Official Summer 2024 Magic Free Agency and Trade Ideas Thread 7.0: KCP Signed, What's Next?

[OnlyFranz22]

Damn good for the Cavs. Wasn’t sure if Mitchell would sign the extension….

50 million is 50 million though.

[JBSouthpaw]

Cooked but had

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31
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Rebounding games this past season which this team desperately needs.

We were the 4th best rebounding team in the league last season by rebounding percentage (Phoenix were 7th, BTW), it's just not true that we "desperately need" more rebounding.

So I’m just confused why everyone wanted Hartenstein so bad?

He has zero offensive game.

It was to rebound and defend.

Paolo shouldn’t have to lead the team in rebounding on top of everything else.

I did not want IHart. I'm in the minority I guess, I believe WCJ is much better. It would have been a waste of $$$.

To me adding KCP also blows up the "Need a rim protector" line, who is getting to the rim against us?

[OnlyFranz22]

We were the 4th best rebounding team in the league last season by rebounding percentage (Phoenix were 7th, BTW), it's just not true that we "desperately need" more rebounding.

So I’m just confused why everyone wanted Hartenstein so bad?

He has zero offensive game.

It was to rebound and defend.

Paolo shouldn’t have to lead the team in rebounding on top of everything else.

Hartenstein is an elite defender while Nurkic is a bad one, not sure what is confusing you. And also it's not true that Hartenstein has zero offensive game, he is a really good passer for a big and his floater is quite reliable.

Nurkic defensive metrics were better than Hartenstein last year….

[yoyojw17]

and then look when it counts. Suggs 40% from 3 all season, 29% from 3 in the playoffs. he isnt as good under pressure creating his own shot.

I swore we were talking about young kids learning and growing. Haha. There could be a YET appended to any statement. Showed confidence in season.... Shrank underneath the big lights. Experience. Let's see where that takes him next. Same way people wanted to trade him cuz he was a bust a year ago... And now.... He's part of the core as a defensive beast .... And second team all defense in his third season. Looks like they tasked him with something... And he might have achieved it... Now time to continue refining it.

or maybe he is being tasked to do something he just doesnt have the right skills for.

Tasked improving his three-pointer and playing responsible defense**

*Check*

Seems as though they are not scrambling for a point guard.... So... Looks like they are willing to give it a chance. And at the end of the day.... I will trust what FO... Coaching staff .... Etc. believes in compared to what a fan or myself might assess. We will see if that pays off.... And I pray it does.

[jonbob17]

So I’m just confused why everyone wanted Hartenstein so bad?

He has zero offensive game.

It was to rebound and defend.

Paolo shouldn’t have to lead the team in rebounding on top of everything else.

Hartenstein is an elite defender while Nurkic is a bad one, not sure what is confusing you. And also it's not true that Hartenstein has zero offensive game, he is a really good passer for a big and his floater is quite reliable.

Nurkic defensive metrics were better than Hartenstein last year….

People are not giving Nurkic enough credit. He did have a good year. He’s probably a better passer than Hartenstein. Hartenstein is a better defender but Nurkic isn’t bad. Nurkic plays like Vuc without the threes…too many short midranges, finishes more like a guard than a 7 footer. 56%TS just not good enough.

And Nurkic’s real problem has been health. I’d put his value at a couple of 2nds and a player back. But he’s not available because the Suns don’t have another choice. They are cap ********

[tooler]

Seems as though they are not scrambling for a point guard.... So... Looks like they are willing to give it a chance. And at the end of the day.... I will trust what FO... Coaching staff .... Etc. believes in compared to what a fan or myself might assess. We will see if that pays off.... And I pray it does.

If Suggs wants a big extension, they are probably counting on him to improve and expand his game. Not just hoping for it but needing him to improve. If that doesn't happen, then for the sake of the salary cap he might eventually need to be moved. Locking him in at point guard for a couple seasons forces the issue sooner rather than later.

I have confidence in Suggs so I'm not worried yet. We'll see how it goes.

[CocoaFan]

When I and others on the Forum look at this offseason and evaluate what The Magic have done this offseason so far, I think there are some takes and questions you have to ask.

Draft

At #18, would you have made a different move than taking Tristan Da Silva? If so, what?: Da Silva was the top player on my Board at #18.

At #47, would you have kept a player to Draft and do you feel that player could have stuck?: If it had been for cash, I would not be ok with it. However, as you saw in the 2nd round this year, a lot of the names people wanted, went in the 30's. In this CBA, every 2nd round asset helps and having the right to swap (2030 and 2031) with a team even years down the line makes the pick more valuable.

Given how The Magic already has youth on the roster, it's possible Antonio Reeves might not have had a chance here even as a Two-Way Contract and they choose to accumulate a future asset.

Remember, The Magic used 2nd round assets to get the right to swap their 2026 first round pick in 2026 for the less favorable of Phoenix and Washington's. That's looking pretty good right now.

Here are the 3 picks they traded for that right.

2024 Denver 2nd (Would have been #58 or #59): This was forfeited by Phoenix due to a tampering charge so pick was erased.
2026 2nd (Least favorable of Detroit, Milwaukee and Orlando)
2028: Boston's 2nd (If pick is 46-60, if not, it's nothing).

When you look at the above, I don't think any of those 2nds are going to be good.

What The Magic have been doing very quietly is setting themselves up well in the 2nd round for when they are good and will need cheap players to fill out their roster.

This one is a tough call and whether or not, you felt Reeves had staying power. I am kind of on the fence but lean toward getting the swap rights in 2030 and 2031.

Free Agency so Far

Kentavious Caldwell Pope- The question is not if this was a good pickup (he was). KCP is a wonderful addition. The question and concern here is many of us wanted Jalen Suggs to move to shooting guard me included.

I would have liked The Magic to sign Tyus Jones to split minutes at the point with Anthony Black who needs minutes.

Instead, it appears Jalen Suggs will be back at PG and the offensive d not look good with him running it. Now, I'm ok with that death lineup (Suggs, F. Wagner, Banchero, Carter and Issac) if they are up by over 5 points in the 4th Quarter.

However, you need someone who can create and not sure this is changing much next season which is a major concern.

So, I like KDP but wanted Suggs to be starting at SG next year and this means he will be a PG.

Goga Bitadze- It was a surprise that The Magic brought him back for 3y/$25 million given Wendell Carter Jr. is on the roster and Mo Wagner is expected to re-sign.

It's encouraging though that The Magic want to give him minutes given they need more of a defensive center there and went on a streak with him in the lineup. You can argue Bitadze was the best on the market outside of Isaiah Hartenstein who went to Oklahoma City.

The real question here is if a trade is coming to free up minutes. Bitadze is a good value at his rate if he is playing. Let's see what else happens here.

Gary Harris- He's serviceable and good in the Locker Room. That 2nd year is likely a team option too. It helps to have as an option on the bench.

The rest of the roster is still filling out. Here is where myself and a lot of us are frustrated.

Questions.

Point Guard: The offensive setup looked bad last year with Suggs as The Starter and other than Anthony Black potentially playing more minutes, it does not look much has changed and it needs too.

Development: You don't use two lottery Picks to let them ride the pine multiple seasons. Anthony Black should be playing the backup PG minutes next season. The team did well with him in the starting lineup and need a creator. I do feel he will end being the point guard of the future.

Jett Howard was the 2nd Lottery pick in 2023. Many of us myself included had a few others on our Boards before him and that is what frustrates people.

While I do see how he can become a light it up scorer, if he does not pan out, the BIG problem here isJeff Weltman passed on a center of the future in Dereck Lively and a few good swingman prospects to select him.

I still think Jett can pan out though but that above question will loom over this pick.

He should not automatically get minutes but if Weltman was so high on him, he needs to have a chance to get minutes on a team that has Three-Point shooting issues.

If you were not going to develop these guys, then why not deal them for future assets or players that could better help this team?

Some will give the argument about earning minutes but you got to play them to see what you got especially given the high investment.

Trades and more to come. We just got to see how the rest of the roster fills out and if any trades are looming. At worst, there will be more speculation at this year's Trading Deadline.

Darius Garland could become available soon!

[basketballRob]

We were the 4th best rebounding team in the league last season by rebounding percentage (Phoenix were 7th, BTW), it's just not true that we "desperately need" more rebounding.

So I’m just confused why everyone wanted Hartenstein so bad?

He has zero offensive game.

It was to rebound and defend.

Paolo shouldn’t have to lead the team in rebounding on top of everything else.

Hartenstein is an elite defender while Nurkic is a bad one, not sure what is confusing you. And also it's not true that Hartenstein has zero offensive game, he is a really good passer for a big and his floater is quite reliable.

What sets Hartenstein apart is his passing. That's where I see potential in Goga.

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[CocoaFan]

I know we just got him, and he's a fit, but I wouldn't be surprised if KCP was used to get Garland. Cavs will want good players to help them contend with Mitchell, and KCP fits that desire.

Garland is 24. if he is moved, they are going to want young talent also, not 31 yr old KCP.

We would have to add Anthony Black

[pepe1991]

I know we just got him, and he's a fit, but I wouldn't be surprised if KCP was used to get Garland. Cavs will want good players to help them contend with Mitchell, and KCP fits that desire.

Garland is 24. if he is moved, they are going to want young talent also, not 31 yr old KCP.

We would have to add Anthony Black

I would assume , if Garland is shiped, it's for useful ,scoring SF who is young-ish. Somebody like OG. Hell, i would, if i'm Cavs, target Avdija and Kispert. Avdija is hidden gem.

[eyriq]

Houstan's approach contrasts sharply with Toronto's.

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[jonbob17]

Seems as though they are not scrambling for a point guard.... So... Looks like they are willing to give it a chance. And at the end of the day.... I will trust what FO... Coaching staff .... Etc. believes in compared to what a fan or myself might assess. We will see if that pays off.... And I pray it does.

If Suggs wants a big extension, they are probably counting on him to improve and expand his game. Not just hoping for it but needing him to improve. If that doesn't happen, then for the sake of the salary cap he might eventually need to be moved. Locking him in at point guard for a couple seasons forces the issue sooner rather than later.

I have confidence in Suggs so I'm not worried yet. We'll see how it goes.

I mean we just gave 3/66 to a glue guy who takes 67% the volume of threes, isn’t as tenacious as Suggs and is 8 years older(I.e. KCP ain’t getting better). Suggs is getting a big extension, in all likelihood this offseason, how big we’ll see.

[zaymon]

So far moves are making sense. I would prefer to sign someone with more pg skillset, but upgrading defense while counting on Suggs can work too. We dont have to hurry, we can always make a move in the future.
I am glad we resigned Harris although I agree its getting crowded. I have no problem cuting Cole from rotation and it was obvious Fultz is out since we extended Cole.
Goga suprised me a little, but with Silva and Howard possibly in rotation next year we need defense more than offense.
I also think separating Franz and Mo can have positive effect on Franz. He is one of the leaders not a young brother anymore and Mo personality is fiery.

Suggs/Black
KCP/Howard
Wagner/Silva
Banchero/Isaac
Carter/ Bitadze

Harris filling for any injured guard/wing. Maybe it will be Silva or Howard but I predict it will be Harris becouse we want to preserve his health and also he is mainly for his voice.
I think Cole could be out of rotation and waiting for a trade. We are very deep and positioned for a possible trade.

[eyriq]

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[tooler]

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I do hate this, but I've been thinking about it all morning.

I've also been thinking about how Suggs is the heart of this team just like Marcus Smart, but the Celtics had to move on from him to truly excel.

[Optimus_Steel]

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Why is he not posting here?

[eyriq]

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I do hate this, but I've been thinking about it all morning.

I've also been thinking about how Suggs is the heart of this team just like Marcus Smart, but the Celtics had to move on from him to truly excel.

It's... compelling

[tooler]

I also don't know why you help balance a conference rival's roster. The Cavs need balance much more than we do. We could use a PG but can get away without one. Whereas the Cavs are a mess at guard and center.

[jonbob17]

Houstan's approach contrasts sharply with Toronto's.

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I think the Rockets have cap room next year IF they don’t pick up vanvleet, but it seems like they are 100% on trading for talent. If they plan on picking up FVV, then it probably makes sense. I fully expect both to end up with the max….BUT
1. Jalen Green hasn’t proven he can shoot yet…kind of like Franz.
2. Sengun is an undersized big who can shoot threes.

I love Sengun, I’d give him the money, but if it doesn’t matter (salary cap) I don’t see why more of these teams don’t let the season play out. If guys want the max extension ahead of time take a discount…or play the season out but they better buy injury insurance.

Barnes has already made an all star team and has all-nba upside if everything breaks right(so does Sengun), Barnes cap hold is big.

[basketballRob]

I guarantee the Magic won't trade for little Darius Garland that makes the max.

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