Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic Notes: Banchero, Pro-Am, Harris, Fultz

July 31st, 2022 at 10:35am CST by Arthur Hill

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero entertained his hometown fans Saturday with a 50-point performance at the CrawsOver Pro-Am in Seattle (video link from NBA.com). The overall No. 1 pick teamed up with No. 2 selection Chet Holmgren, who had 34 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in the exhibition.

Banchero has a long relationship with the event’s organizer, former NBA player Jamal Crawford. In a recent appearance with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on their “All The Smoke” podcast, Banchero talked about valuable advice that he received from Crawford (hat tip to Cody Taylor of USA Today’s Rookie Wire).

“Since my freshman year of high school, he has kind of took me under his wing and started taking me to the gym and letting me play in the pro-am, all of the pick-up games and stuff from when I was 15,” Banchero said. “At that time, (the NBA) seemed so far but he was like, ‘High school is going to fly by. It’s closer than you think. You just gotta start getting prepared for it now even though it may seem like it’s far away. You gotta lock in now.’ That put things into perspective and kinda made me take it even that more serious. I was always in the gym working and trying to chase my dream but that’s when I started taking really taking care of my body and doing the right things because he was talking to me about it all of the time.”

There’s more from Orlando:

An aiding and abetting charge against Banchero related to a Duke teammate’s drunk driving arrest last year has been dropped, according to Steve Wiseman of The Raleigh News & Observer. Police said Banchero was riding in the back seat and was charged because the vehicle was registered to him.
Kevon Harris, who signed a two-way contract with the Magic this week, is thrilled to finally get his shot at the NBA, per Dan Savage of NBA.com. Harris, who went undrafted out of Stephen F. Austin in 2020, played in the G League and spent some time in Croatia over the past two years. The 25-year-old guard is coming off a strong Summer League showing with Minnesota, averaging 15.8 points per game in Las Vegas. “I was able to show that I can do more than just score the basketball,” Harris said. “I feel like that was a stigma on me. I’m able to guard and be very versatile on and off ball. I feel like I was able to show my skillset and everything and show that I belong in the NBA.”
Markelle Fultz, who returned from an ACL tear in late February, can be a positive influence on the rest of Orlando’s young roster, writes Jackson Frank of Uproxx.

Magic To Sign Zavier Simpson To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 29th, 2022 at 5:27pm CST by Rory Maher

5:27pm: Simpson will indeed be signing an Exhibit 10 deal, tweets Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel.

5:08pm: The Magic are signing free agent Zavier Simpson, his agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

While the terms of Simpson’s deal were not disclosed, it’s probably going to be a non-guaranteed contract, possibly an Exhibit 10 deal. As shown by our roster count page, Orlando already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled, and once the contracts for Simpson and Drake Jeffries (Exhibit 10) become official, the Magic will have a 20-man roster, which is the maximum an NBA team can carry during the offseason.

Simpson, 25, went undrafted out of Michigan in 2020 and spent his first two pro seasons with the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. In 35 regular season games (32.4 MPG) with the Blue in 2022, the 6’0″ point guard averaged 14.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.8 SPG on .488/.350/.692 shooting.

The Thunder signed Simpson to a 10-day hardship contract to finish out last season as the team dealt with several injuries. In his first taste of NBA action, he averaged 11 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .365/.125/1.000 shooting in four games.

Simpson most recently suited up for the Magic during Summer League in Las Vegas, appearing in five games (three starts, 22.6 MPG) while averaging 8.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .357/.286/.600 shooting, per RealGM.

Given the Magic’s lack of open regular season roster spots, the most likely outcome for Simpson is that he’s waived before the regular season begins and subsequently joins Orlando’s G League team in Lakeland as an affiliate player. In that scenario, he’d receive a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Lakeland.

Southeast Notes: Ross, Wizards, Heat

July 28th, 2022 at 4:06pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran swingman Terrence Ross is excited about the Magic‘s talented young core, but his own future with the team remains uncertain, writes Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link).

“I feel like everything we didn’t have a season or two ago, we have,” Ross said on The T. Ross Podcast. “Everything in bulk. I’m literally shooting in the middle of my workout, not even talking to the coaches or anything, and just in my head thinking. And halfway through, I’m like, ‘We could [expletive] go to the playoffs.’

“We have a lot to play for this year. That kind of got me hype. And then to see all the youth we have and they’re ready to go out the gate. It’s going to make me optimistic about what we can achieve this season and moving forward. Granted, I’m still with the team.”

Ross said back in April that he’d welcome a trade out of Orlando, but he’s obviously still on the roster — at least for now. Part of the reason the Magic might not have been able to move Ross to this point is he had a down season in 2021/22, appearing in 63 games (23 MPG) while averaging 10 PPG and 2.6 RPG on .397/.292/.862 shooting.

Still, he’s an athletic scorer with a 36.1% career mark from three-point range, so the Magic might find a taker at some point, depending on their asking price. Orlando was reportedly looking for a first-round pick for Ross prior to the February trade deadline, but I’m pretty skeptical they’d get that much value for him right now.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Chase Hughes and Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Wizards‘ roster. According to Hughes and Todd, the Wizards have capable scorers at every spot in the projected starting lineup of Monte Morris, Bradley Beal, Will Barton, Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis. The center position, with a depth chart of Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, Taj Gibson and Vernon Carey Jr., looks like one of the strong points of the roster, Hughes and Todd note. Weaknesses include defensive question marks throughout the roster, whether Beal and Porzingis can stay healthy, and whether former first-round picks like Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert will develop their games, per Hughes and Todd.
In his latest mailbag article, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald covers a couple of Heat-related topics, writing not to expect a rookie scale extension for Tyler Herro anytime soon. If the Heat do offer Herro an extension, Chiang doesn’t believe it will be for a maximum salary, and it could come right before the deadline in October. Chiang also expects Miami to keep its options open and maintain flexibility to pursue stars, so dealing for a starting-caliber power forward likely won’t be a priority unless the player is part of a larger trade package.

Drake Jeffries To Join Magic On Exhibit 10 Deal

July 26th, 2022 at 4:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie free agent guard Drake Jeffries has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Magic, according to Richard Stayman of MavsDraft.com (Twitter link).

The 6’5” Jeffries averaged 10.3 PPG, with a 40.9% success rate in 3-point attempts, and 5.4 RPG for Wyoming in his senior season. Jeffries spent two seasons with the Cowboys. After going undrafted, Jeffries appeared in one game for the Nuggets‘ Summer League team.

The addition of Jeffries will give Orlando 19 players under contract heading into training camp. That total includes 15 on standard guaranteed contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

Given the Magic’s lack of open regular season roster spots, the most likely outcome for Jeffries is that he’s waived before the regular season begins and subsequently joins Orlando’s G League team in Lakeland as an affiliate player. In that scenario, he’d receive a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Lakeland.

Magic Don't Expect Banchero To Lead Right Away: Wagner Brothers To Play For Germany

July 26th, 2022 at 12:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paolo Banchero may be a big part of the foundation in Orlando after being taken with the No. 1 pick, but the Magic don’t expect him to assume a leadership role right away, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. Coach Jamahl Mosley hopes to emulate the Warriors, who give every player a role in building the culture. “You look at how Draymond [Green] is so vocal, but everybody knows how he ties and glues that team together,” Mosley said. “Steph [Curry] doesn’t have to say much, but when he does, it speaks volumes. We want to build our guys in that regard where there’s such a chemistry, and then as guys rise and they get their voice and they get that feel of leadership, they start to stand up. “
The Magic‘s Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are on Germany’s roster for FIBA EuroBasket 2022, which will take place in September, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel. The Wagner brothers may also participate in World Cup qualifying games in late August.

Magic Sign Kevon Harris To Two-Way Contract

July 25th, 2022 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

1:26pm: Harris’ two-way contract with the Magic is now official, the team confirmed in a press release.

10:15am: The Magic have reached an agreement with free agent guard Kevon Harris and will sign him to a two-way contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Harris, 25, went undrafted out of Stephen F. Austin in 2020 and has spent some time in the G League and overseas since then, playing for the Raptors 905 in the NBAGL and KK Zadar in Croatia.

Harris emerged as a full-time starter for Toronto’s G League affiliate in 2021/22, averaging 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .473/.343/.740 shooting in 24 regular season appearances (30.2 MPG). He played for the Timberwolves’ Summer League team in Las Vegas earlier this month and made a strong impression, putting up 15.8 PPG on .577/.458/.727 shooting in five games (27.1 MPG).

Once they officially complete Harris’ deal, the Magic will have filled both of their two-way contract slots. The team re-signed Admiral Schofield to a two-way contract last week.

Orlando will have 18 players under contract after signing Harris — 15 on guaranteed standard contracts, one (Devin Cannady) on a non-guaranteed deal, and Schofield and Harris on two-way pacts.

Terrence Ross Optimistic About Magic's Roster, Future

July 24th, 2022 at 8:13pm CST by JD Shaw

Magic guard Terrence Ross is enthusiastic about the team’s roster entering next season, as relayed by Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel (video link). While Ross doesn’t know what his future holds with the franchise, it’s clear he thinks highly of Orlando’s young nucleus, which includes No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero.

Magic Re-Sign Admiral Schofield To Two-Way Deal

July 22nd, 2022 at 8:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic have re-signed Admiral Schofield to a two-way contract, the team announced (via Twitter).

Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel was the first to report that Schofield was sticking with the Magic (Twitter link). The 25-year-old forward was issued a one-year, two-way qualifying offer in June to make him a restricted free agent, so he likely just accepted that QO.

The 42nd pick of the 2019 draft, Schofield spent his rookie season with the Wizards, appearing in 33 games (11.2 MPG) with modest averages of 3.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG. He was traded to the Thunder in the 2020 offseason and subsequently waived.

Schofield signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Magic last year, was waived before the season started, and spent the first few months of 2021/22 with Orlando’s affiliate in Lakeland before signing a couple of 10-day hardship deals during the winter COVID-19 outbreak.

He performed well enough to be promoted to a two-way contract in January, which he remained on until the end of the season. In 38 games (12.3 MPG) with the Magic last season, he averaged 3.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG on .419/.329/.800 shooting.

The Magic now have one of their two-way slots filled, but the second remains open.

Thunder, Rockets Among Teams Facing Roster Crunch

July 20th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re approximately three months away from the deadline for NBA teams to finalize their rosters for the 2022/23 regular season, so there’s no urgency for those clubs to get their 15-man squads in order anytime soon.

Still, there are already a small handful of teams that are carrying more than 15 players on guaranteed contracts for ’22/23. Sooner or later, those teams will have to trade or release one or more of those players in order to get down to the regular season limit.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s an early look at the teams that will have some decisions to make:

Teams with more than 15 guaranteed contracts:

Oklahoma City Thunder

17 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

The Thunder will technically dip to 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts once JaMychal Green‘s reported buyout is completed, but that number will climb back to 17 once Mike Muscala officially re-signs with the team.

There are a number of directions Oklahoma City could go with its final roster spots, but at least three players (besides Green) will have to be traded or released. The best candidates appear to be Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Darius Bazley, and Vit Krejci (who has the lone partially guaranteed contract).

None of those five players is owed guaranteed money beyond this season — Favors, Jerome, and Bazley are on expiring contracts, while Maledon and Krejci have non-guaranteed salaries beyond 2022/23.

By reaching a buyout agreement with Green, the Thunder signaled they’re not necessarily prioritizing keeping bigger expiring deals around for potential trades later in the offseason or during the season, so Favors ($10.2MM), Bazley ($4.3MM), and Jerome ($4.2MM) certainly aren’t locks to make it to opening night.

Houston Rockets

18 guaranteed contracts

The Rockets’ roster surplus is largely a result of the four-for-one trade they made with Dallas for Christian Wood. Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and Boban Marjanovic came to Houston in that deal, but reports have suggested that at least two or three of those players probably won’t be on the team’s opening night roster.

Marjanovic is said to be the most likely of the four to remain in Houston. Trading or waiving the other three would get the Rockets down to the 15-man regular season limit.

The club could also explore other moves to pare down its roster count. Eric Gordon and Kenyon Martin Jr. are among the players who have frequently been mentioned as potential trade candidates.

Teams with more than 15 players on standard contracts:

Note: Exhibit 10 deals aren’t considered standard contracts for the purpose of this section.

Memphis Grizzlies

15 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

Danny Green looks like the probable odd man out in Memphis. His $10MM salary is only partially guaranteed (for $6.96MM) and he’ll likely miss most or all of the 2022/23 season while he recovers from a torn ACL.

Still, I wouldn’t consider that a lock quite yet. Green could be a valuable piece in the postseason if he has recovered by then — and if his recovery does take longer than he anticipates, his $10MM expiring contract could still be a useful asset at the 2023 deadline. Perhaps the Grizzlies will find a small deal involving a player like Santi Aldama, Killian Tillie, or Xavier Tillman before the season begins in order to make room on the 15-man squad for Green.

Toronto Raptors

12 guaranteed contracts
4 partially guaranteed contracts
1 unsigned second-round pick

While second-round picks are often signed to two-way contracts or stashed overseas, that rarely happens for a player selected as high as Christian Koloko was (No. 33). Those players usually receive at least a couple guaranteed seasons, and I’d expect the Raptors to take that route with Koloko.

If they do, that would leave four players on partially guaranteed contracts – Justin Champagnie, Dalano Banton, Armoni Brooks, and D.J. Wilson – vying for the final two roster spots. If the Raptors want to keep more than one of those players, or if they’d like to promote two-way RFA David Johnson to the 15-man roster, Svi Mykhailiuk could be a release candidate, despite having a guaranteed minimum salary.

Philadelphia 76ers

12 guaranteed contracts (once James Harden re-signs)
2 partially guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts

The Sixers don’t have a major crunch, but after Harden re-signs, there will only be three roster spots available for four players without full guarantees.

One of those players is Trevelin Queen, who has a $330K partial guarantee and was just signed this offseason. Those factors will likely give him a leg up on a 15-man roster spot. Charles Bassey also has a small partial guarantee (about $75K), while Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed are on non-guaranteed contracts.

In order to keep all four players, the Sixers would have to make a trade or a cut to reduce their roster count. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Shake Milton are among the players who have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers

13 guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts
1 RFA

At this point in the offseason, restricted free agent guard Collin Sexton looks like a solid bet to end up back in Cleveland. If he returns to the Cavaliers, they’ll have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens on non-guaranteed deals.

If the Cavs want to keep both Wade and Stevens, Dylan Windler could be the odd man out. He’s on an expiring contract and has struggled to find a place in the rotation while battling injuries in his first three NBA seasons.

Detroit Pistons

15 guaranteed contracts
1 signing to come

The Pistons have yet to formally sign Kevin Knox — they’re likely waiting to determine if and how they’ll use their cap room, since Knox’s reported two-year, $6MM deal could fit into their room exception if it has to.

Knox would be Detroit’s 16th player on a guaranteed contract, but the fix looks pretty simple. Kemba Walker‘s reported buyout agreement with the Pistons isn’t yet official. Once Walker is bought out and Knox signs, the team will be back at 15 guaranteed contracts.

Orlando Magic

15 guaranteed contracts
1 non-guaranteed contract

Barring a surprise, Devin Cannady – the only player without a guaranteed contract – will likely be the casualty of Orlando’s roster crunch.

Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Playoffs

July 19th, 2022 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The play-in tournament, which has been adopted as an every-season fixture, means that only 10 of 30 NBA teams won’t get at least a taste of the postseason from year to year.

Last season, the Knicks, Wizards, Pacers, Pistons and Magic were the five Eastern Conference teams who failed to qualify.

All of those teams, via some combination of the draft, free agency and trades, have made numerous roster moves this summer in an effort to improve their stock.

Let’s take a quick look at each of those clubs’ major moves, focusing on acquisitions beyond re-signing their own free agents:

Knicks – They made a big splash by dumping salary in order to sign one of the top free agents on the board, Mavs guard Jalen Brunson. They also upgraded their frontcourt by nabbing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Of course, they are considered the favorites to acquire Donovan Mitchell if Utah deals the All-Star guard.
Wizards – They were intent on upgrading their point guard position and did so by trading for Monte Morris from Denver and signing free agent Delon Wright. Small forward Will Barton was also acquired from the Nuggets. They also added high-scoring guard Johnny Davis with their lottery pick.
Pacers – The went all-out to sign All-Star caliber center Deandre Ayton and came up short, as the Suns matched their offer sheet. They did add a very promising wing, Bennedict Mathurin, in the lottery. They also added guard Andrew Nembhard with the first pick of the second round. Guard Aaron Nesmith and center Daniel Theis were acquired in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston.
Pistons – Thanks to a draft-night swap, Detroit ended up with two lottery selections. The Pistons selected point guard Jaden Ivey with their own pick to pair up in the backcourt with last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Cade Cunningham. A three-way trade gave them the rights to center Jalen Duren. They also added guard Alec Burks and big man Nerlens Noel via the Knicks’ salary-dumping maneuvers.
Magic – Other then re-signing Mohamed Bamba and Gary Harris, the Magic have been relatively quiet on the free agent market. However, they had the No. 1 overall selection in a loaded lottery and used it on Duke forward Paolo Banchero, giving them a dynamic forward combo alongside last year’s lottery pick, Franz Wagner.

That brings us to our question of the day: Which Eastern Conference team that failed to reach the postseason this spring – Knicks, Wizards, Pacers, Pistons, Magic – has the best chance to qualify for next year’s playoffs?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.