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The Neighborhood Bully

2018-19 Official Season Discussion Thread

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The Magic Are Looking

The word in NBA circles is the Orlando Magic are looking for deals. Ideally, anything the Magic do returns a starting caliber point guard. However, there doesn’t appear to be much out there for Orlando, but that hasn’t stopped teams from calling, especially as it pertains to the Magic’s expiring contracts guys.

There has been considerable interest in Magic guard Terrence Ross dating back to last season, even while injured. With Ross scorching the NBA from the three-point line and a sense that he’ll walk in free agency, Ross’ name comes up most frequently from teams that have been poking around the Magic’s roster.

The New York Time’s Marc Stein recently reported the Magic seem more interest in moving Jonathon Simmons than Ross, although league sources have said repeatedly that Ross would return far more value, even as a pending free agent.

Simmons is an interesting name to watch also, mainly because only $1 million of his 2019-20 salary is guaranteed, making him an interesting addition for a team looking to shed contract dollars next summer.

It’s not hard to see the Magic’s biggest roster need is a point guard. The Magic have been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers and former top pick Markelle Fultz, although Magic sources have downplayed how serious or in-depth those talks really were.

The Magic, according to sources, have started doing due diligence on some of the notable would-be free agent point guards, and they do have eyes for both Boston’s Terry Rozier and Brooklyn’s D’Angelo Russell. Rozier is considered the top option, but there is expected to be significant demand for Rozier, if and when he hits free agency.

The Magic seem to be willing to deal now, but not at the expense of their future, so this could be an interesting week regarding what gets offered to Orlando with so many teams saying the Magic are open for business.

Via Basketball Insiders

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7 minutes ago, Magicpassion said:

No thanks, the draft pick will fall as a role player and Issac's upside is higher

whose picks do they own going forward do we know?

I agree no way to Issac

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1 hour ago, KRISH10 said:

I have said it several of times that Clifford has purposely kept BIG off of the floor together for some reason. I kind of doubt that he starts them 3 tonight (Even though he should)

I think you're reading too much into things. It's not a purposeful thing. Vucevic plays a ton. Isaac is Gordon's backup at the 4. It's difficult to build a rotation where Isaac, Gordon, and Bamba play at the same time unless they all start because you'd end up in a situation where Isaac or Gordon plays too many consecutive minutes

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1 hour ago, Magicpassion said:

I watched the Laker/Nets game last night and man..... Russell looked real good at the point! He has star qualities; Lonzo looked pretty good as well. The knock on Russell has been his defense, but I think Clifford could fix that as the kid has the tools; it’s probably more an effort thing. I think we should inquire.

 

 

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Celtics Receive: Jonathan Isaac

Magic Receive: Terry Rozier, Guerschon Yabusele, 2019 first-round pick

Targeting Jonathan Isaac is more of a big-picture play for the Celtics, but he's not without immediate gains.

The 21-year-old remains an unpolished offensive player. He has the handle to finish off straight-line drives and the speed to make electric plays in transition, but not much else. He's shooting under 30 percent on jumpers, including just 23.3 percent on wide-open threes. Boston has the spacing to get more out of Isaac, even if he doesn't establish himself as a low-volume outside threat. His defensive integration should be seamless. He works his butt off to contest everything, his arms are always in passing lanes, and he merges the line between wings and bigs.

Only three other players are matching his steal and block rates in at least 20 minutes per game: Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Granted, the Celtics would not only be betting on Isaac to unlock some tantalizing small-ball combos. They'd also be counting on his trade value outstripping that of their own first-rounder.

With the Clippers, Grizzlies and Kings all threatening to finish the year inside or around the playoff bubble, Boston could use another high-upside buffer for eventual Davis packages. Isaac, who has two years left on his rookie-scale deal after this one, is more appealing than a bottom-10 to bottom-five first-rounder.

Much like the Suns, the Magic could balk and opt to chase Rozier in restricted free agency. They have a cleaner cap sheet than Phoenix. Eking out more than $15 million in room won't be a problem. But that mandates they renounce Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, both of whom are having career years.

Vucevic is easier to ditch with Mo Bamba and Aaron Gordon in the fold. Ross is harder to let go. Waiving Jonathon Simmons ($1 million guarantee) lets the Magic keep one while grinding out Rozier money, but it doesn't give them the juice to win a bidding war.

Not that they should be tripping over themselves to overpay free agents. They shouldn't. They're still too early in the rebuilding process. But turning Isaac into a viable starting point guard and an extra first-rounder makes some sense if they're married to Bamba and Gordon.

Playing those three at the same time is a no-go. They've logged just nine minutes together this season, and the numbers aren't pretty. That doesn't stand to change unless Gordon or Isaac becomes a quasi-wing for the Magic or Bamba mirrors Vucevic's offensive playmaking.

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I have to admit in the off-season I was all for trading JI because of injury concerns. Now that we've seen that he can bounce back without much down time there is no way I would trade him for anything less than a star. I'm hoping that we keep and develop BIG together and are able to piece together a great back court to go with them through other trades and picks.

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