hootie249

Why does DJ Augustin show up in almost any trade that is posted? Until we see Fultz on the floor Dj, MCW and Fournier are the only real ball handlers on this team. Anyway i like the idea of rolling back our defensive team in this crazy off season. Like some other people said we should do well just because our guys know how to play together. I think we can win 50 games if the guys stay healthy. So here are my top reasons the Magic win the division next year and win 50 games. 1. Our division sucks.I Do not like the Butler Heat, health is even more important for them.Hawks are 2 years away. 2. Evan has a career year.For the few who don't know Evan has a player option for next year. If he plays well he will surely opt out and get paid, hardly any free agents next year worth signing. 3. DJ stays healthy. Not as big as last year, but still important. I think down the road we do have Fultz back and our forwards can handle the ball a little. None of them are Hedo, so he better stay healthy. 4.Isaac and Gordon take a leap.I'm putting these two together.Either they raise this team up or we stay the same.Ross and Vucevic might be our steadiest players, but Gordon and Isaac have to get better for us to be special. 5.We start strong. This is a big one, have to have a good December. No more slow starts.

This off season is a testament to Dwight Howard, the bad teammate, coach killer, disgruntled former star. He has so many former teams that could have used a back-up center on minimum. Orlando has the deepest team it has had in years and could have used a mentor or depth. Stretches Mozgod to sign Birch. This one is the least likely, they have youth and an all-star at center. The Lakers need veterans who have already made money and need a ring. They sign Mcgee and Cousins. Definitely more upside there, didn't help himself with his tenure at both clubs. And lastly, the Rockets make a huge trade, they are going for it in the western conference.The Rockets have almost no depth at center, this is a team really going for it.The Rockets sign Tyson Chandler. Clearly Dwightmare Howard has burned more bridges then anyone in NBA history.

I'll come back to it when they get the salaries in. I guess in a nutshell do you think giving up on Bamba and Futlz now along with future draft picks is worth Beal? And do you think the Wizards would punt on this season? Guessing from their transactions i would think they are trying to compete while Wall is injured.I just think they might be swayed by a big offer because of what happened in OKC.

Fixed the link, yeah i get it Ish smith messed it up. Pretty sure it would work with Wagner and Ish or just leave them out.

Ok one last stupid trade and then i'll stop. How about we offer this trade to the wizards plus 2 firsts. http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y4s69sht We do it to get the all-star scorer we have needed while selling our youngest players. Lets face it these guys could be the future but they can also get hurt or decrease their value this season. Right now both are a mystery. Washington does this because with Wall sidelined the whole year might be the time to get an very high draft pick. If Fultz works out i can see him being a guard they can pair with wall or be groomed by wall. Bamba because washington has coveted a high upside center for years.2 picks because we are in win now mode, time to get this **** done. Edit had wrong link

We are not trading before the season but anything is possible at the deadline. Also guys i don't think they are trading Alexander, they just got him, and at the moment he is the future. Its very possible for the heat to trade for Westbrook. Trade works with just Dragic and James Johnson. They just have to decide which young piece to send as incentive for the Thunder to make the deal.Originally online i heard mock offers of Winslow,Herro and Bam going back.The heat are not that stupid so i think it will be just one young player, plus a pick or 2. Dragic and Johnson are a must because they can go and already have replacements on the team, along with Russell. They need Bam so basically you are looking at Herro and Okpala or just one and some picks. If they make a good trade they can have a starting five or Westbrook,Jimmy,Justice,Bam and Olynyk with Waiters,Jones Jr.,McGruder and Leonard off the bench.That's not too shabby. I hate the heat so i hope it doesn't happen.

That draft is looking real bad. The good players from that draft really need to start doing something.

Again it's hard to see Bamba getting minutes before Birch, considering how last year went.Birch is undersized, so we would need Bamba against big teams. Iwundu's offense was starting to shine at the end of last year. Maybe we play Fournier much less and spread the minutes equally among Isaac,Gordon,Aminu,Iwundu?

Well said, i would rather the heat get Westbrook, they do not have the depth after the Butler trade to make it work.

Wanted to point out that many of us knew we were much better at 3 point% and attempts last season. This was from a hot start from Gordon and Vucevic and great years from DJ and Ross.I can see what they are building.Our front court has a chance to be dominate and open up outside shooting, if we can stay healthy.A bounce back year from Fournier is likely, and i can see Isaac and Gordon improving.However, we have a few guys who probably won't be shooters at the 3 point line or the free throw line.I like how clutch we were late last season in both areas, but was it a fluke? If DJ or Ross are hurt we didn't help ourselves in this off season. Sure, many teams have the same problem but our big additions, Fultz and Chuma will not help in this area for awhile.We better hope Aminu,Gordon,Isaac progress and Vooch becomes his final form.

Yeah i agree i really think we are banking on big things from both players this year. I like that a deeper team means we can manage the usage. Hopefully it works.

Seems strange. Obviously the skeptical person would think injury or trade.

Exactly! And you can replace his name with 10 other guys. We have had a guard problem since we traded Dipo. Dipo was a combo guard who could play some point and we realized the next year Elfrid wasn't the answer.It's amazing how little time and assets we have put into the position. Yes this is beating a dead horse.

I feel like we spend too much time trying to find a reason for the Fultz trade to work. Kinda like we talked ourselves into liking the Ibaka trade when it happened. The Futlz trade made much more sense but it's really just a lotto ticket.The Ibaka trade made no sense but damn did we come up with all sorts of reasons it might work. If Fultz is a lotto ticket i wish we would have hedged our bet a little more. Can't we find a Cory Joseph or a Derrick white? Quick Edit, has anyone mentioned that the draft pick we gave up for Fultz will probably turn into second rounders? I haven't read every post but it sure looks like the Thunder pick will fall under the top 20 protection.

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.

But he hit less then that in College and his short time in the NBA. We can't count on him to be more yet, especially this year. Which means we have DJ who had a career year and 2 guards behind him that can't shoot. At best Fultz would be Westbrook lite, which i find ironic right now.

In the end i don't think they do it and the safest thing to do is stand still. Team is locked in as is for the next 4 years. Again i believe we are a playoff team and have 4 guys who might break out. Isaac, Bamba,Fultz and Chuma. I think Gordon will get better but this is his last year to show star potential. Somebody in the media said star players always show potential in the first few years, even late bloomers. Westbrook is a 25 PPG guy, we need scorers and an alpha.The league is driven by stars and scorers. Westbrook can defend so he fits our identity and he just needs shooters. I'm all for this trade if we surround him with shooters. If we can get Westbrook, Ferguson and keep two of our young guys and two of our shooters it's worth it.None of our guys have shown us anything special.Maybe Isaac, and he should be the untouchable player for us right now. It moves the needle. And guess what if it doesn't work all the big contracts are off the board at the same time. Vucevic, Ross and Westbrook gone in 4 years. I'm betting we are a high playoff seed for at least 3 of those years.Hopefully by then we have a good culture and changed the perception of the league.Right now the Magic are a joke around the league. It was just ten years ago when we were a powerhouse. Again we have assets, if we trade the farm, then yeah we suck.But if we make a good trade with an eye for competing right now, why not?

The trade would have to start with Gordon, both teams are capped out salaries have to be close. Westbrook makes 38 million. The problem with OKC is most teams have used up their cap space and have to match salaries.

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

Yeah i think giving up one of our best young players for one of the biggest contracts in the NBA could be bad. Advanced metrics on Westbrook look terrible, the guy can't shoot. However, in this scenario, it does 2 things for the Magic. First it puts us back to the forefront. We get a former MVP, a player who moves the needle a little bit. The second reason it would be good for us, we would still have a young core while making the playoffs. Ross,Westbrook and Vucevic easily get us to the playoffs in the east. Isaac,Bamba,Futlz,Ferguson and Okeke are the future and i think one of them has a higher ceiling then Gordon. That being said, there is no way Presti trades with us without asking for one our young core, plus Gordon. Gordon has to be included because of the salary and i think Presti would want a younger piece since it would be a full rebuild. It's not going to happen but if i were gm i would do it, as long as we got Ferguson with Westbrook. Had to edit because i have already listened to two radio shows this morning suggesting a trade with the Magic. I would love the trade and have no fear giving up Gordon, i would be afraid of what else they would trade.

If they threw in Ferguson i would do that in a heartbeat. Mostly because it would be fun to be relevant again. Problem is Presti would fight and claw to keep Ferguson and insist on our draft picks coming back to Houston. He would sell it as a privilege to get Westbrook, instead of a salary dump, which it is. Again i would do that in a heartbeat as long as we got Ferguson. Had to edit: Of course to save face i think any team they trade him to will have to throw in a pick, i just wouldn't want it to be too much. In our scenario Presti can easily play Gordon and Fournier or flip them for more assets. Still i think he would ask for a first rounder.

I think the Magic just screwed themselves by cutting and stretching Mozgov. Some of the best trades i could come up with involved his contract. Maybe this is good for the Magic. They seem to get fleeced in trades especially if the they trade with Morey,Presti or Masai. I think the Rockets,Raptors and Thunder will make big moves after that huge Clippers trade. Thunder and Raptors to rebuild, Rockets to keep up with the league. http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine The trade machine is up and running again. I love using this keep track of players they update it every day. I cannot come up with any realistic trades for us with those 3 teams. I'm pretty sure we are locked into our roster. The good news is we should be fun to watch. The bad news is our ceiling depends on Fultz, Isaac or Bamba. Of all our players i think only Bamba and Isaac have a chance to be special, maybe. This is Gordon's last year to impress me, i think he can be an all-star but only as a reserve, not an Alpha.

Why didn't we sign a few guys known more for shooting or offense. This what everyone is trying to say. Aminu is a defensive specialist, lets cut to the chase. This is undeniable. In fact Portland has had low scoring forwards the last few years because CJ and Dame take most of the shots. In theory we can have that shooting with more internal growth. I just wish we had gotten at least one more shooter, they were out there.

I had a busy week, so i'm going to catch up with a few thoughts on the Magic and free agency. First this is going to be a must watch season, amazing changes in the NBA. Second i think our division will be trash the next few years. Atlanta looks to be the team with the most potential, but we all know it takes rookies years to gel. Washington and Charlotte will be awful, no comment needed. The Heat always surprise but i have no idea what they are doing. Just by default this is good for the Magic. Now about our free agency. It looks like we are rolling out the same team and hoping for internal growth. i think this makes us a playoff team for sure the next few years. We have a high floor but a low ceiling, i can't deny this. However, it is fun to finally have an identity.Last year was fun, i'm all in on being a top defensive team in the NBA. When the Magic went to the finals it was all about our front court. It wasn't just Howard, Turkoglu and Lewis were mismatches other teams could not handle. We actually just saw the same thing this year with Toronto. The reason it worked in 2009 and for Toronto was almost everyone could shoot the 3 ball. I feel like the Magic were the team that started this trend. We do have players who can shoot though, with just a little improvement. You all know DJ and Ross were pretty good last year. Gordon started the year hot and Isaac finished strong. If we can just have a bounce back year from Fournier and Aminu keeps his 3 and D status we look good in this area. The bad news, as always is the point guard situation. Quite frankly if DJ gets hurt we are *****ed, just like 2017.Even in the best situation with Fultz he's basically a rookie.Even if he finds his shot it's not likely to be that good for another year. How we didn't target an experienced point guard who can shoot is beyond me. Instead of Aminu many of us would rather have spent that money on a Hill,Collison,Joseph or Satoransky. Just as alarming is how we didn't go after the bargain basement point guards like Rose,Smith,Burks or anyone who can shoot. After saying all that coaching is the key. Whenever Fultz or MCW are in the game if they are always attacking the paint and pushing the ball this could work. It will work but only if all our wings are hitting their spot up 3's. In the right system i can see a team that looks a little lik our last finals team. I can't wait to see it unfold, bring on the season.

Bingo, he was drafted by Cleveland and using Smith's contract combined with someone else can give the wolves Cap space. Mystery solved, next puzzle please.