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I'm not doubting a prediction of yours ever again

FLASH BACK

Delon Wright fits everything we are trying to build here yet we never made a move on him for the past 2 years when he was beyond attainable. We’d rather sign another versatile forward who can’t shoot consistently.

Delon Wright fits everything we are trying to build here yet we never made a move on him for the past 2 years when he was beyond attainable. We’d rather sign another versatile forward who can’t shoot consistently.

Have you ever thought that they didn't make a backcourt move because they have had six months to evaluate Fultz and it made them confident they didn't need to make another backcourt move?

I just wish we could have signed any of the veteran guards on the market. We also seem to be unable to find a hidden gem, like an undrafted player or a G-league guy who can shoot. I know over half the league has this same problem.It really annoys me when the Spurs or Rockets or even Raptors pull these guys out of thin air.

I think he can sustain last years play but I do agree I’d much prefer going with a bigger PG that can shoot the 3 and create for himself and the team. That’s why Fultz is so key to all this success going forward. We may already have that player in our roster but we have to wait until he’s actually on the court to evaluate what we truly have. Everything is just speculation until the guy plays. Now if come January he’s still not on the court then I’d have to worry and try and acquire that PG via trade if we want this team to take the next step in the development process.

I don't know why you complain so much about him. He's fine while we figure out what Fultz is. Plus he was literally the best spot up shooter in the league last year.

Great dunk but that pass from Alexander-Walker was sublime... I think he is gonna be a very very good player. NWA

It’s like when other players do this. Still doesn’t take away from the Jersey. Gonna be rocking it proud!

I think we too often associate "star" with elite scorer. In my mind, Aaron Gordon is the type of guy you HAVE to have to get deep in the playoffs - high IQ, high motor, high work ethic, athletic defender, unselfish, with a good jumper. He's the "Shawn Marion" of this team, only with a better natural jump-shot. With that being said, the only thing holding Gordon back from "star status" and trying to get 25 PPG is how unselfish he chooses to be. He picks good shots and doesn't force it, and seems to be happy getting his teammates involved. If he never gets star status but stays this way, I'll be happy. Too many shot-happy guys who don't play the other side of the ball.

I said this before. Organizations get reputations amongst players for how they treat players, both on the court and in contract talks. When you reward players well whom have remained loyal to you, that loyalty reward is seen throughout the league and attracts others whom want to play for an organization like that. The Magic can become (and are slowly becoming) one of those places.

Why? Those two has been injured for the past 2 years with little playing time and not productive when playing. Boston fans are laughing about this more than anything. Whats next, IT?

Then why do it? That would be a bad trade to move most of your young assets for a player that will decline sooner rather than later, who will swallow up any cap space, and who hasn't shown an ability to get his team to a home court advantage or even to the second round as the main guy. (I am not saying Gordon is better than Westbrook, but 24 year old Gordon on less than 20 a year is better than 31 year old Westbrook at 40+ per year).

I don’t agree, which is why I posted the stats. It doesn’t seem logical to expect more from a 23 year old Gordon than a 23 year old Leonard or Oladipo, but that’s what people do all the time. Putting it another way, should we have written off the others while they were only 23 years old? While I’m not certain Gordon will become a star, I’m not betting against it, either. Hope that makes sense.

His biggest weakness is his Fadeaway on all his shots... If he emulated Leonard who very rarely jumps and fades-away to make his shot, he would be more efficient and probably break the 20pt average. he needs to jab step back ala harden or leonardinstead of spin fadeaway.

Honestly the moment AG starts drawing fouls in the lane is the day he becomes a force. His biggest weakness to me at this point is taking advantage of his penetration without a clear shot to the basket. At times he did a horrible job at creating contact once under the rim. At the same time calls were ignored when they should have been made. I take back what I said about our style because if AG is able to conjure up 4-6 more points on average at the FT line the sky is the limit with or without Vuch.

Plus the team had continuity and had been together for a long time which is what we have bought into. I think we will be pleasantly surprised at what our guys are capable of. We definitely need to define our back court though.

MCW is basically Nitilika, just older, but he’s only on a 1 year deal. We have to maintain as much flexibility as possible seeing how we have virtually none now barring a trade.

I would also argue the 2014 Spurs when Duncan and Parker were basically role players at that stage and Leonard was only in his second year. I remember watching the series it was a thing of beauty, the ultimate in selflessness and playing for the team. It was truly beautiful basketball.

One of the most ignorant comments in forum thread history. If you accomplish 1/100th of what that family has done ...

I think there are a few teams that would trade for Westbrook, but only a couple who could offer something better then Orlando. That being said i think Weltham want to see this through, not reshape what they have already built. If they do it they will get rid of players from former management. So if there is a trade it's definitely starting with Gordon, and our signing of Aminu and drafting of Qkeke makes him a little expendable. If the Magic traded for Westbrook i would want to maximize our window the next two years, so for me DJ is an untouchable. All the online trade proposals have him included because he is expiring and we are getting back a point guard. This would be a huge mistake, if we are going for it we need the boost of having a shooting, veteran back-up.We especially need DJ to be our Van-fleet, because Westbrook can't shoot 3's! If Augustin is included hard pass from me.It would negate the whole point of the trade to finally have a decent guard rotation. The second player would probably be Fournier, and most of you would have no problem with that. But listen, i think it would be better to include Fultz. Fournier leaving is a dream come true for most of us on this board. However i would not be on board unless we were getting a shooter back, even if it's from a 3rd team. I would love Ferguson, as i stated in a post above. Losing Fultz would hurt, but we still know nothing about him and best case he is still a year a way from being a decent player.Part of me thinks they would hesitate to trade Evan, he is one of the few ball-handlers we have. OK now that you have heard my thoughts here is the trade i would like to see. http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yymsxlqn We get Westbrook, Feguson and Patterson. They get Gordon,Evan and Fultz. We do it to actually compete and have an all-star. They do it because we include a few protected picks and Gordon. Also they are hoping Shai or Fultz becomes a star in a few years. Two point guards, two chances for them to strike gold. Meanwhile we are much better the next few years. Westbrook DJ MCW Ross Ferguson Frazier? Isaac Iwundu Okeke Aminu Peterson Martin Vucevic Birch Bamba. I would love this team, but again only if we keep DJ and get Ferguson. The most likely trade package is Gordon, Fultz and Bamba. They are talking about it right now on 740 the team. Most likely it would include Fultz and Bamba. See below. http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yxvg7sw7

The Fultz move was, and still is, a low risk high reward move that I would made every day of the year, there's not too much to talk ourselves into, IMO. I'm more worried by the fact that we're somehow accepting mediocrity, confirming players and giving them big contracts just because they want to be here, as this offseason moves remember me a little of that period when we were trying to convince ourselves that losing Dipo, or signing Biyombo, was not such a big deal..

Eh, DJ is not Tony Parker. I like continuity but our continuity isn’t like that Spurs team.

Honestly, I believe players don't really care that much about "loyalty". Most people (in any work environment) don't really wonder about loyalty. With me, I come in to work and ask myself "Do I mind coming in to work here everyday? Ehhhh... not really.. Am I getting paid well? Sure, I guess". These are the usual questions most people ask themselves everyday. People really only start wondering about their jobs when they're burned out (and need a change of scenery), want more money, want to further advance their careers, or they can't grow with their current company. Sure, their might be a couple of folks that really really care about loyalty but most don't. I don't see how basketball players would be any different. There's a ton of teams out there that have been nothing but loyal to their players, but major free agents are not racing to join these teams. IMO, the only thing the Magic can hope for is that our younger players become stars or at least good enough that we can use them in a trade for a disgruntled super star. I guess we could also get lucky with trading for some misused players or reclamation projects.