| Trade In The Works? Authored by Howard Mass - February 21, 2008 - 8:46 am
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Will Orlando Make A Deal At The Deadline?
The clock is ticking on the NBA Trading Deadline. With only hours left to go before the clock strikes 3 p.m. EST, Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith is working to make a deal to improve his team. While there are needs at point guard and shooting guard, the real area the Magic are trying to improve at is the power forward position. In the playoffs, the Magic could really use another banger upfront that could play alongside Dwight Howard. The question though is what options are out there for Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic.
Trade Options
Landing a veteran big man this year will not be easy. A huge problem is more teams than usual are in contention for playoff spots. This severely limits the options of teams like Orlando who want to upgrade their frontcourt.
Here is a look at some possible trading partners.
Seattle Supersonics
If the Magic make a deal, the Sonics are a strong possibility as a trading partner because they have many players available. That might have lessened though when they traded Kurt Thomas to San Antonio yesterday for Francisco Elson, Brent Barry and a 2009 first round pick. While it was disappointing, I would not have traded the future first round pick for a thirty-five old quick fix even though I really like Kurt Thomas. It is always good to keep those picks and since the second round of the 2003 NBA draft, the selections have been a lot better for the Magic.
It is rumored Seattle is willing to move quite a few players including forwards Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison, who along with guards Delonte West, Damien Wilkins, Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour. Wilcox, West and maybe Collison if he is on the block seem to be the best possibilities though salary wise and in terms of fit.
My feeling is Seattle wants to shed some salary to get further under the salary cap and gain some future draft picks. It is possible the Magic could use the expiring contracts of Carlos Arroyo, Pat Garrity and James Augustine in a deal with maybe a future first round pick in play for Wilcox. If this happens, expect combo guard Delonte West to come back as part of the package to replace Carlos Arroyo as the third point guard. Whether a deal happens here probably depends on how high the price is based on what other teams are bidding.
Miami Heat
I still do not buy the Udonis Haslem rumors and that anything will happen here as I cannot imagine how there is not tension after Pat Riley’s compensation demands nearly derailed the Magic’s chances of getting Stan Van Gundy to coach this team.
In a deal, Miami would probably want J.J. Redick and a first round pick with some expiring players. It is also likely that Miami would want the Magic to take guard Smush Parker as filler.
I would love to have Udonis Haslem play next to Dwight Howard. However, thinking logically, why would Pat Riley, who would not have charged any other team but Orlando for coach Van Gundy, want to give Orlando a piece that they need to be stronger in the playoffs. This guy does not want Orlando to be successful. If he was willing to deal Haslem to Orlando at a reasonable price, I’m sure a lot of us would have a different opinion of Riley than we did after this past summer.
Other Possibilities
We have all heard the trade rumor with Sacramento involving Brad Miller and Francisco Garcia. If the Magic make the move, it shows they are not afraid of getting into luxury tax territory. Miller has 2 years and about $23.5 million left on his deal after this year and feel they probably will not put themselves in danger of exceeding the luxury tax for Miller.
A deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for point guard Andre Miller is probably out of the question as other teams would probably offer more than expiring contracts and low draft picks. Forward Reggie Evans could still be a possibility for the Magic though.
Some smaller deals with lottery bound teams like Minnesota, New York or a playoff bubble team like Chicago are possible for a backup big man or point guard but anything can happen especially on a smaller scale. Who knows? Maybe the Magic will acquire guard Anthony Johnson like they did at the deadline 8 years ago.
My Prediction
The Magic will make a small deal that we do not expect involving Carlos Arroyo, Pat Garrity or James Augustine. Keep this in mind though, some deals might not be announced until an hour or two after the deadline so just because a deal is not announced, does not mean it has not been done. Even if a deal is not made, do not blame Otis Smith based on the thousands of trade rumors we have heard this past week. He has already shown he knows what he is doing on the trade market this season. Does anyone really want to trade Maurice Evans and Brian Cook back to the Lakers for Trevor Ariza? If something is right for this team, Otis is going to do. If not, he will stand pat. It’s as simple as that.
Regardless of what happens though, it will be a bit of relief for everyone because we will now barring a late season signing what the Magic's roster will look like going into the playoff. This will allow us all to focus on what's ahead the rest of this regular season and the playoffs rather than hoping some bogus trade rumor comes true.
FSN Florida Dispute
This season has been one of the most exciting seasons for the Orlando Magic in a longtime. Unfortunately, it has been extremely frustrating for people with Bright House Networks and in some areas Comcast Cable.
When it was reported in the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic games would be moving to Fox Sports Net Florida, many of us expected a long fight despite assurances that a deal would get done before the first Magic game. It is now over half way through the season with no deal.
The good news is only 8 of the last 28 games regular season games will be on FSN Florida. Sun Sports will carry 19 more and ESPN will carry the April 5 contest at Cleveland against the Cavs.
Unfortunately, things could get ugly for us during the playoffs. While we will be able to get every playoff game on ABC, ESPN and TNT, NBA TV also airs a few playoff games. If NBA TV is airing a Magic playoff game and FSN is broadcasting it, we will see a black screen. This would really drive everyone through the roof. For the sake of Magic fans, I hope deals can be reached in the areas without FSN and/or the Magic games that come with it. I like many of you cannot bare this and cannot imagine this dispute going into the summer and al over again next fall.
Another RealGM Magic Article
Earlier this week, Alessandro Martini wrote a great piece on how the Magic are only a few steps away from Greatness. Since my article bumped Alez's piece, I want to make sure everyone gets a chance to read his article. It is saved at this link that you can find on the ride side of the page.
http://magic.realgm.com/articles/57/20080217/a_few_steps_away_from_greatness/
Contact
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to drop me a line at howard@realgm.com
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