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Mario Hezonja

Magic Notes: Dragic, Crabbe, Vucevic, Harkless

January 13th, 2017 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Orlando is among several teams that have contacted the Heat about Goran Dragic, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The Magic are looking to solidify their point guard position, which belonged to Elfrid Payton when the season began, but was taken over by D.J. Augustin in late November. Dragic still has three years and more than $54MM left on his current contract. He is averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists in 32 games this season, but has missed time recently with back problems.

There’s more news today out of Orlando:

  • After losing six of their last seven and dropping to 16-24, the Magic need to act quickly to save their season, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Offense has been a problem for Orlando all year, and Schmitz says the team needs to find a scorer who can create his own shot. He suggests Allen Crabbe of the Trail Blazers as a realistic target and suggests offering, possibly with shot-blocking center Bismack Biyombo going to Portland in return.
  • Nikola Vucevic will be back in the starting lineup tonight, with Biyombo coming off the bench, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Vucevic was demoted along with Payton in the November shakeup. Coach Frank Vogel plans to utilize more “small-ball” lineups with Jeff Green moving to power forward and Mario Hezonja back in the rotation as a backup small forward.
  • The Magic made a huge error when they gave up on Maurice Harkless two years ago, Robbins argues in a separate piece. After three disappointing seasons in Orlando, Harkless was traded to Portland in the summer of 2015 in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2020. He was a regular starter for the Blazers during last year’s playoffs and has started all 40 games in which he has appeared this season. “It was a tough situation: a lot of guys trying to figure it out, including the staff and the front office,” Harkless said of his time in Orlando. “It was a unique situation. It was tough. Obviously, it wasn’t going to work out for everybody. I think a change of scenery is what I needed.”
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Southeast Notes: Reed, Zeller, Magic

January 2nd, 2017 at 8:31pm CST by Austin Kent

Heat big man Willie Reed has seen his role increase with Hassan Whiteside out nursing an eye injury and the sophomore’s yeoman-like play could very well earn him a spot in the team’s long term plans. This summer, with the salary cap slated to rise dramatically, Reed could opt out of his player option for $1.6M and look to cash in.

Such a decision, coupled with Josh McRoberts‘ player option for $6M and Dion Waiters‘ for $3M, could factor heavily into how the Heat approach the offseason. As Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes, clearing cap space is a top priority for the club given the Chris Bosh situation, and the time is fast approaching that Pat Riley and company “accept the reality that the long view might be the only remaining perspective for this season.”

In 11.9 minutes per game for the Heat, Reed has averaged 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, figures that translate to 12.2 and 12.5 per 36, respectively.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Injury woes continue for the Hornets who most recently saw Cody Zeller go down Monday versus the Bulls. As Rick Bonnell writes for the Charlotte Observer, the team has placed the center in the NBA’s concussion protocol, with no timetable for a possible return.
  • Head coach Erik Spoelstra signed a contract extension to remain with the Heat last week and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders has written about just how important continuity can be in NBA clubhouses. Spoelstra is already the second-longest tenured coach in the league behind only Gregg Popovich.
  • The Magic were reminded of what they could have had with the No. 5 pick in the 2015 draft on Sunday. Pacers big man Myles Turner dropped 23 points and 12 rebound on his former coach Frank Vogel, while Mario Hezonja – the player Orlando did select – failed to crack double-digits in minutes for the 13th time in 14 games since November 9.
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Magic Open To Moving Mario Hezonja?

December 9th, 2016 at 3:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Magic reportedly will look to the trade market in order to add some offense and Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes that evidence is starting to suggest that Orlando may be willing to move Mario Hezonja in the right deal.

Coach Frank Vogel said the team is considering a D-League assignment for Hezonja, as Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel relays (Twitter link). The small forward has only seen action in six of the team’s last 15 games.

In the limited minutes during his sophomore season, Hezonja has struggled to produce. He’s only scoring 12.2 points per 36 minutes and he’s shooting 30.6% from the field, a figure which includes a wintry 17.2% from behind the arc. His player efficiency rating is an abysmal 2.3.

The Magic want to win this season and Hezonja isn’t helping them right now. However, he’s still only 21 years old and rival teams may view GM Rob Hennigan’s hot seat as an opportunity to buy-low on a former top-5 pick. Trading Hezonja may be Orlando’s best option if it wants to bring back someone who can move the needle for this team.

Should the Magic deal Hezonja? If so, what should they look to get in return? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Magic Exercise 2017/18 Options On Gordon, Hezonja, Payton

October 25th, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have exercised three of their four available team options for 2017/18, announcing today (via Twitter) that Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, and Elfrid Payton are now locked in for that season. Gordon’s fourth-year option is worth $5.504MM, Hezonja’s third-year option is worth $4.078MM, and Payton’s fourth-year option is worth $3.332MM.

[RELATED: Full breakdown of decisions on 2017/18 team options]

C.J. Wilcox also has a team option for 2017/18 available on his rookie contract, but he wasn’t mentioned in the press release issued today by Orlando. That likely means that Wilcox’s option will be declined, but the club has a few more days to officially make that call. October 31 is the deadline for teams to exercise ’17/18 options on rookie contracts.

Gordon and Payton are expected to have significant roles in the Magic’s rotation this year after each player took a step forward in 2015/16. Gordon, averaging 23.9 minutes per contest, posted 9.2 PPG and 6.5 RPG, while Payton put up 10.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, and 3.6 RPG in 29.4 minutes per contest. As for Hezonja, he should have the opportunity to increase his role as well, since Orlando isn’t exactly loaded with shooters. In his rookie season, he shot 34.9% from three-point range in 79 games.

With their fourth-year options now exercised, Gordon and Payton will be eligible for extensions in 2017 and restricted free agency in 2018. Hezonja, one year behind them, has one more team option for 2018/19, which the Magic will have to make a decision on next fall.

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And-Ones: McCants, Llull, D-League, Trades

October 6th, 2016 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Former UNC standout and 2005 lottery pick Rashad McCants hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2009, but he has played in Puerto Rico, China, Brazil, Lebanon, the Philippines, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic since then. Could his next stop be back in America? According to Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor (Twitter link), McCants may sign with the D-League in the hopes of making his way back onto an NBA roster.

While we wait to see what McCants’ future holds, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the league…

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Mario Hezonja Changes Agents

September 12th, 2016 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Mario Hezonja has made a change to his representation, according to a report from SportsBusiness Journal. Having previously been represented by Wasserman, Hezonja has hired Creative Artists Agency to represent him going forward, per SBJ.

The fifth overall pick in 2015, Hezonja had a somewhat underwhelming rookie season, averaging just 6.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 79 contests for the Magic. However, he’s also only 21 years old, and will be given plenty of time to develop in Orlando.

The Magic will have to make a decision on Hezonja’s 2017/18 team option by October 31, and it’s virtually a lock that the club will exercise that $4.078MM option. Assuming Orlando also picks up the Croatian’s fourth-year option next year, Hezonja will become eligible for an extension for the first time in the summer of 2018. So barring a disappointing 2016/17 performance, or a surprising decision by the Magic, CAA likely won’t be negotiating a new contract for its new client for at least a couple more years.

Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer recently examined how the Magic might use Hezonja in his sophomore season, and how much patience the team will have with him, noting that some of Orlando’s recent veteran additions could eat into Hezonja’s minutes.

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Eastern Notes: Landry, Pleiss, Bucks, Hezonja

September 1st, 2016 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday, the Sixers announced they’d waived two big men, in veteran forward Carl Landry and center Tibor Pleiss. The timing of the moves was interesting, since August 31 represented the deadline for teams to waive players and stretch their 2016/17 cap hits across the next three years.

According to Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com (Twitter links), however, the Sixers won’t stretch the cap hits for Landry and Preiss, which makes sense, considering how far below the salary floor Philadelphia already is this year — carrying $9.5MM in dead money for the two bigs won’t have a major impact on the team’s spending flexibility.

Here’s more on the Sixers’ Wednesday transactions, along with a few more Eastern Conference items:

  • According to Bodner (via Twitter), Landry, who is entering a contract year, wanted an opportunity to play a decent amount of minutes in 2016/17. The Sixers had a crowded frontcourt and didn’t view Landry as a long-term piece, so the team was willing to cut him to allow him to seek that opportunity elsewhere.
  • In his recap of the Bucks‘ offseason, Bobby Marks of The Vertical gives the front office credit for “thinking outside of the box” when it comes to the Thon Maker draft pick, and suggests that Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic are “blue-collar” additions.
  • Fifth overall pick Mario Hezonja had an underwhelming rookie season in Orlando, prompting Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer to examine how the Magic might use him this year, and how much patience they’ll have with him.
  • Discussing Tyler Johnson, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the young guard’s “incredible work ethic,” adding that Johnson “makes you re-sign him,” as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel details. Johnson technically signed a four-year, $50MM offer sheet with the Nets this summer, which Miami matched.
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Southeast Notes: Jennings, Hezonja, Teague

February 16th, 2016 at 9:38pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks should think twice before agreeing to a deal that would bring Dwight Howard to Atlanta, Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The Hawks would almost certainly take a step back this season as a result of the trade, with Howard being a difficult player to integrate into the offense at such a late stage in the season, Bradley opines. The scribe also cites Howard’s limitations as a passer and his declining physical skills as reasons the Hawks should take a pass, not to mention the big man’s ability to opt out of his deal this summer and become an unrestricted free agent. Howard is reportedly interested in joining the Hawks, but Atlanta has also spoken with the Hornets regarding the 30-year-old center.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Magic don’t intend to trade any other members of their nucleus prior to the trade deadline unless they are absolutely blown away by an offer, GM Rob Hennigan told Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando dealt away combo forward Tobias Harris to the Pistons earlier today in exchange for point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Ersan Ilyasova.
  • Jennings had hoped to be traded to the Knicks rather than the Magic, sources close to the point guard tell Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net. New York was eyeing the veteran point guard as it looks to upgrade its point guard spot, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
  • Magic rookie swingman Mario Hezonja has parted ways with the Wasserman Media Group, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). Hezonja is in the first year of his rookie scale deal, so any move is likely endorsement related, though that is merely my speculation.
  • The Jazz have inquired about Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, Spencer Checketts of 97.5 The Zone relays (on Twitter). The talks were stalled when Atlanta requested Rodney Hood and a draft pick in return, Checketts adds.
  • The Hornets traded P.J. Hairston to the Grizzlies because they had grown tired of dealing with his antics, a league source tells Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Heat were able to create a trade exception worth $2,145,060 as a result of the three-team swap with Memphis and Charlotte earlier today, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (via Twitter).
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Eastern Notes: Mickey, Dudley, Hezonja

January 30th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is enamored with the potential of power forward Jordan Mickey, who was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. “I think really highly of Jordan,” Stevens said. “I was disappointed that he came down with the ankle sprain because I think he’s got a lot of good things going for him and has been really consistent up [in Maine] every single night. I think the biggest thing about Jordan that you’ll all see more of down the road is he is a consistent personality. He works the same way and he doesn’t change his demeanor. He’s going to play the same way in Sioux Falls in a D-League as he will when he gets his opportunity in the NBA.”

The 21-year-old has only played a total of six minutes for the Celtics this season, but is averaging 17.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in 21 appearances for the Maine Red Claws in the NBA D-League. The rookie isn’t upset about his lack of NBA minutes and embraces the opportunity the D-League provides, Forsberg adds. “Coming in, I figured I wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time, and I was going to have to go into the D-League and work anyways,” said Mickey. “Hard work is nothing new to me. I’ll go work to get better, listen to what the coaches tell me [in Boston], and implement it [in Maine].”

Here’s what else is happening in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Wizards are a team struggling to find their identity on a nightly basis, a trend that is wearing on swingman Jared Dudley, who believes Washington needs to take a more modern approach to its offense, Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. “I keep hearing, what’s our identity, what’s our identity,” forward Jared Dudley said.”Basically our identity for us on this team is to space the floor, put pressure on the defense. We’re a 3-point shooting team that can go in to Nene. We have to be aggressive defensively. Those are our strengths.”
  • Magic coach Scott Skiles envisions rookie Mario Hezonja evolving into a force on both ends of the court, which is a major reason the swingman’s minutes have been limited thus far, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Skiles wants Hezonja to build a solid base on the defensive end of the floor, and believes that holding the rookie accountable, even if it means him sitting on the bench as a result, is the best way to instill this mindset, Robbins adds. “We picked him with the goal of him being a two-way player,” Skiles said. “The reality is there aren’t that many of those in the NBA. Teams can be a good defensive team without having great defensive players if they have a good defensive system and the players marry themselves to it. But, then, you have the Klay Thompsons, the Jimmy Butlers, and there’s more than that — the guys that are legit two-way players. They can lock you up. Our goal for is for [Mario] to at some point be that type of player, and so we’re trying to help him build a foundation on the other end of the floor.“
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Southeast Notes: Porzingis, Wade, Wizards, Magic

January 29th, 2016 at 11:12am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic were determined to land Kristaps Porzingis in the 2014 draft and GM Rob Hennigan promised to take him with the No. 10 pick if he stayed in the draft that year, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Instead, he withdrew, and as he prepared for the 2015 draft, the Magic realized he wouldn’t slip past fourth, even though the Knicks had talks about swapping the No. 4 pick for a wing player and another first-rounder up until the day of the draft, Wojnarowski adds.

“Rob had a thorough, comprehensive plan,” Miller said to Wojnarowski. “He had invested as much, or more time, into Kristaps as anyone in the league. He really studied him. They had a plan for supplemental training, development. It wasn’t just, ‘Let’s just draft him and see what happens.’ This was a plan. Kristaps knew the plan and just wasn’t ready.”

Porzingis would have had the Magic’s blessing to remain overseas for a year had they drafted him in 2014, but as the 2015 draft approached, Porzingis’ camp wanted him to end up with the Knicks, as the Yahoo scribe details. Agent Andy Miller withheld him from working out or taking a physical for the Sixers, who had pick No. 3, Wojnarowski notes. The Magic wound up drafting Mario Hezonja with the fifth pick. See more from the Southeast Division.

  • Pat Riley said LeBron James never asked him to fire Erik Spoelstra, as previously rumored, as Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald relays, rounding up comments the Heat team president made Thursday. Riley also said he’s proud of Dwyane Wade for “how he has come back and changed the narrative about himself and worked on his body,” Skolnick notes. Wade hits free agency again this summer.
  • A third straight loss that dropped the Wizards to 20-24 prompted a players-only meeting Thursday, as J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic details. Jared Dudley, referring to himself as the spokesperson for the team, implicated the coaching staff in his comments following the meeting, as well as a return to a lineup featuring both Marcin Gortat and soon-to-be free agent Nene, who’s been marginalized most of this season. “The flow has been terrible for us these last couple games. That’s something that players and coaches have to do a better job,” Dudley said. “At times it’s good to play Nene and Gortat together. … What team are we trying to be here? We can’t keep coming into this locker room talking about inconsistency because April 15 [when the regular season ends] we’ll all be back at the crib.”
  • Hennigan last week cited the youthfulness of the Magic roster for the team’s struggles of late, but the team’s players said before the season that wouldn’t be an excuse, observes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic, tied with the Wizards at 20-24, have evoked memories of last season’s 25-57 disappointment as they’ve lost 11 of their last 12 games, and it indicates little progress under new coach Scott Skiles, who faces a challenge to turn the season around, Schmitz writes.
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