make up his mind. Here’s tonight’s latest draft notes..

The 2015 draft could actually shape up to be better than the highly-anticipated 2014 draft, writes Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insider. With Parker and Kansas center Joel Embiid reportedly on the fence about jumping in this June, they could help bolster a draft that features five big men with All-Star potential in Jahlil Okafor (Duke), Myles Turner (Undecided), Cliff Alexander (Kansas), Trey Lyles (Kentucky) and Karl Towns (Kentucky).
Parker and Embiid appear undecided on entering this year’s draft, but it’s common for players in their position to have some doubts, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes. Kyler figures there’s little chance either will pass up the chance to start drawing NBA paychecks next season.
Today on ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d), five draft experts battled it out over some hot draft topics. The group looks at how Marcus Smart would fit alongside Magic rookie Victor Oladipo, who could fall out of the lottery, whether Andrew Wiggins would make the Cavs playoff contenders, and more.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Dwight Howard Promised Trade To Nets

January 18th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Jonathan Nehring

In a discussion with Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders Dwight Howard revealed the Magic promised he would be traded to the Nets in the summer of 2012. Howard was eventually traded to the Lakers that August.

Howard was “upset for a while” that he was not sent to Brooklyn but didn’t sign with them when he became a free agent this past summer. If Howard had been traded to the Nets, Brooklyn would have held his Bird Rights and been able to offer him a larger and longer contract than any other team this summer. Howard instead chose to sign with the Rockets, where he has averaged 17.9 PPG and 12.5 RPG so far this season. The Nets acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and others in the blockbuster trade of the summer.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Green, Roberson

January 17th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Zachary Links

What will you remember Sam Cassell for? His infectious enthusiasm? His long run as one of the better starting point guards in the league? His two NBA rings? Well, for some, it’s “the Sam Cassell dance” (We’re a family-friendly blog, so if you don’t know what we’re talking about, please look it up on YouTube). Everyone from Kobe Bryant to Andray Blatche has done the boogie, and Jameer Nelson of the Magic was the latest to join in, writes Ken Hornack of FOX Sports. While Jameer tries to shake off that $15K fine, let’s take a look around the Association..

Enjoy the royalty of the Heat while it lasts, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. If Dwayne Wade’s decline doesn’t do them in, the opt-out clauses will, Sorensen opines.
It’s been a bumpy road for NBA veteran Gerald Green, but he’s finally found a home with the Suns, writes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com.
The Thunder announced that Andre Roberson has been assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, in time for their game this evening against the Bakersfield Jam. To keep up with all of this seaosn’s D-League moves, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
The National Basketball Players Association could name an executive director during All-Star weekend, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. It is also possible a short list of candidates is presented to players for discussion and consideration, and a vote would come at a later time.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Afflalo, Oden, Bennett

January 15th, 2014 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Detroit’s “Big Three” of Greg Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond haven’t been as successful as Joe Dumars anticipated writes Zach Lowe of Grantland. His offseason signing of Smith to a four-year, $54MM contract has resulted in a 16-22 record and has them currently sitting as the seventh seed in the weak Eastern Conference, just a half a game up on the Nets in the playoff race. This underachieving calls into question Monroe’s future with the team, with his contract set to expire after the season. The other alternative according to Lowe, is to try and find a taker for Smith, no easy feat considering the size of his deal. Smith said “It’s easy to use me as a scapegoat“, when speaking to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt opines that improved shot selection from Smith would go a long way toward improving the team.

Some other notes from around the Eastern Conference:

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel explores the idea of the Magic possibly trading Arron Afflalo. He says the main difficulty in making a trade is that teams want to get him for pennies on the dollar, and aren’t willing to sacrifice young players or draft picks, which would be the primary goal if a trade was made.
Greg Oden made his return to the hardwood this evening for the Heat, his first action since 2009, writes Joseph White of the Associated Press. His performance going forward will have a direct bearing on the possibility of the Heat signing Andrew Bynum.
The Cavaliers’ struggling number one overall pick, Anthony Bennett, stated he would be open to playing in the D-League, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. Bennett is averaging 2.4 PPG in just 10.4 MPG. His playing time doesn’t look likely to increase any time soon with the recent acquisition of Luol Deng. A stint in the D-League, and the chance to log some heavy minutes to get himself going might be just what Bennett needs. Despite Bennett’s willingness to take a trip to the D-League, and the Cavs having had discussions about the move, the team doesn’t have any immediate plans to send him, writes Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
The Cavaliers have assigned guard/forward Carrick Felix to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, according to a press release. Felix played in six games for the Cavs this season, and averaged 1.5 PPG. In a previous three game stint with the Charge, he averaged 9.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG.

Ford’s Latest: Embiid, Wiggins, Jazz

January 15th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chad Ford has made the season’s first change to the top spot of the Insider-only Big Board for ESPN.com, bumping Andrew Wiggins from the No. 1 one spot in favor of Kansas teammate Joel Embiid. Wiggins doesn’t fall far, landing at No. 2, right in front of Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Dante Exum. Ford joined readers to chat about the new projected No. 1 overall pick and other draft topics, and we’ll run down the highlights:

Wiggins hasn’t demonstrated that he’s a franchise player capable of immediately turning around a moribund team, and neither has anyone else in this year’s draft class, Ford observes.
Parker is a “lock” to go to the Jazz if they wind up picking first, Ford writes. The Celtics also prefer him to Embiid, but they’re more open to changing their minds. The Magic and Sixers still prefer Wiggins, but they, too, seem flexible enough to switch to Embiid over time.
Most people around the league think the Celtics would like to end up with a top three pick in this year’s draft, but Ford isn’t so sure, noting that GM Danny Ainge isn’t as high on this year’s prospects as other teams are.
The Kings would probably choose between Parker and Embiid with the No. 1 pick, though their urgency to win soon could turn them off from Embiid, according to Ford, who adds that Sacramento also regards Exum highly.
There’s a significant drop-off in talent after the top five prospects, and another after the top 10, according to Ford, who says the middle of the first round isn’t as deep as in years past.

Stein On Raptors, Lowry, Chandler, Afflalo

January 11th, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

For the first time, there’s real talk from Toronto that the Raptors might keep point guard Kyle Lowry for the rest of the season, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Word is that GM Masai Ujiri won’t commit to any firm position and is open to moving Lowry if the offers suddenly get sweeter. However, team officials appear to prefer the idea of going for what would be just Toronto’s third playoff berth in 13 seasons rather than attempt a colossal tank and go from .500 to Andrew Wiggins territory. Here’s more from Stein’s latest offering..

The Knicks were linked heavily to Lowry just a few weeks ago but they’re now said to want to work their way into the bidding for Nuggets guard Andre Miller. Unfortunately for them, they have the same problem in chasing Miller that they did with Lowry: a lack of assets to offer.
The Knicks are still getting calls for center Tyson Chandler but sources close to the situation tell Stein that they’re brushing each one of them off. At this stage, New York has no interest in parting with its defensive anchor, which makes sense if the Knicks are set on re-signing Carmelo Anthony this summer.
The Magic, meanwhile, continue to stiff-arm teams registering interest in shooting guard Arron Afflalo. The difference there, though, is that some rival clubs aren’t convinced that the Magic’s stance is as absolute as the Knicks’ stance is with Chandler. The lure of the 2014 draft is strong, but it’s not out of the question that someone could offer up a first-round pick for Afflalo. In that event, Orlando would have to give serious thought to pulling the trigger.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Lowry, Brown, Rodriguez

January 9th, 2014 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford spoke to multiple sources from the NBA’s current lottery teams to attempt to determine which player those clubs would select first overall in the 2014 draft, if given the opportunity. Detailing the results in an Insider-only piece, Ford reveals that the majority of the 13 clubs (Denver currently has two lottery picks) would likely take Jabari Parker. The Nuggets, Sixers, and Magic would probably lean toward Andrew Wiggins, while the Cavs and Lakers may prefer Joel Embiid, in Ford’s view.

Here’s more from around the NBA on a Thursday afternoon:

Kyle Lowry certainly doesn’t look like the trade candidate he did a month ago, with Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star suggesting that Raptors management has confidence that the point guard will be willing to re-sign in Toronto this summer. Toronto may reconsider its options if it starts losing, but a Raps source tells Kelly that the club isn’t expecting to backslide.
The 76ers re-assigned Lorenzo Brown to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Brown was recalled from the Delaware 87ers on Monday and saw some playing time in Philadelphia’s last two games, recording seven points and seven rebounds in 27 total minutes of action. Sixers coach Brett Brown expects the 23-year-old to be brought back to the NBA tomorrow after playing with the 87ers today, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Spanish team Real Madrid announced today that the club has extended the contract of Sergio Rodriguez through 2018 (Twitter link). Rodriguez was selected 27th overall in 2006, but returned to Spain when his rookie contract expired, and it appears he’ll remain there for the foreseeable future.
Jazz guard Diante Garrett was nervous about Tuesday’s contract guarantee date, but tried not to think about it and ultimately survived the cut, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details.

Magic Rumors: Vaughn, Trades, Free Agency

January 9th, 2014 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

With no championship aspirations this season, the Magic must evaluate Jacque Vaughn‘s performance as head coach on intangible factors, such as leadership, communication, and how he has helped develop young players, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. And by those standards, the team is very happy with his work, and plans to keep him as its coach for the foreseeable future, according to general manager Rob Hennigan.

“We’re very proud of the job that Jacque has done,” Hennigan said. “His leadership has set the foundation. He understands the process. He isn’t in a rush to skip steps. He’s a great teacher. He’s done a noteworthy job of being unselfish, realizing we’re building for the long haul…. He knew what he was signing up for as I knew what I was signing up for. We believe in the foundation we’re establishing.”

Here are a few more items of interest from Schmitz’s conversation with the Magic’s GM:

None of the Magic’s veteran players have asked to be traded, says Hennigan.
Orlando intends to explore its options as February’s trade deadline approaches, but the front office is “not looking to shake up the team.”
Hennigan, on whether the Magic intend to wade into the free agent pool in 2014 after not making a splash in 2013: “We haven’t even looked at the water in the pool, haven’t even put in the chemicals yet. We’re ready if an opportunity presents itself.”
Asked whether the best way to continue improving the Magic is through free agency, the draft, or trades, Hennigan suggested there’s no exact blueprint or perfect model the club will follow.