Is Orlando a desirable free-agent destination?

[TrueBlueDrew 75]

All of the free agent talk has had me asking myself this question for several weeks now and I am curious what the forum thinks.

 

Realistically, why would a Durant choose to come to Orlando instead of a Boston, New York, Dallas, or any other major city?

 

I know you have to add elements of team, contract offers, etc. however you just don't see major players choosing to go to Milwaukee, Orlando, Detroit, or even Washington. Most of those teams got their talent via draft/trade.

 

So I pose the question to you...

 

Why should a big name free agent in 2016 choose Orlando over other cities with bigger markets? Is a good contract and young nucleus enough?

[ball junkie 277]

And to add another question......With all the Lebron stuff (great story by the way) and the NBA seemingly reaching all kinds of high-level popularity and all of this free-agent talk and teams around the league(for the most part) bolstering their respective rosters.....

 

For us, Henny has taken away Nelson and Affalo and added Gordon( times 2) and Payton.

 

Now, the Magic seem to be finished as there is no mention of anything in regards to our team....anywhere on the net.

 

As a Magic fan I feel as though I'm losing something....

[Marc Acres 3:16 418]

And to add another question......With all the Lebron stuff (great story by the way) and the NBA seemingly reaching all kinds of high-level popularity and all of this free-agent talk and teams around the league(for the most part) bolstering their respective rosters.....

 

For us, Henny has taken away Nelson and Affalo and added Gordon( times 2) and Payton.

 

Now, the Magic seem to be finished as there is no mention of anything in regards to our team....anywhere on the net.

 

As a Magic fan I feel as though I'm losing something....

 

How much did you hear about the Frye and Gordon moves? Who is out there that in your opinion would help the team enough to satisfy you and still would not damage cap space to the point it would prevent us from being an option for a big time FA?

[TreyMachine 398]

And to add another question......With all the Lebron stuff (great story by the way) and the NBA seemingly reaching all kinds of high-level popularity and all of this free-agent talk and teams around the league(for the most part) bolstering their respective rosters.....

 

For us, Henny has taken away Nelson and Affalo and added Gordon( times 2) and Payton.

 

Now, the Magic seem to be finished as there is no mention of anything in regards to our team....anywhere on the net.

 

As a Magic fan I feel as though I'm losing something....

 

Addition by subtraction. Henny's uprooting the old guard to allow for the next guard to make their own mistakes and grow at a quicker rate than as a serviceable back-up. The Spurs did it when they lost all their players from the first championship (minus Duncan) and put the hands in some young guys named Ginobli and Parker. Same thing happened when Seattle traded away their older vets to make room for guys like Durant and Westbrook to grow into their own.

 

It's the nature of the beast. You've just gotta have a little patience, junkie. If after this year, we don't see markable improvement in our W-L or at least from the development of Victor, Vuc, Harris, and co.... THEN we can say we are worried as our players begin to hit their ceilings.

 

As for the question -

 

1. No State Income Tax - helps a player get an extra couple of million.

 

2. Young Nucleus - If our players show improvement on rookie contracts, you can image someone would want to come here out of a bad situation (I don't see Durant coming here after all that the Thunder have done for him).

 

3. GM Track-Record - if Gordon/Payton work out, Henny will again be seen as a capable GM with money-logic in mind. So, while the Magic might not be willing to "Spend big" like NY or LA, they continuously find guys who will play the role necessary to win in the end.

 

4. Weather - not a huge deal, but it is nice to not have to deal with Winter and to be an hour away from the beach for family, relaxation, and such.

 

 

Marketing deals do lend themselves towards big markets though. I'm mostly scared because Phoenix just barely missed the playoffs, has many good young pieces, and had salary room to sign TWO major free agents.... and came away with nothing thus far... THAT is my fear.

 

Then again, I don't think we're looking to attract major free agents. Between extending the contracts of Victor, Vuc, Harris - and later Payton, Gordon - I just don't see us looking to "use" our cap space on a max free agents unless we truly believe he is worth the money (like a Durant). Other than that, we will use our money intelligently, keeping in mind our desire to extend out our own rookies in 1-2 years rather than being strapped to someone like Gordon Haywood for $16 mil a year.

[barnettej 263]

It's all about proof.

 

Prove that your a good enough team that might be missing a piece or two and we become that favorite destination of players. Everything else is a sub plot.

 

Miami proved that to Bosh and Lebron early, winning a champ and retaining Wade.

 

The Magic need to prove they can win first (We know we can tank). Then can the Magic win enough for a playoff birth consistently. Last but not least, can the Magic progress with each playoff appearance. If the Magic can do these things; then quality players will want to play for Orlando.

 

Right now I'm sure a few are just watching to see how we do from this point forward.

[Bauncey Chillups 288]

What major free agent has Boston landed in the last 10 years?

[A Better DJ & Photographer 457]

We had Rashard, TMac, Grant Hill, and almost got Duncan. That's a pretty good cast of free agents that came to Orlando if you ask me :D

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

Let's not forget we play in the weaker east which is an advantage.

[Emory889 353]

We aren't Milwaukee. Every time we have had significant capspace and went after a guy, we got him. The only player we missed on was Duncan, and we BARELY missed him. I'd say there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Orlando is a desirable destination.

[~O~ 565]

We have 20 malls and an Aston Martin dealership. Of course Orlando is favorable destination.

[Jay Magic 1,247]

@MokeHamilton

Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, Tobias Harris, Moe Harkless… Yea, let’s just sleep on the #Magic, all together.

 

Not saying #Magic are world beaters, but you’ve gotta understand that a good backcourt and solid center is the foundation. Magic have that.

[Mike1989 68]

All of the free agent talk has had me asking myself this question for several weeks now and I am curious what the forum thinks.

 

Realistically, why would a Durant choose to come to Orlando instead of a Boston, New York, Dallas, or any other major city?

 

I know you have to add elements of team, contract offers, etc. however you just don't see major players choosing to go to Milwaukee, Orlando, Detroit, or even Washington. Most of those teams got their talent via draft/trade.

 

So I pose the question to you...

 

Why should a big name free agent in 2016 choose Orlando over other cities with bigger markets? Is a good contract and young nucleus enough?

 

I think Orlando is an attractive destination for players to come to. There is no state income tax, the weather is nice, the fans are generally loyal and passionate, amazing arena and plans for the surrounding area, and the GM is building a talented young roster. We have managed to sign some big name free agents in the past, and it wouldn't surprise me to see us do the same again. This team has a good track record of building talented rosters and attracting free agents. Plus, we have made the play offs 14 out of 25 seasons which isn't a bad track record.

 

Our young team needs to take a step forward this season. If the team can jump into the 30-win or so range, and the likes of Payton, Oladipo, Harkless, Harris, Gordon, Vuc and co show significant improvement, then I think big name free agents would be tempted to come join a very talented young roster like ours. We have a ton of athleticism and defensive potential, and offensively the team should develop in an effective unit. We have another draft and potentially a lot of cap space to use. So I think we have an attractive package to sell to any free agents that hit the market next off season. But what it ultimately comes down to is what the big name free agents want. Do they want to join a talented young roster with the potential to become a longer term contender [if our draft picks pan out]? Or do they want to join a bigger market for monetary reasons?

 

That is a question that only the big name free agents can answer, and one that we will find out if we go down that path. It is possible that Henny decides to find this team's stars through the draft and add veteran free agents as supporting members. But if we can get Durant I'll be happy!