TrueBlueDrew

I posted this on draft thread earlier today, but I edited it and copied my offseason dreams and I'll post it here. I personally would love for the Magic to be super aggressive this off season and go for two lottery picks. A package of Fournier/Ross/Mack/Future Pick -- I think that would entice the Clippers to give up the #12 pick. Maybe we'd have to take someone back like Louis Williams or S&T for Avery Bradley. I would personally love to have Tobias Harris back, but I'm not sure they'll let him go. With our pick at #6, I would love to see the Magic go after Mikal Bridges With our hopeful pick at #12, I would love to see the Magic get SGA. Then you have free agency. Bleacher Report says that we could have Dennis Schroder by trading Vucevic Which I think could be an interesting get for us, that lets SGA have some room to grow and learn without the pressure of producing immediately. If we traded Vuc, you obviously need some other role playing bigs who will take smaller contracts who could be role players for us if Isaac and Gordon hit their strides. Our main offseason acquisition target should be Rodney Hood in my opinion. I like his attitude, he can create his own shot, and he won't be arrogant enough to look for a max contract or anything like that. I think he is an achievable target. PG -- Schroder / SGA / DJ SG -- Simmons / Iwundu SF -- Hood / Bridges PF -- Gordon / Isaac C -- Birch Obviously, we'd still need to fill out that roster a little bit with some role players. Here is a short list of names I wouldn't mind seeing the Magic go after. PG -- If we trade DJ somewhere -- IT, Jeremy Lin, Dante Exum SG -- Zach LaVine, Wayne Ellington, Mario Hezonja SF -- Wilson Chandler, Jabari Parker PF -- Michael Beasley, Luc Mbah a Moute C -- Enes Kanter, Greg Monroe, Nerleans Noel, Montrezl Harrell If the price is right, I'd be interested in these guys. I don't want bad contracts and I know A LOT of our money is going to AG, but I'd be interested what kind of "magic" our FO could come up with because I don't know how interested the rest of the NBA will be in these guys. I think there is a pitch that we can make to the FA's that isn't just "come to Florida cause of Tax stuff and it's sunny." I think you almost pitch free agents like you would recruit in college. "Have we had a bad recent history? Yes. Are we doing something about it. You're damn right. You could be apart of building something. You could be apart of something special, not just another piece in a puzzle, but a building block to bringing this proud franchise out of the depths it has been in for years." I think the guys on this list have this "I have something to prove" attitude and we can tap into that as we're rebuilding.

I feel the same way. If he tried the stuff he does at Virginia in the NBA, he'd be fired in 2 years.

I'm just saying...if I'm going PG with our pick (which I have wanted for 2+ years). I think we really only have 2 options in the lottery unless we trade for the Clippers pick. Collin Sexton or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- Sexton's highlights were shared a page or two back. But I'm telling you this kid is going to be special. He's calm and collected. Vs Sexton and Young, SGA is the better defender hands down. He's going to get others involved. I see attributes of Rajon Rondo in him (getting others involved) with a better offensive game.

Shaka Smart would be interesting. Especially if we did go ahead and draft Bamba. Jay Wright would be interesting. Not sure how he'd connect with NBA guys. Seems more of a college guy fit. Jay Wright just feels like Billy Donovan to me, glorified at the college level but doesn't really translate well in the NBA.

Also, I'd trade Vuc + Isaac + future pick -- For Kat + Minn pick this year. Then I'd trade Fournier + Ross + future pick -- For LA's #12 :) I know those are both video game type trades, but I'd still make the pitch and see how interested they were. You can build a team around Gordon, KAT, Bridges, SGA.

This link will probably make you guys happy I haven't been the biggest Bamba fan, even with all of you guys kinda going nuts about him. For me, if we went with Bamba, I'd shrug my shoulders instead of being overly excited. Similar to the way I shrugged my shoulders last season at Isaac. While Isaac still looks promising, I'm worried that his frame will never be able to handle a rigorous 82 game season. I was really hoping the Magic would get Smith Jr. so I was a little disappointed. When I look at this draft, I'm worried that if we go big with our draft pick, we are essentially wasting another year of progress because of the log-jam of bigs we have. We're not trading Biz anytime soon, unless we can package Vuc somehow for another lottery pick this year, I doubt we're trading him. So you have Vuc/Biz/Isaac/Gordon/Birch -- that's a lot to go through in order to find playing time and a rhythm. For me, at the 6 spot, here is my wish list: 1. Mikal Bridges 2. Either JJJ or Bamba (I think I like JJJ's versatility a little more than Bambas) With Bamba, you basically are reverting back to old school NBA with an anchor big. That lineup doesn't win anymore. Even with the Rudy Gobert comparison, Jazz lost to a superior Rockets but Capela outplayed Gobert because of versatility. Look at Toronto with Valanciunas or Memphis with Marc Gasol or the Clips with DJ or the Heat with Whiteside or Lakers with Lopez. You need a guy who is versatile and isn't just a glorified shot blocker. That's why Horford, KAT (even though his defense isn't very good at the moment), Embiid, Cousins, Jokic -- are all lightyears above the others mentioned because they have more to their game. I'm worried Bamba falls into the first category and we desperately need a versatile star. 3. I'd take a serious look at MPJ if he is there. We need scoring and if healthy, he is one of the more pure scorers in this draft who seems to fit the NBA. I know there are going to be Young fanboys saying he is the next Curry, but I honestly do not see it. Maybe I'm wrong and he goes off. But I think NBA teams figure him out quickly and he gets shut down.

I am hoping that all of this silence means someone is going to come out of nowhere for the position. I am heavily trusting the Magic FO in the middle of all of this. Imagine we have a Vanterpool (HC), Stackhouse (AHC), and Samson (AHC) coaching staff? The guy with the most NBA experience gets the head coaching position, the guy in the g-league gets coaching experience in the NBA, and the college guy makes a return to the NBA and could help mentor a young coaching staff. That's my wishlist. Please make it happen :)

Also, would you ever consider Hezonja back on the right contract? I'd be interested to know if the playing time at the end of the year helped his confidence and now he is able to contribute. I'd hate to see him leave and then all of the sudden turn into a valuable piece for another Org (aka Harkless, Deadmon, Gortat, Dipo, Harris, etc etc etc etc etc)

Orlando Magic Roster (2018-2019): PG -- Augustin/Mack SG -- Fournier/Simmons/Iwundu SF -- Ross PF -- Gordon/Isaac C -- Vucevic/Biyombo/Isaac/Birch So who would you like to see the Magic target in the off-season? Let's say right now the Magic stay at 2 draft picks and don't trade their way into another lottery pick. Point and Small Forward are the obvious targets. If we could package Fournier/Ross and either Vuc or Biz, for a decent small forward and a lottery draft pick. I'd be all for it, but I don't know who wants to take on Biz's salary. Here are some of the targets I would like to see the Magic aim for: PG -- Marcus Smart, Michael-Carter Williams, Jameer Nelson (let him finish his career with us as a mentor) SG -- Rodney Hood (if we traded Fournier), Pat Connaughton (I like him as a defensive energy guy, I can see him develop into a role specialist). SF -- Zach LaVine, Jerami Grant, Vince Carter (same as Jameer), Jabari Parker (could he make the transition to SF?) Thoughts?

Yeah, I could see that. I just know that Porter Jr. was a solid player prior to the injury. And lets not forget how other players have come back from injuries before (ie: Irving + Smith Jr). I don't think we go for a center. Isaac needs to be a C, AG at PF. When he played at PF last season, he was great. I don't think he'd be fast enough for most SF. So I think the SF position is one that we could focus on. I personally think we need to address a PG in the first round this year. I really like Sexton and SGA. So if we could convince the Clips to give up that #12 or 13, I would be willing to part ways with pretty much everyone not named AG, Isaac, and Simmons to get that pick.

On a different note. I would love to see this type of aggression from our FO. What type of package would convince the Clippers to accept that deal? If we could turn Biz, Evan, a future draft pick, into #12 and lets say the ping-pong balls are nice and we get a top 4 pick. How does this sound? #4 -- Michael Porter Jr. #12 -- Shai Gilgerous Alexander or Lonnie Walker #35 -- Chandler Hutchison

I saw a lot of Trae Young this year and man I just have a bad feeling about this kid. Seems like he has bust written all over him. Once teams in the Big12 figured him out, he was awful in the back half of the season and the Sooners shouldn't have even been in the NCAA Tournament. Then once they got to the tournament, he had an awful showing. Sure he scored 20-something points, but most of those were layups and free throws. He didn't shoot well from the outside and didn't have many assists if my memory serves me correctly. I just don't like his possibility against bigger talent. Now I know I've seen the Trae Young = next Steph Curry comparison before, but Curry went off in his NCAA Tournament appearance, led his team to the Elite 8 and had himself a game every single time. Elevating your game when your team needs it is the mark of a great player, I just don't see that with Young.

I don't live in Florida anymore so I guess I don't see the local side of the Magic. But I hope that Martin does that. I guess I base that opinion off the way he was involved with Skiles/Hennigan. I just didn't like it at all. Really left a sour taste in my mouth and I think Henny got a bad wrap (even though he was really incompetent at times) because of how involved Martin insisted on being. But maybe I'm wrong.

Yeah I agree. I think new ownership and no more Martin would be a very good thing for Orlando, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Maybe Devos could get enough courage to just fire Martin and get a new guy, then step away from the Org and let them run it. I like Casey, but I'm really hoping the Magic stay away from this one. I just don't think that he has it in him to rebuild. Stan is another story, but with his history here, I'm not sure he'd be willing to come back. I really would like to see the Magic go with some young voices on this one. Vanterpool is my #1. My dream team would be Vanterpool as head coach and Stackhouse as an assistant head coach, but I think Stack might end up in Detroit.

Well if Nurse was a top 3 target, then it makes sense to wait. I think the connections between Nurse and our FO probably means he is in a good position. But I'm actually really hoping for some type of combination between of Nurse, Vanterpool, and Stack -- with Stack being an assistant to the other two.

I agree with that. I don't think Toronto's failings are a result of the coaching staff. What are the odds that we could snag maybe 2 of the names on the list we're seeing thrown around? Stackhouse, Nurse, Udoka, Vanterpool, or Kalamian? I wouldn't mind seeing one being a head coach and one being an assistant. Maybe Stack would like an assistant job to start getting some NBA experience. I personally really like Vanterpool, but I don't think he'd leave for another assistant gig. I'd be okay with him as a head coach and Stack as an assistant. Or Nurse/Stack. We went all in for the front office positions. We need to go all in on a coach and coaching staff. Don't be afraid to throw big bucks at assistant coaches if it gives us a lot of solid voices around a developing team.

Disclaimer: Post not to be taken seriously, just decided to have some fun with trade machine Don't worry guys...I've figured out how to solve all of our problems Step 1: (Include Nets pick) Step 2: (Includes 2019 Magic pick) Step 3: Eliminates bad contracts Orlando Receives: Reggie Jackson and Malik Monk Charlotte Receives: Aaron Afflalo Detroit Pistons: Biyombo PG -- Smith Jr. / Jackson / Mack SG -- Shumpert / Monk / Simmons SF -- Barnes / Iwundu PF -- Gordon / Faried / Isaac C -- Noel / Speights / Birch Good news is that even if these guys don't pan out, contracts are short. (And yes...I know that Dallas would never trade Smith Jr, but I'm a big fan of this kid) 1st First Round Draft Pick -- Marvin Bagley 2nd First Round Draft Pick -- Michael Porter Jr. Second Round Draft Pick -- Jalen Hudson

Yeah I agree. There is no way we've jumped into the top 6. Maybe top 10? Top Tier: Celtics/Cavs/Raptors/Wizards Middle Tier: Bucks/Heat/Hornets/76ers Bottom Tier: Pistons/Hawks/Bulls/Pacers/Knicks/Nets I think the Magic are in the top part of that Bottom Tier. I think we will be floating around 7-11 most of the year. The Hawks/Knicks/Nets/Pacers are probably going to be in the bottom 4. The Magic/Hornets/76ers/Heat/Pistons are probably going to be battling for those final few playoff spots. The bad news is that the East is totally depleted of star power and the balance, I dont think has ever been stronger on the West than it is right now. The good news is that like 3-4 other teams are just now starting their rebuilds and while we may have just made FO changes, we at least have some pieces in place so we aren't starting with nothing. The bad news is that the team still lacks an identity or center piece to build around and have a bad rep with the rest of the NBA, so free agents don't want come here. The good news...we aren't the Knicks or Nets. So we have that going for us.

Or this one... http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=y7fjgr29 Combined with this one http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ycyeushp

Good news guys...I solved all our problems http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ydg43pw2

Knowing what you know now about our roster, how it is filling out. How would you like to see that 8 mil spent? Payton/Mack/DJ Fournier/Simmons/Iwundu Ross/Hezonja Gordon/Isaac Vucevic/Biyombo/Speights I still think a Alex Poythress, Terrance Jones, Aaron Afflalo, Tony Allen would be a good fit for this team. Afflalo if you want to address the offensive woes and Allen if you want keep going with the defensive grind identity. Terrance Jones and Poythress would both be hustle guys who want to prove themselves.

Bismack Biyombo 17,000,000 Evan Fournier 17,000,000 Nikola Vucevic 12,250,000 Terrence Ross 10,500,000 DJ Augustin 7,250,000 Jonathon Simmons 6,300,000 Shelvin Mack 6,000,000 Aaron Gordon 5,504,419 Jonathan Isaac 4,186,320 Mario Hezonja 4,078,320 Elfrid Payton 3,332,340 Patricio Garino 1,312,611 Marcus Georges-Hunt 1,312,611 CJ Watson 1,000,000 Total: 97,026,621 Cap: 98,750,927 Remaining: $1,724,306 So someone explain this to me, if we waive/cut Georges-Hunt and Garino, does that 2.6 mil and change free up? Then we would have around 4.3 mil to spend on free agents if we choose? The money side of things always confuses me, just trying to get a better grip on how much we have to spend.

I think Irving is a pipe-dream. Just like getting Chris Paul all those years ago, the major difference in that conversation was that we actually had a superstar people were attracted to at the time. We currently don't have a superstar anyone is attracted to. I think Gordon can be developed into a guy that could one day be an all-star level talent, but he isn't there yet. However, being an all-star on the East for the next few years will feel totally different than being an all-star on the west. I think Gordon and Fournier need to be who we build around. Everyone else can go. Both Evan and AG have their flaws but their flaws aren't awful. They're manageable as long as the guys remain coachable. I can see both of them take the next steps to be nice pieces in the machine of a playoff team in the NBA. Isaac is an interesting guy. I was impressed with him the little I saw him this year, but I could see him become an Aldridge/Gasol/Love/R. Lewis type player. A big man who can spread the floor and get you rebounds. The thing that you notice immediately is his length and from the videos I've seen him in, seems like he flows naturally on defense. Biyombo/Isaac/Gordon could be a pretty lethal defensive big man combination. With the right coaching, Gordon/Fournier/Isaac could develop into nice pieces for the Magic. However, they still need that superstar. They need a FO and coaching staff that can sell a vision that is appealing to a major player. I'm not entirely sure who that player might be. Maybe the Magic can make a trade for a player who is at the end of their contract for one team and they don't think he will re-up so they rent him for the second half of the season and then try to convince him to recruit another stellar player to join him in Magic Blue? Maybe a trade like this --> LINK Vucevic needs to go in my opinion. I've read the reasons why people want to keep him and why it is difficult to move him right now, but hopefully we can find something that can work. Or maybe the Magic hold onto their cards and trust their coaches to develop and their offseason moves to pan out. Most of the lists I've seen have both Payton and Gordon being top talent players under 25. Who knows, maybe they figure this thing out and Payton, Gordon, Isaac, and Hezonja become the type of players we hope they will become.

So signing Iwundu PG - Payton/Mack/DJ SG - Fournier/Simmons/Iwundu/Georges-Hunt SF - Ross/Hezonja/Garino PF - Gordon/Isaac C - Vucevic/Biyombo/Speights Gordon (RFA) + Hezonja (TO) + Payton (RFA) + Georges-Hunt + Garino (RFA) + assumedly Speights are all free agents Summer 2018 We still have some work to do. I still think a trade and a few waives are in order. Under Henny, I put my faith in the players we were collecting. I liked the nucleus of Payton/Dipo/Harris/AG and then add Vucevic and Hezonja, things seemed promising. With the current roster, I'm putting my faith in a competent front office and coaching staff. Here's hoping we can either make a little magic happen in trades or we can either go full tank next season or reach the playoffs, no more of this lower-middle ground stuff.

I don't mind the Fournier deal, I'd rather deal for a PG that can work with Evan though, but I do like the pieces that come back. Wilson would be great for the direction I think Vogel is taking the team. What about the other deals on that website? Trade 1: Brooklyn Nets receive: Bismack Biyombo, Mario Hezonja, 2019 second-round pick Orlando Magic receive: Trevor Booker Trade 2: Miami Heat receive: Terrence Ross Orlando Magic receive: Tyler Johnson, Okaro White