While the Magic‘s roster has been decimated by injuries this season, no pre-deadline fire sale appears imminent. League sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe that Orlando has been “projecting patience and optimism” about bringing their core players back next season, with Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz due back from major knee injuries.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Magic will stand pat entirely at this season’s deadline. Lowe suggests that the team might be open to a deal involving Evan Fournier, whose contract will expire this summer, but he stresses that’s just his speculation.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In an effort to find a logical landing spot for Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic says the Hornets make sense as a potential trade partner for Cleveland. Drummond’s $28.7MM salary is tricky to match, but Charlotte could get most of the way there by using Cody Zeller‘s expiring $15.4MM contract, according to Vecenie, who notes that adding Malik Monk‘s and Bismack Biyombo‘s expiring deals would result in enough outgoing salary.
- After having a pair of games postponed due to COVID-19 contact tracing and having been unable to conduct more than individual workouts this week, the Hornets anticipate being cleared to practice by late Friday afternoon, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. For now, the Hornets’ Saturday game vs. Golden State remains on the schedule as planned.
- In explaining how the Hawks ended up hosting this year’s All-Star Game, team CEO Steve Koonin pointed to Turner Sports as a driving force behind the decision. “TNT has the All-Star game, it’s one of their marquee events, and by doing it in Atlanta, this allows Turner to not have to travel hundreds of people to another site,” Koonin explained, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So there wasn’t a competition, there wasn’t an application process, there wasn’t a bid process, this was literally select by the NBA, Turner, and then asked if our building was available, which of course we’re going to make available to our partners.”
I would hate to be a Magic fan. The Magic are so satisfied with just being mediocre
I would hate to be a fan who just parrots what they read on the internet to try to sound like they know things.
ORL is developing their youth in a competitive context. It’s a template of how the best small markets do it: Spurs, Indiana, Utah etc…
Just because they won’t hold a fire sale so that other teams can poach their talent does NOT mean their goal is mediocrity.
Tanking is flat out stupid. Orlando tried it, but because reality doesn’t care about lottery odds or media hyped “potential” it decimated the franchise into a joke for half a decade.
Only fools don’t learn from past experiences. I’m pretty sure Orlando’s front office knows better than to listen to talking heads and fans who just want Orlando to blow it up so that their teams and bigger media markets can take players they developed.
Prior to attempting the tank, the Magic were a competitive and attractive franchise for most of their history. They were able to lure some of the better peak prime free agents on the market (Rashard Lewis, Grant Hill etc)…even almost stole Tim Duncan away from Spurs.
Warm weather, no state-tax etc are all in place, they just needed to reset the culture after that tank travesty, and the only way to do that is by playing meaningful games.
On top of that, THE BEST player development tool their is for their young core is to play in meaningful games (playoff runs and post season games).
The Jeff Weltman front office in one year, turned a team that had been a joke for past half decade, into a playoff team (18-19 tied for 6th seed, and in 19-20 would have been 7th seed if pandemic doesn’t happen). And they did that while being one of youngest teams in the post season.
They’ll make moves with players like Gordon and Fournier, but that’s only because their contracts are expiring this summer or next…or for AG because Isaac and Okeke are there and better fits. Tweaks NOT a fire sale.
Intriguing Hornets idea: go get Mo Bamba. He’s young, athletic, and clearly won’t have a place on the magic any time soon. Hornets need a younger center not just for now, but also for later and he could grow with the young core. He has high upside and he won’t cost as much as he used to. Get it done.
He cant even get a backup center job on a bottom east team, he is the definition of bust
that’s totally inacurate:
Bamba’s development was always expected to be an extended project type of timeline. That was before a season ending injury took half his rookie year, his crucial first summer of player development, his sophomore training camp and impacted first month of the season.
Despite that, by mid season of his 2nd season he was playing well and showing flashes of why he was a high lottery pick…then a pandemic interrupted the NBA.
Despite what people who don’t watch Orlando say, Bamba HAD been getting plenty of development minutes…he was Orlando’s primary backup C for every single game he was healthy.
This season, he was held out thru January because he had covid (+ related symptoms) and wasn’t cleared to even practice 5-on-5 until the last week of December.
In January, just as he was starting to get worked back into the rotation, he failed NBA’s covid protocol which cost him an additional 2 weeks.
Since being cleared, he’s again been gradually getting worked back in.
Where would he play in that rotation though? Zeller starts, PJ Washington gets minutes at the 5, and then they use Biyombo, and have Nick Richards, who is intriguing as well. He would probably take Biyombo’s spot, which puts him essentially in the same spot as he is behind Vucevic, and Khem Birch
Absolutely not.
vernon carey jr. 23 ppg 9 reb 59% shooting gleague.
Drummond is 27. Maybe you get him cheap
Khem Birch is an expiring contract, ORL is not trading Bamba just for sake of it.
They see Vucevic and Bamba as two ships passing in the night…as Vucevic fades out, Bamba fades in.
Bamba’s development was always expected to be an extended project type of timeline…that was before season ending injury that took half his rookie year, his crucial first summer of player development, his sophomore training camp and impacted first month of the season. Despite that, by mid season of his 2nd season he was playing well and showing flashes of why he was a high lottery pick…then a pandemic interrupted the NBA.
Despite what people who don’t watch Orlando say, Bamba HAD been getting plenty of development minutes…he was Orlando’s primary backup C for every single game he was healthy.
This season, he was held back first month because he had covid (+ related symptoms) and wasn’t cleared to even practice 5on5 until the last week of December.
In January just as he was starting to get worked back into the rotation, he failed NBA covid protocol which cost him an additional 2 weeks.
Since being cleared, he’s again been gradually getting worked back in.
That deal makes zero sense for Charlotte
Why would CHA liquidate 3 roster spots when Drummond is a UFA in tbe offseason? Plus, Drummond was bargain basement when DET dealt him, CHA would have spent the matching salary & 2nd round pick then. Wouldn’t they have?
I know M.J. is no GM & Kupachak is iffy, but trading for Drummond last season before the 9 million cap hit for 3 seasons is pretty simple math
Dinosaur is tradable
According to Cavs local news reporters, 10 teams are interested in him
Are those local reporters in Cleveland just as reliable as that alleged poll in which the majority of Rockets fans want their team to tank?
I agree, although to be fair Zeller BB and Monk are all expiring as well (Monk RFA)
They prolly have a guard to dish but I Think id rather use it to get value than get a Drum> Zeller upgrade….which isnt *that much imo…Zeller aint that terrible but CHA could use a bigger bod in the middle
ID TOTALLY rather find a Jarrett Allen type deal to jump into for Cha right now – Jax Hayes? Theres not many candidates tbh
I think Cha has a deal in them somewhere just not this
Yeah, CHA has Vernon Carey Jr. & they just sent Nick Richards to the G’s. Biyombo is preferrable to Drummond this season anyway, just for salary purposes.
I don’t see any positives in acquiring Drummond. They are finally getting some production out of Monk. Zeller is expendable & if it were straight across for him then I’d say even value swap & Drummond could possibly help CHA.
Word is that some around the league believe Drummond needs some sort of motivation that could come on an experienced team with a defined role & he isn’t the focal point.
It’s possible. Play has changed dramatically & closing out on the perimeter has become a required skill I have yet to see Drummond possess.
Drummond to Charlotte would be a good move for Zeller Monk and an extra. Then Cavs buy out Zeller which saves them money not buying out Drummond. Plus Drummond could be a good help on improving Carey Jr