Lowe: "Magic NOT planning to extend qualifying offer for Nicholson, sources say. UFA"

[Tayswagzzz]

He's still got potential! He could easily be an Earl Clark though.

[OrlandoDream]

Damn, were really cleaning out the house here.

[SOUL]

Damn, were really cleaning out the house here.

[Nemesis21]

Good luck with the Spurs/Raptors.

[Magic_Kingdom]

So Hennigan goes from accumulating assets for 4 years, to dumping them all for little or nothing within the span of a year. Harkless, Tobias, Dipo, Nicholson... I would be willing to bet Vucevic is next.

[Orlwillbeback]

So Hennigan goes from accumulating assets for 4 years, to dumping them all for little or nothing within the span of a year. Harkless, Tobias, Dipo, Nicholson... I would be willing to bet Vucevic is next.

except for maybe oladipo, i would argue that none of these guys are really starting material on a top 4 seed.

[MJallday59]

Unfortunate...I would have loved seeing Gordon/Nicholson/Ibaka

[Logicjbr]

I thought the Magic declined the Qualifying offer months ago from what I heard. This to me was old news. I figured Andrew will sign with Toronto and be close to home being Toronto is in desperate need for a quality PF. Andrew will prove Henny way wrong!!!

I think he may end up out the league. He is skilled - but sloooowwww. Unless he can channel his inner Z-Bo over this summer, then I think he NBA career is about to take a break.

[Bensational]

This is a real shame. Nicholson is much better than he got to show here. I hope he goes somewhere that he can get a much larger role.

It would've been nice to have tried him next to Ibaka in certain lineups. 2 3pt threats at the C and PF spots, with Drew having a beast post game, too.

He should go to Portland or Toronto, because I think he'll get the most use there. He'd be a flat out monster as the post scoring option for Portland.

Serious waste of an asset here. We spent 3 years featuring and developing Vuc, Harris and Oladipo, only to trade Harris for expirings and now Oladipo has been moved for fit. It would've been nice to have used that time to see what ALL our players are capable of rather than just a few.

[OrlandO]

So Hennigan goes from accumulating assets for 4 years, to dumping them all for little or nothing within the span of a year. Harkless, Tobias, Dipo, Nicholson... I would be willing to bet Vucevic is next.

Ibaka isn't exactly little or nothing. If he walks then it becomes nothing. We also traded Harris for space, so we need to wait and see if we actually replace him with someone better. Harkless and Nicholson could have only gotten us 2nd round picks at best...Who would they play over on this team that has you upset about letting them go?

[Xatticus]

Really not a fan of this move. Last year I thought Drew was one of those guys who deserved more playing time.

Cautiously optimistic about seeing what we do with the cap space though!

I believe this is an exceptionally poor decision. The team's mismanagement of him has kept his value relatively low, but his offensive skill set alone makes him a valuable asset. He can score from literally anywhere, but it is the combination of a post game and 3-point shot that should've ensured he was retained. I really don't know why Vucevic has been shown preference over Nicholson.

[Driguez]

Really not a fan of this move. Last year I thought Drew was one of those guys who deserved more playing time.

Cautiously optimistic about seeing what we do with the cap space though!

I believe this is an exceptionally poor decision. The team's mismanagement of him has kept his value relatively low, but his offensive skill set alone makes him a valuable asset. He can score from literally anywhere, but it is the combination of a post game and 3-point shot that should've ensured he was retained. I really don't know why Vucevic has been shown preference over Nicholson .

Come on now...

[Xatticus]

Really not a fan of this move. Last year I thought Drew was one of those guys who deserved more playing time.

Cautiously optimistic about seeing what we do with the cap space though!

I believe this is an exceptionally poor decision. The team's mismanagement of him has kept his value relatively low, but his offensive skill set alone makes him a valuable asset. He can score from literally anywhere, but it is the combination of a post game and 3-point shot that should've ensured he was retained. I really don't know why Vucevic has been shown preference over Nicholson .

Come on now...

Well-crafted argument. I can only assume you realized the absurdity of crafting an argument around Vucevic's defense.

If Nicholson lands somewhere that appreciates what he is capable of, the decision to let him walk for nothing will look very stupid in retrospect.

[Magic_Kingdom]

It looks like a qualifying offer to Nicholson would've only been $3.4 million. I was a little surprised by this move. It tells me that the Magic are not going to wait until next summer to spend money, and maybe they have an idea that they are going to have some success in FA. You could make a qualifying offer to AN and still have a ton to offer free agents, unless you're going all in.

[MagicStarwipe]

There are plenty of flaws in Nicholson's game. He can hit 3's, but he's very inconsistent and has a slow release. His favourite move on the perimeter is the pump fake and attack the closeout, yet he isn't a consistent enough 3 point shooter to make teams respect him out there. That move works for him in FIBA, but with the NBA 3 point line being much further out, it gives the defense more time to react and he often gets into trouble on those drives. He has no idea at all how to pass out of a double team. Talented player, but there are reasons he could never receive consistent minutes.