featured-image

Magic Set For Start of Free Agency

Dan Savage
Director of Digital News

By John Denton
June 28, 2016

ORLANDO – For years, the refrain has remained mostly the same as it relates to the Orlando Magic’s pitch to attract marquee free agents to Central Florida: No state income taxes, 70-degree days in the winter and world-class amenities around which to raise a family.

New Magic coach Frank Vogel has every intention of somewhat altering that pitch given to free agents when the courting period opens at 12:01 A.M. on July 1.

``I believe that we’re going to win – that’s the biggest thing that free agents want to know, want to hear and want to believe in,’’ Vogel said with conviction last week. ``That’s an easy sell for me and that’s the reason I’m here. The roster that we have in place here, the flexibility with the cap to add to it and make it stronger (are perks). And the point that our young players are at – we’ve got several talented, talented young players entering their prime.

``You add a guy like Serge Ibaka with (Nikola Vucevic’s) ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter and all of the other weapons that we have, there’s a very, very strong reason to believe that we’re going to win here,’’ Vogel continued. ``To me, that’s what free agents want to hear more than anything. We have the weather and no state taxes and Orlando is a great place to live. And I believe we’re going to have a lot of success in free agency and this is going to be a destination where guys want to play.’’

Orlando got a jump on adding veteran talent to its roster when it swung the NBA’s biggest deal on draft night by acquiring Ibaka, a shot-swatting power forward who has the potential to make a major impact next season. The Magic are far from being done and when the curtain drops on free agency on July 1, the team plans to be aggressive in adding more pieces that will help them become a playoff-caliber squad next spring.

Orlando made a 10-win improvement this past season, jumping to 35 victories and setting the stage for the franchise to add the pieces this summer that could be transformational going forward. Getting Ibaka – for a price of Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and draft pick Domantas Sabonis – was worth it to the Magic because of the interior toughness and veteran leadership that he will bring to the team. Also, the addition of Ibaka takes some of the pressure off in free agency and makes the roster even more attractive to free agents considering playing for the Magic.

``That was part of the calculus as we made the trade,’’ Magic GM Rob Hennigan said of the Ibaka trade no affecting Orlando’s cap room and making the roster more attractive. ``We’re going to explore all options this summer, be as aggressive as we can and be as strategic as we can. Certainly, getting Serge into the fold is a good start to the summer and a good start to trying to add more veteran experience to our young core.’’

By virtue of its disciplined spending in recent years and the trades of Tobias Harris and Channing Frye last February, Orlando figures to have $40 million in cap space with which to chase prospective free agents. NBA teams aren’t allowed to publicly discuss specific names of players that they plan to pursue in free agency, but it’s no secret that the Magic want to add veteran players around a core of youngsters that includes Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja, Ibaka and Vucevic.

One potential problem, however, is that the salary cap is expected to soar to a NBA-record $94 million – a jump that will give almost every team in the league cap room this summer. Teams in big markets such as Los Angeles (Lakers) and New York (Knicks and Nets) will have millions to spend, but the Magic feel they will be especially attractive to free agents because of all the things that the franchise and the Central Florida area can offer.

``We have a really exciting core and nucleus that is going to be here for a long time,’’ said Hennigan, referring to his pitch to prospective free agents. ``There’s a chance to compete and make the playoffs in the East. No state income tax, first-class facility, first-class organization and a first-class ownership. We feel really, really good about what we’re building here and the situation that we have. We think it’s attractive to free agents, we really, really do.’’

Fournier, who has had break-out seasons the past two years with the Magic, will become a restricted free agent on July 1. He is free to sign an offer sheet with any team starting on Friday, but the Magic will have 72 hours with which it can decide whether or not to match the offer and retain the shooting guard who poured in a career-best 15.4 points per game last season.

Hennigan made the Magic’s willingness to match any offer for the talented shooting guard sound like a formality last week.

``I’ve said all along that Evan is a major priority for us,’’ the GM stressed again last week. ``I said that in April and that continues to be the case. He’s a very big part of what we’re going to do in the future.’’

Hennigan’s comments came on draft night, roughly the two-year anniversary of when the Magic traded for Fournier back in June of 2014. Orlando so believed in the talents of Fournier – a back-up guard with the Denver Nuggets at the time – that they willingly traded leading scorer Arron Afflalo for the French standout.

Fournier, 23, has backed up that faith in him with career years each of the past two seasons and he is the strong belief that the Magic want to keep him in the fold. Orlando’s trading of Oladipo – a move designed to free up even more shooting guard minutes and 3-point shots for Hezonja and Fournier – was further proof that the Magic want to keep building around Fournier.

``It’s a great feeling that your team wants you,’’ Fournier said back in May. ``I feel good here.’’

The Magic are still deciding as to whether or not to add qualifying offers to two of their other prospective free agents. Andrew Nicholson, the longest-tenured Magic player since June of 2012, and reserve center Dewayne Dedmon will be restricted free agents if they receive qualifying offers from the Magic in the coming days. If they don’t, they will become unrestricted free agents.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.