Chances the Magic whiff on Free Agency

[orthoman]

I'm curious what the gut feeling the Forum has here.....

Does anyone think the Magic will NOT sign a starting-level PG and/or 3 pt. shooter this offseason?

Also, the FO has always been secretive about discussions behind closed doors, so I'm assuming I will wake up one day and discover they've signed a free agent/trade of which rumors HAVE NOT been floating all over the internet....am I correct in thinking this?

My concern is the FO is/has been overly organic in the past, but this time around we have two stars that need help.

Thoughts?

[Anti Chalmers]

FO will drop the “organic team building” bs and make some moves happen to appease their young star.

[BadMofoPimp]

FO will drop the “organic team building” bs and make some moves happen to appease their young star.

I am all for this than overpaying some aging stars anything more than a 2 year deal.

[orthoman]

Do you believe we will all wake up one morning and see a surprise Magic signing, or two, without it being all over the internet beforehand?

[tiderulz]

yeah, i could easily see us do a Melton signing and then talk about internal development and call it a day

[Skybox]

I really think one big one and two little ones...whether by trade or UFA

*draft pick is additional add-unless it's traded

I really want to believe this is the summer they make a significant...not necessarily the "Final Piece", etc - just real progress...at least a Tyus Jones-level acquisition, but I'm hoping they aim even higher

[RookieStar]

I feel this is the Aminu FA... we had other needs but we signed another tweener F...

[Petre1978]

Monk will stay in Sacramento and sign a new 4 year deal.
Claxton stays with the Nets.
George wants a 3-4 year deal as a 34 year old.

Hartenstein depends what he wants.

I would not sign Thompson.

Magic should focus on Hayward, Tyus Jones or Fontecchio.

[RichCollab]

Free Agents don’t move often. Trades are usually the way to add players.

If most of targets sign contracts with their current team before we can legally talk to them is that really a whiff?

Internal development is still the most important and hopefully we can grab a player or two as FAs.

Black and Jett being able to take significant roles and grow seems important to any success this season.

[anothermagicfan]

The draft is next week and that should give us a better idea of what the FO is going to try and do with free agency. The window to add a key player or 2 is this off-season and next off-season without having to give away picks so it seems logical to me that taking a big swing this year makes more sense than roster tweaks.

[jezzerinho]

My feeling is the following:

If an FO plays an ultra-conservative game over years - as Weltman has done - other teams will just tire of trying to do business with you or will look elsewhere with GMs they have a good working relationship with from other past dealings.

Agents of other teams' players will feel much the same. All this hoo-ha about making Orl a great destination is irrelevant if the FO isnt seen to be open to negotiating and closing player deals.

My feeling is Weltman is on the outside looking in with a lot of player movements. Irrelevant GM represmetimg an irrelevant market. I understand the stand they have made about develoing through the draft but the "not skipping steps" principle is a load of nonsense.

I think theres a good chance we whiff because - either we hardball real needle-movers and miss out or Weltman never even gets a phonecall for players that other more business-friendly teams can snag. Caruso to the Thunder was a steal for OKC. We just dont ever seem yñto be in those type of deals.

V pessimistic about this FO and their recruitment skills.

[CocoaFan]

I'm curious what the gut feeling the Forum has here.....

Does anyone think the Magic will NOT sign a starting-level PG and/or 3 pt. shooter this offseason?

Also, the FO has always been secretive about discussions behind closed doors, so I'm assuming I will wake up one day and discover they've signed a free agent/trade of which rumors HAVE NOT been floating all over the internet....am I correct in thinking this?

My concern is the FO is/has been overly organic in the past, but this time around we have two stars that need help.

Thoughts?

I think the FO shifts from the FA market to the trade market now that primary target Monk resigned with SAC. I have very limited faith they will succeed. I hope I'm wrong and we end up with Dejounte and Claxton

[Skybox]

My feeling is the following:

If an FO plays an ultra-conservative game over years - as Weltman has done - other teams will just tire of trying to do business with you or will look elsewhere with GMs they have a good working relationship with from other past dealings.

Agents of other teams' players will feel much the same. All this hoo-ha about making Orl a great destination is irrelevant if the FO isnt seen to be open to negotiating and closing player deals.

My feeling is Weltman is on the outside looking in with a lot of player movements. Irrelevant GM represmetimg an irrelevant market. I understand the stand they have made about develoing through the draft but the "not skipping steps" principle is a load of nonsense.

I think theres a good chance we whiff because - either we hardball real needle-movers and miss out or Weltman never even gets a phonecall for players that other more business-friendly teams can snag. Caruso to the Thunder was a steal for OKC. We just dont ever seem yñto be in those type of deals.

V pessimistic about this FO and their recruitment skills.

I, sadly, have the same concerns...and it's just too easy to say, "We like where we are. We investigated many trade possibilities, but there just wasn't anything out there that we felt improved us, at a price we could justify blah blah"

Great GM's make deals happen...he seems like the kind of personality that "power moves" to an annoying and predictable degree, rather than just talking among friendly peers. Playing classic negotiating games and postures is, at this point, transparent and unproductive...I hope I'm wrong in my (it's only a) guess, but it sort of resonates with his press conference delivery...nice guy, articulate, doesn't reveal anything or offer anything- which kind of gives off the impression of "I'm smarter than you". I think that kind of stuff has disappeared among serious business people...kind of how car-buying is no longer a predictable flow chart of BS from a snarky "deal-maker" using the same stupid games and tactics (and me using the same stupid countermoves). I'm a business owner and I deal with people who I share mutually beneficial relationships with...if there's one thing I've learned, it's that some people are just more trouble to deal with than their worth...and I've got a lot more than 29 other people I can talk to, so I can slam a door if it's clearly a waste of my time and not helping my business. People who respect each other don't play games and are careful not to give the impression they are...it's a small community of GM's. There are favors given, based on timelines and respective needs, etc...It's easy to believe some are a pleasure to deal with and some are reliably tedious and counterproductive...so, the idea that we're on the outside isn't inconceivable.

Again, just a guess.

[tiderulz]

Monk will stay in Sacramento and sign a new 4 year deal.
Claxton stays with the Nets.
George wants a 3-4 year deal as a 34 year old.

Hartenstein depends what he wants.

I would not sign Thompson.

Magic should focus on Hayward, Tyus Jones or Fontecchio.

so just make a move to make a move. because none of those are needle movers in the slightest

[jezzerinho]

I, sadly, have the same concerns...and it's just too easy to say, "We like where we are. We investigated many trade possibilities, but there just wasn't anything out there that we felt improved us, at a price we could justify blah blah"

Great GM's make deals happen...he seems like the kind of personality that "power moves" to an annoying and predictable degree, rather than just talking among friendly peers. Playing classic negotiating games and postures is, at this point, transparent and unproductive...I hope I'm wrong in my (it's only a) guess, but it sort of resonates with his press conference delivery...nice guy, articulate, doesn't reveal anything or offer anything- which kind of gives off the impression of "I'm smarter than you". I think that kind of stuff has disappeared among serious business people...kind of how car-buying is no longer a predictable flow chart of BS from a snarky "deal-maker" using the same stupid games and tactics (and me using the same stupid countermoves). I'm a business owner and I deal with people who I share mutually beneficial relationships with...if there's one thing I've learned, it's that some people are just more trouble to deal with than their worth...and I've got a lot more than 29 other people I can talk to, so I can slam a door if it's clearly a waste of my time and not helping my business. People who respect each other don't play games and are careful not to give the impression they are...it's a small community of GM's. There are favors given, based on timelines and respective needs, etc...It's easy to believe some are a pleasure to deal with and some are reliably tedious and counterproductive...so, the idea that we're on the outside isn't inconceivable.

Again, just a guess.

Im not sure they even play games. You might be right.

But maybe they're just seen to be non communicative and unrealistic about values.

If Im Weltman and really genuinely playing the long game like he says he is, i am not letting the FA/trade go stagnant.

I might have even offered a sacrificial lamb like Fultz a year or 2 ago at a reasonable price to someone i felt i might like to deal with in the future, or to help a multi team trade happen. Just to grease the wheels. Not give the player away, but to be seen to be a player in the GM pool.

[Black and Blue]

My feeling is the following:

If an FO plays an ultra-conservative game over years - as Weltman has done - other teams will just tire of trying to do business with you or will look elsewhere with GMs they have a good working relationship with from other past dealings.

Agents of other teams' players will feel much the same. All this hoo-ha about making Orl a great destination is irrelevant if the FO isnt seen to be open to negotiating and closing player deals.

My feeling is Weltman is on the outside looking in with a lot of player movements. Irrelevant GM represmetimg an irrelevant market. I understand the stand they have made about develoing through the draft but the "not skipping steps" principle is a load of nonsense.

I think theres a good chance we whiff because - either we hardball real needle-movers and miss out or Weltman never even gets a phonecall for players that other more business-friendly teams can snag. Caruso to the Thunder was a steal for OKC. We just dont ever seem yñto be in those type of deals.

V pessimistic about this FO and their recruitment skills.

I do think there is some validity to this given the agents and agencies the Magic roster is composed of. You have other teams dealing with the Rich Pauls of the world and mega in bed with agencies like CAA (like the Knicks are), while the Magic roster is comparatively scattershot.

It gives me more of a reason to perhaps reach for Paul George for 3 years even at this late stage in his career to inject some star power in a franchise that has been seen as a minor leaguer for too long.

I’m still very much holding out hope for a trade, and it would undoubtedly take some open mindedness from Weltman. The team sitting on their hands yet again does not inspire much confidence.

[Petre1978]

Some guys here should take over for Weltman and lead the Magic to a championship......

Meine Fresse was man hier für ein Käse liest....

[fendilim]

I, sadly, have the same concerns...and it's just too easy to say, "We like where we are. We investigated many trade possibilities, but there just wasn't anything out there that we felt improved us, at a price we could justify blah blah"

Great GM's make deals happen...he seems like the kind of personality that "power moves" to an annoying and predictable degree, rather than just talking among friendly peers. Playing classic negotiating games and postures is, at this point, transparent and unproductive...I hope I'm wrong in my (it's only a) guess, but it sort of resonates with his press conference delivery...nice guy, articulate, doesn't reveal anything or offer anything- which kind of gives off the impression of "I'm smarter than you". I think that kind of stuff has disappeared among serious business people...kind of how car-buying is no longer a predictable flow chart of BS from a snarky "deal-maker" using the same stupid games and tactics (and me using the same stupid countermoves). I'm a business owner and I deal with people who I share mutually beneficial relationships with...if there's one thing I've learned, it's that some people are just more trouble to deal with than their worth...and I've got a lot more than 29 other people I can talk to, so I can slam a door if it's clearly a waste of my time and not helping my business. People who respect each other don't play games and are careful not to give the impression they are...it's a small community of GM's. There are favors given, based on timelines and respective needs, etc...It's easy to believe some are a pleasure to deal with and some are reliably tedious and counterproductive...so, the idea that we're on the outside isn't inconceivable.

Again, just a guess.

Im not sure they even play games. You might be right.

But maybe they're just seen to be non communicative and unrealistic about values.

If Im Weltman and really genuinely playing the long game like he says he is, i am not letting the FA/trade go stagnant.

I might have even offered a sacrificial lamb like Fultz a year or 2 ago at a reasonable price to someone i felt i might like to deal with in the future, or to help a multi team trade happen. Just to grease the wheels. Not give the player away, but to be seen to be a player in the GM pool.

To be fair to them, has there been any team that has expressed interested to acquiring Fultz?

I don’t recall Fultz even being involved in trade rumors.

I don’t think there is realistically any value for him.

[Ducklett]

With Monk off the board, I assume it either be a super boring off season or an insane off-season. Super boring is obvious but if we are signing Claxton, it means a trade of WCJ also, do pretty wild. Or signing PG. Or our front office losing all credibility and signing Klay.

[pepe1991]

This is 7th offseason for Weltman as person who runs Magic.
His FA additions were:
Jonathan Simmons
Al Faruq Aminu
Isaiah Briscoe
Khem Birch
Robin Lopez
Joe Ingles

Not a single person from that list had nba career after Orlando.

I did not include pickups of guys who got vaiwed by other teams mid season ( Goga, MCW, Mo etc)

Imo, as jezzerinho said, perception among players & agents about Weltman ( and probably Magic as he runs everything) is - bunch of weirdos. If you don't communicate with anybody and perception of every single media outlet is " tight lips" it just means you don't communicate with anybody- not just media, but with other teams as well. Because if you do, some things would still end up in media. But there is nothing about Magic players, plans ever. There are times when you don't even get most basic injury update, like Isaac's ability to not play basketball for 3 years without anybody telling you what's up, or Fultz constant ability to forget how to shoot and decisions to not shoot from anywhere. Everything goes without any communication or explanation.
It would be fine if this is soccer and there are top 200 teams to buy from, it's not so cool when you can only deal with 29 other teams.

Whole sharade Weltman pulled over smoke screens & mirrors with Jabari Smith, where he was dragged into arena, showed around, had public interview in front of bunch of media members, basically told he was going 1# overall- just to not draft him was unintentional comedy gold.
What Magic gain from it? Aposlutley nothing other than making player feel like idiot and them looking silly. He really though he is Danny Ainge and somebody will get hooked and give him unprotected pick to draft up ?