Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pistons Have Four Frontrunners In Search For President Of Basketball Operations

May 18th, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Four candidates stood out in the Pistons‘ first round of interviews as they look for a new president of basketball operations, sources tell Vincent Goodwill and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon, former Knicks GM and current ESPN analyst Scott Perry, Mavericks advisor Dennis Lindsey, and Magic senior advisor John Hammond were all impressive in their meetings with the firm that’s conducting the initial search, according to the authors’ sources. They are considered frontrunners to meet with owner Tom Gores, who hopes to hire someone in advance of the draft.

Goodwill and Fischer suggest that Detroit might be waiting to see if Timberwolves president Tim Connelly becomes available before making a final decision, echoing a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic earlier this week. Connelly’s contract includes an opt-out clause at the end of the season, and he may be tempted to leave Minnesota, given the franchise’s unstable ownership situation.

Whoever takes over the Pistons’ front office will determine whether general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams will remain with the team. There are several other important decisions upcoming this offseason, including a possible rookie scale extension for Cade Cunningham and how to spend up to $64MM in cap room.

Several of the top candidates have previous ties to the Pistons organization, the authors note. When Langdon was a player, his agent was Arn Tellem, who now serves as the team’s vice chairman. Perry is a Detroit native who got his first executive job with the Pistons in 2000 and served as vice president of basketball operations from 2008-12. Hammond was formerly an assistant coach and assistant general manager in Detroit.

Banchero Expects Less Hectic Summer

May 14th, 2024 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paolo Banchero expects a less hectic summer than the last two years as the Magic‘s star forward prepares for next season after leading them to the playoffs. “Really just going to try to get back to the basics this summer, get in the best shape I can, get back to the stuff that got me here,” he told Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

Could They Pursue Brandon Ingram?

May 13th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Add the Magic to the list of potential trade suitors for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, according to Marc Stein in a Substack post. It’s been reported that New Orleans won’t pursue a max extension with Ingram, fueling speculation that he could be traded this offseason. The Sixers, Hawks and Cavaliers have been previously named as teams likely to be interested in the high-scoring forward.

Wendell Carter Jr. To Undergo Another Surgical Procedure On Left Hand

May 11th, 2024 at 5:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. will have an operation to stabilize the third metacarpal on his left hand, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter).

The preventive procedure involves inserting a plate at the site of a fracture on Carter’s hand. He suffered the fracture in early November and had it surgically repaired at the time.

Carter will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks, the team added. That should give him plenty of time for offseason workouts before training camps open in late September.

Although he missed more than a month with the original injury, Carter still appeared in 55 games, making 48 starts and averaging 11.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.6 minutes per night.

During exit interviews after the Magic were eliminated from the playoffs, Carter talked about the difficulty of trying to return after surgery, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

“It affected me in a lot of ways,” Carter said. “Mentally, being out of the rotation for a while, just watching from the sidelines while they’re doing such a fantastic job and then the pressure of coming back and picking up where Goga (Bitadze) and (Moritz Wagner) left off. It was tough. Then it got to a point where I was doubting myself a little bit — just being honest.”

Carter, 25, has two years remaining on his contract. He will earn $11.95MM next season and $10.85MM in 2025/26 before becoming an unrestricted free agent that summer.

Glen Davis Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Involvement In Fraud Scheme

May 9th, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA big man Glen Davis, who played for the Celtics, Magic, and Clippers across eight NBA seasons from 2007-15, has been sentenced by a federal judge to 40 months in prison for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the league’s health and welfare benefit plan, according to Alex Prewitt of ESPN.

Davis was one of 18 former NBA players originally charged back in 2021 over the fraud scheme, which involved submitting false claims for millions of dollars in dental and medical expenses that were never incurred.

According to Prewitt, Davis was found guilty of multiple fraud charges, as well as conspiring to make false statements, and was ordered to pay $80K in restitution. His sentence also includes three years’ supervised release following his time in prison — as part of his supervised release, he’ll be required to attend a financial management class and receive mandatory drug treatment.

Former NBA swingman Terrence Williams, the alleged ringleader of the operation, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last summer. Keyon Dooling (30 months), Alan Anderson (24 months), and Will Bynum (18 months) are among the other former players who have been sentenced to time in prison. Tony Allen, perhaps the most notable NBA veteran involved in the case, avoided prison and was sentenced to community service and supervision.

The 35th overall pick of the 2007 draft out of LSU, Davis spent his first four NBA seasons in Boston, earning Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year votes during that time and winning a championship as a rookie in 2008.

The 6’9″ forward/center, also known as “Big Baby,” was traded to Orlando in 2011 and spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Magic before concluding his NBA career with a season-and-a-half as a Clipper. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game across 514 career regular season appearances.

According to Prewitt, some of Davis’ former coaches and multiple NBPA officials, including executive director Andre Iguodala, sent pre-sentencing documents to the court on the 38-year-old’s behalf, requesting leniency. Davis’ defense attorney Sabrina Shroff argued for a time-served sentence with requirements for “community service, mental health therapy, and treatment for a cannabis addiction,” Prewitt adds.

However, the judge opted for a harsher sentence, siding with the prosecution, which argued that Davis made a “sophisticated and intelligent effort” to cover up his misconduct. Davis had maintained his innocence throughout the legal process, per Prewitt.

Magic Notes: First-Round Loss, Wagner, Offseason, Cap Room

May 7th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After blowing a Game 7 lead in Cleveland on Sunday in a game that ended their season, the Magic went home disappointed, but viewed the loss with a mature, even-keeled perspective, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes.

“It doesn’t define us,” said second-year forward Paolo Banchero, who averaged a team-high 27.0 points per game in the seven-game series. “This is our first time in the playoffs. I’m just proud of how we played, and I know we’ll be back.”

“I walked in the locker room, and I said, ‘It sucks,'” head coach Jamahl Mosley told reporters, including Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “It does — not to get the game, knowing what you were capable of doing, to be up 18, to feel you (had) a chance to close out and not get it done. It doesn’t feel good. And, then in the same breath, you have to put it all into perspective. Sometimes these painful things are blessings in disguise.”

The Magic had missed the playoffs for three straight seasons prior to 2023/24 and this year’s young team – led by Banchero and third-year forward Franz Wagner – was considered unlikely to make a deep postseason run. So the fact that Orlando took the Cavaliers to seven games and outplayed them for much of the series should be viewed as a positive development rather than a letdown that the team didn’t go further. The Magic’s players said they intend to build off the experience.

“We won’t be walking into next season’s playoffs and have people questioning our ability to have done it before,” Jonathan Isaac said. “We took a good team to a Game 7 and we’ll be able to have that chip on our shoulder leading into next season.”

“This was a great year,” Cole Anthony added, according to Matt Murschel of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “We set goals and accomplished our goals. Was it the outcome that we wanted? Obviously not, but we’ve got to look at the positives. We’ve got to take those and build on top of that for the summer and into next season.”

Here’s more on the Magic:

It was a brutal Game 7 on Sunday for Wagner, who scored just six points on 1-of-15 shooting and missed all five of his three-point attempts. He took the loss hard and said he felt like he “let my team down a little bit,” according to Robbins, but Banchero came to his teammate’s defense. “We’re not here without Franz,” Banchero said (Twitter link via Beede). “… He’s going to have a great summer. He’s going to get better. Just knowing him, I know he’s going to use this to motivate him and take it to another level. I don’t think he let anybody down. Sometimes it happens.”
Armed with a significant chunk of cap room, how can the Magic continue to improve this summer? ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), Mark Deeks of HoopsHype, and Robbins and Danny Leroux of The Athletic each explore that topic, previewing the offseason in Orlando. While adding shooting is a priority, the Magic could also use a facilitator who can create easier shots for Banchero and Wagner, Marks writes. Additionally, the team faces important decisions on the non-guaranteed salaries of Isaac ($17.4MM) and Joe Ingles ($11MM) — letting go of one or both players, perhaps in an effort to try to bring them back at a lower price, would substantially increase Orlando’s cap room.
Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman didn’t offer many hints about how the team intends to use its cap room this summer, suggesting that it could be used in trades or on draft night as well as in free agency, per Murschel of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). The goal is to use it “wisely and with future planning in mind,” according to Weltman, who indicated there are at least three cornerstone players Orlando intends to build around. “We don’t want to lose the North Star of our team, which is our three leading scorers (Banchero, Wagner and Jalen Suggs) who are 22 and under,” said Weltman. “A lot of good things happened to our team this year. Now it’s up to us to earn our way into repeating that.”

Frank: Clippers Will Look To Keep Core Group Intact

May 6th, 2024 at 10:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are hopeful of bringing back their core group despite the team’s first-round loss to Dallas, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told assembled media during a Monday press conference.

Kawhi Leonard has already signed a three-year extension but the team’s three other big stars could all depart. Paul George has a $48.8MM player option on his contract for next season, while James Harden will be an unrestricted free agent. Russell Westbrook holds a $4MM option on his 2024/25 contract.

The Clippers and George chose to defer extension talks around the All-Star break, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

“We’d like to be able to bring back and retain Paul and James,” Frank said. “We’re hopeful we can, but also understand and respect the fact that they’re free agents. Paul has a decision with his option. James will be an unrestricted free agent, so our intent is to bring him back, but also realize that they’re elite players and they’ll have choices.”

The Sixers and Magic are expected to pursue George if he opts out, Janis Carr of the Orange County Register writes.

George is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $221MM extension, though it’s reasonable to assume the Clippers are pursuing a lesser amount, considering that they failed to reach an agreement during the season. Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) on Monday that L.A. has offered George less than his full max.

“We want Paul, we value Paul,” Frank said. “Paul’s done some tremendous things here. He’s an elite player, and our biggest thing is we always want to be able to treat players well and pay them fairly, and we also have to build out a team, especially, this is a new CBA. But in terms of the exact money, I would never go into details other than we’ve had really, really good conversations over the course of the year and hopeful that we can get him to remain a Clipper.”

Harden said right after the series that he “hadn’t even thought” about his free agency.

As for Westbrook, Frank said he’d hold discussions with the former MVP regarding his role next season, if he decides to opt in. Westbrook was the team’s sixth man for a majority of the season.

“I’ll sit down with Russ. (Tyronn Lue) will sit down with Russ, talk with his representatives and you kind of outline what the role is going forward,” Frank said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “It’s very similar to when Russ came last summer. Like, we explained to him exactly what his role is, what it could be, the different guys that we’re looking at and then Russ has a decision to make. And so we’re kind of going through the process. So, I’m not going to speak for any player in terms of what they’re thinking, but that’s our process.”

Frank said he’ll also pursue extensions with center Ivica Zubac and wing Terance Mann, per Carr, then look to make marginal improvements if he’s able to retain his stars.

Shams: Mutual Interest Between Magic, Klay Thompson

May 6th, 2024 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have been cited as a potential suitor for Klay Thompson in free agency this summer, and it sounds as if their interest won’t be unrequited. Shams Charania of The Athletic suggested today during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link) that Thompson is intrigued by Orlando.

“I’m told there is mutual interest between the Magic and Klay Thompson,” Charania said. “Thompson, along with several other vets around the league, are looking at the Magic as a situation where if you plug in a guy like Klay Thompson, you plug in another veteran player – whether it be at the point guard position (or) the shooting guard position – this team can make a real jump around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.”

As Charania notes, the Magic are in position to create a significant chunk of cap room in order to go shopping for scoring and shooting help this offseason. Bobby Marks of ESPN suggested (via Twitter) that Orlando will have about $32MM in cap room even if the team opts to pick up team options and guarantee salaries for Jonathan Isaac, Joe Ingles, Moritz Wagner, and Caleb Houstan. The club’s cap space would increase further if any of those players are let go.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports stated last month that the Magic are expected to look at free agents like Thompson and Malik Monk this offseason, while Tim Kawakami of The Athletic said around the same time that Orlando’s willingness to potentially offer the longtime Warriors sharpshooter a significant amount of money is one of the league’s “worst-kept secrets.”

If Thompson is legitimately interested in joining the Magic, as Charania suggests, the possibility of his departure from the Warriors looks much more viable. It’s worth noting that the 34-year-old has repeatedly said his preference is to remain with Golden State, so Orlando and other suitors could ultimately be used for leverage purposes. But role and salary are expected to be serious considerations for Thompson, and the Magic are well positioned to make a strong pitch on both fronts.

Thompson averaged 17.9 points per game on .432/.387/.927 shooting in 77 appearances for the Warriors this season. He was removed from the team’s starting lineup for 14 games in February and March before being reinserted into that group down the stretch.

Thompson remains eligible to sign an extension with the Warriors up until June 30, which could keep him off the free agent market. However, he reportedly passed on a two-year, $48MM offer prior to the season and there has been no indication that the two sides have had serious discussions as of late.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Harris, Wizards, Adebayo, Butler

May 5th, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The playoff experience that the young Magic players were excited to get now includes the intense pressure of a Game 7, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando faces Cleveland this afternoon with the season on the line for both squads, and Wendell Carter Jr. believes he and his teammates are in the right frame of mind for a victory.

“We didn’t come all this way to just lose a Game 7,” Carter said.

Beede notes that for the Magic to win, they’ll have to find a reliable source of offense. Orlando has lost all three games at Cleveland so far and has the second-worst offensive rating on the road in the playoffs, slightly ahead of the Cavaliers.

“We kind of look at it as another game,” Carter said. “There’s a little bit more urgency, of course, but we never want to get too high or too low for games like this. That’s what the great players do. As a unit, we’re super excited to be in this position.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic will have Gary Harris available for Game 7, Beede tweets. The veteran swingman had been listed as questionable after missing Game 6 with a strained right hamstring. Coach Jamahl Mosley declined to tell reporters whether Harris will start or come off the bench.
This offseason marks the next step in the Wizards‘ rebuilding process that team president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins began last summer, observes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. After they were hired, the focus was on ridding the team of high-priced vets such as Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. Now they’ll try to build up the roster, starting with another high lottery pick in this year’s draft. “It won’t be an easier an offseason, it will be a [different offseason]. We did a lot of heavy lifting last offseason and we moved humongous features of the organization,” Winger said. “We don’t necessarily have to do that this offseason. So, this offseason is probably a lot of incremental moves whereas last offseason was a few significant moves.”
Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel looks at important dates for the Heat‘s offseason. Two of the most significant are July 6, when Bam Adebayo will become eligible for a three-year, $165MM extension (which could be much larger if he wins Defensive Player of the Year or is named to an All-NBA team) and July 7, when Jimmy Butler will be eligible for a two-year, $112.9MM extension.

Poll: Who Will Win Cavaliers/Magic Game 7?

May 4th, 2024 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the NBA’s eight first-round playoff series this spring, a pair were four-game sweeps, two more wrapped up in five games, and three others took six games to decide a winner. That leaves a single Game 7 in round one: The Cavaliers will host the Magic in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon to determine the last of the eight teams that will advance to the conference semifinals.

Sunday’s Game 7 looms larger for the Cavaliers than it does for Orlando. Cleveland won 51 games and finished as a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference a year ago, then was quickly dispatched from the postseason by the Knicks in just five games. Another first-round exit this spring as the higher seed, especially against a relatively inexperienced Magic squad, would likely result in major offseason changes in Cleveland.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required) writes, the pressure will be on head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who figures to find himself on the hot seat if the Cavaliers lose Game 7 at home. For his part, Bickerstaff sounds relatively confident that his club will come through.

“We’ll be ready for the moment,” Bickerstaff said. “Our guys have been really good at home, and we don’t expect that to change.”

Even more crucially, Donovan Mitchell‘s future in Cleveland could hinge on how Game 7 plays out, Fedor notes. Mitchell is only under contract for one more guaranteed season after this one — he’ll be offered an extension this summer, but if he’s not enthusiastic about the Cavs’ ability to contend for a championship going forward, he may not be inclined to accept a new long-term deal from the team.

The good news for the Cavaliers is that Game 7 will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where they’re 3-0 this series. But after commanding victories in Games 1 and 2, Cleveland’s home-court advantage didn’t look like quite as significant a factor in Game 5’s win, which the club pulled out by a single point.

The Cavs are also dealing with injury concerns on multiple fronts. Rotation forward Dean Wade (knee) has missed the entire postseason, while Jarrett Allen (rib) has been sidelined for the past two games. Mitchell (knee) and Evan Mobley (ankle) also seemed to be playing through pain in Game 6 — both players finished the game, though Mobley (three points, six rebounds) was far less effective than Mitchell (50 points), especially in the second half.

While the Magic will certainly go all-out to win Game 7, their coaches and players are facing far less pressure entering the deciding game of their first-round series. Few league observers even expected Orlando to still be alive at this point in the season, so a spot in the second round would exceed all expectations. No one’s job is on the line based on Sunday’s outcome.

Still, the Magic have shown in the first six games of this series that they’re a talented enough defensive team to pull off this upset. Yes, Mitchell scored 50 points in Game 6, and Darius Garland contributed 21 more, but the rest of the Cavs combined for just 25 points on 10-of-33 (30.3%) shooting, and head coach Jamahl Mosley has made some savvy adjustments that helped his team win three of the last four games.

Orlando doesn’t have a ton of offensive firepower, but in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, the team has just enough scoring to stick with Cleveland thanks to its play on defense. Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs combined for 75 of Orlando’s 103 points in Game 6, which has been a common theme over the course of the series — no other Magic player is averaging over 7.0 points per contest.

We want to know what you think. Will the Cavaliers (3.5-point favorites, according to BetOnline.ag) hang on at home and avoid disaster? Or will the upstart Magic book a second-round date with the top-ranked Celtics?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to make your predictions!