TreyMachine

You know what’s crazier than us trading for Markelle Fultz for what everyone considered to be relatively cheap? The pick we traded away - a late playoff pick at the time from OKC (21) - became Tyrese Maxey. Just found that out. Ugh. Lol

Markelle Fultz was the consensus #1 pick. Elite explosive first step, great handles, very good jump shot, and really good vision/passing. Literally the guy just needed to add a 3 pt jumper and he would have been an All-Star had he just kept to the status quo. The issue was his confidence and jump shot both regressed, and as we saw, he essentially had then a ceiling of Elfrid Payton. A player like that becomes an all-star 60% of the time and a talented starter another 30% of the time. He was the small % that didn’t make it. You take that bet each time if the draft happens again with the same information.

I'm in sales and that's why when you go to the table you know EVERYTHING about the competition who is trying to win over your client and how they've probably pitched. If Doc says, "Hey - we never have, and it's not normal, but I'm happy to run it up the chain if it's important to you." The "I don't know let me get back to you" response would have given leadership time to think about it as Tim Duncan was seen as a generational player. Honestly, for TD's legacy, I'm happy he stayed with Pop. But as a Magic fan, I'm obviously devastated. Here's a real question: Do you trade maybe 4 years (before it implodes with Doc as coach) of TMac/Duncan/Hurt Grant Hill (remember he played almost none of 2000 and 2001) and a bunch of scrubs at the vet minimum b/c we'd have no other cap space from 2000-2004 (height of Lakers/Nets years) for our 2006-2010 run with D12/Turk/Lewis/Nelson (we never get Dwight Howard if we're not horribly bad in 2003)? We all know that we didn't end up with a championship but man were those good times.

Thanks for creating the thread and bringing awareness to our game today that I didn't know about. Looking forward to watching and seeing Anthony Black take the Summer League MVP!

I’d love to know how hard we actually went for Hartenstein based on the metrics, I would assume we would have been more aggressive unless we liked our guys a lot more than we anticipated.

A few things to note as I catch up: - Cole continues to be the hype man of this team. He’s always positive, in the middle of the group laughing, and seems to be a huge encourager. For a young team, that is one of the most important things you can have to keep a team together. I don’t see Cole going anywhere because his locker room presence would be so sorely missed more than his contract and on court play would indicate. - Chuma I don’t think has much of a market in the NBA. I could see us giving him a two-way contract as insurance or maybe he goes to Europe. His brother is a residential broker with Keller Williams and for the past 5~ seasons had been the defacto real estate agent for everyone on the team (and others) in the market. I think Chuma would want to continue to be rooted here all other things considered. - Joe Ingles I think does want to be in Orlando long term with his family (as he indicated he wanted). His kids are elementary/pre-school and from what I understand they prefer the warm weather. They bought a nice house here and overpaid for it to be in the location. My gut says Minnesota offered so much more than the Magic were willing to give (if anything at all) and so the family will stay in Orlando while Joe plays and works in Minnesota for one year and then he’ll move back. That’s my gut based on everything I know here locally.

ESPN claimed us a Winner of Free Agency so far https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/40485013/nba-free-agency-2024-early-winners-sixers-thunder-losers-lakers-clippers

Wasn’t that the Carlos Boozer fiasco? They agreed to an extension but then he got offered more money after the verbal and went with them instead?

I told you all we should have gotten CP3 as a placeholder PG and mentor to others in our locker room but EVERYONE chewed me out for it lol…

oh boy - this feels like a response of someone who likes to create drama. lol Also, Denver covering themselves. Their team needs to keep finding ways to grow but I still think they're great with Murray/Jokic at the helm regardless of who is around them.

With how he didn't show up in the playoffs outside of like 1 game, I don't know that I offer much. He can't play off-ball well, which is what we need as we'll want the ball in Paolo's hands, and he doesn't bring other things done exceptionally well to the table (defense, catch and shoot, great passes), so I just don't see this being a fit unless we really believe he's the #2 scorer we've been missing and a better option than Franz as the #2 option.

Free Agency brings everyone out! Hello, Catalina! haha

what's our beef with WCJ? Does he just don't fit into our identity? Were his numbers bad? I remember we always seemed to be better with him in the lineup.

Are we looking to pay JI more than $20M/year??? He's already at $17M/year and if we're extending the contract, that means we're paying him more guaranteed money.

Good deal for a backup that works hard and has shown to make smart plays when given more time. If anything, we are loading up on quality guys with tradable contracts.

Y'all can do what you want, but I'm not touching a deal with Danny Ainge on the other line. Danny Ainge doesn't lose deals.

I think you can overpay for a two year deal with a young team. It's the 4 years for an aging player where it makes it harder to pay your young guys that is the harder pill to swallow. These deals are definitely a bit crazy. Honestly, do y'all remember when we had a good amount of cap space in the summer of 2016 and what we did with it? Evan Fournier: Five years, $85MM. Fifth year player option. Bismack Biyombo: Four years, $68MM. Fourth year player option. D.J. Augustin: Four years, $29MM Jeff Green: One year, $15MM. We're showing financial restraint rather than paying guys just to fill up our cap space. I'm not convinced we're done but I'd much rather have our 1st day than overpaying Bismarck Biyombo like we did in 2016 just because we had the need and the money.

Cole just feels like such a good locker room guy for our young locker room and a great 6th man off the bench. I get he can be erratic, but both WCJ+Cole are on good contracts for their talent levels. Who do you realistically trade them for and does it really get you net better as you're likely looking at a backup Guard unless you want KCP coming off the bench or Paolo playing the 5.

I think we fill up our Cap Space with 2 year deals to remain flexible this season and next. Mo Wagner (backup center) and another backup guard for insurance on Jett (I'm not convinced he's NBA ready). You can bring in Hartenstein but does he want to just sit not the bench and if so, how does that affect the minutes of Mo and JI? I just don't see it unless we're about to do a trade. If I've learned anything, it's that the Magic brass really value good contracts that keep them flexible outside of their core. The Magic don't want to get stuck with terrible contracts for aging players (Lavine, Beal, Russell Westbrook, Harden, John Wall type of contracts that are basically untradeable).

Andrew Drummond and Eric Gordon signing. You've got Drummond, Gordon, Maxey, and Embiid on that team basically right now. Does that make PG want to go there? It feels like basically PG can ONLY sign with the 76ers at this time with the Clippers officially releasing a statement that he's going to sign with someone else. It's a Big 3 in the East that I'm sure he's hoping works out. Just crazy that PG has played with Harden and all he's likely said behind the scenes and still is willing to sign with the 76ers.

Everyone is hailing KCP as an elite defensive player and saying that we now have "the best defensive backcourt in the league," but KCP has never made an all-defensive team? Are voters not looking at advanced analytics or what?

KCP is 31. He's certainly not old but he's definitely on the back 9 of his career and will likely start losing a step. Any nerves here on that one?

I do like the signing of KCP, don't get me wrong, but does that mean we were never actually serious about Paul George? I have to believe we were never actually in conversation with him then or we got the indication very early on we were actually just the stocking horse for LA/Philly.

I knew you could do this in baseball, but can you do this in basketball? Are players on waivers and a team can make a claim to pick up a $30M contract and make that player play with us next year?

My guess is Lakers. He wants a ring. If Paul george stays in LA, maybe the Clippers. contenders that don’t make sense: Denver, Boston, Mavs, Minnesota, maybe works: OKC. I love him here but I don’t think he’s coming here.