Official Speculation Thread ‘19-'20 I: Big decisions on the horizon

[magicman112]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

[MoMM]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

Wouldn't pursue players at this moment be considered tampering?

[MartinsIzAfraud]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

Wouldn't pursue players at this moment be considered tampering?

I think the recent kings news is due to Amick's rumors/insight the past month about Vuc being a top target.

Sadly I think this could be a situation where Vuc is more important for our pathetic Magic than any other team.

[j-ragg]

I think our FO has to make a decision: to stay patient and relying on player development and Fultz or to upgrade the roster aggressively. I think our FO is the former one. So I am not expecting a major trade to happen and our goal this summer will be Vuc and Ross. So next year, we might not go deeper in the PO but we might be a 45+ winning team.

I know as a fan, we want to see moves and trades. Because it is fun. But to our FO, the best thing for this team might not be that.

So I am not expecting much this summer. Just can't wait for the draft and summer league

So it’ll be like... every other summer.

[yoyojw17]

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

Wouldn't pursue players at this moment be considered tampering?

I think the recent kings news is due to Amick's rumors/insight the past month about Vuc being a top target.

Sadly I think this could be a situation where Vuc is more important for our pathetic Magic than any other team.

i still don't see why this is necessary....

lol

[Def Swami]

I think our FO has to make a decision: to stay patient and relying on player development and Fultz or to upgrade the roster aggressively. I think our FO is the former one. So I am not expecting a major trade to happen and our goal this summer will be Vuc and Ross. So next year, we might not go deeper in the PO but we might be a 45+ winning team.

I know as a fan, we want to see moves and trades. Because it is fun. But to our FO, the best thing for this team might not be that.

So I am not expecting much this summer. Just can't wait for the draft and summer league

This is the most realistic outcome of the summer. And yes, the goal will become pushing from 42 to 45-48 wins. Which is realistic if the Magic can get anything substantive out of Fultz and incremental improvement from Bamba, Isaac, and Gordon. Getting some contribution out of the #16 pick would also help.

[OrlandO]

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

Wouldn't pursue players at this moment be considered tampering?

I think the recent kings news is due to Amick's rumors/insight the past month about Vuc being a top target.

Sadly I think this could be a situation where Vuc is more important for our pathetic Magic than any other team.

Nothing sad about it. Means we might get to pay less than expected to bring back our best player and stay competitive. Vuc on a good contract would be easier to move later on if needed, too. Teams unwilling to overpay could also open the door to negotiating a 3 year contract instead of 4... or team option instead of player option.

[MoMM]

Al Horford just opted-out, so it's another big in the market, although it's likely he will re-sign with Boston for a cheaper contract like 70M/3years.

[MagicFan101]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

The Kings are still in it.

If the Mavs can’t get Kemba then I expect them to go the other direction make an offer to Vuc. They are still big fans.


He will have suitors. I don’t know what the offers from them will be, but there will be multiple offers.

[Shady Franchise]

Also, I always see Jan-April attributed to us playing bad teams or teams that don't try (when talking about a certain ex-player's stats) here, so when we made our run, it was basically against a bunch of bad teams/teams not playing their stars, right?

Not seeing 50 wins.

Its a whole lot tougher to go from 42 to 50 wins, than it is to go from 25 to 42.

I think a better gauge of progress is to see them stay at or above .500 for the majority of the season and limiting losing streaks to 1-3 games. This would show a more consistent unit. Plus they'd be sustaining their prior performance vs teams that will now be more prepared and not taking them as lightly as they had in the past.

One thing that I believe is very sustainable with roster continuity is the defense. That January to April stretch was primarily carried by the Magic's defense.

The Magic had the NBA's 3d best defense from January 1st to the end of the season. They were also the #1 Defensive Rebounding team during that stretch.

Yup! Not going on losing streaks that put us 8-10 game below .500 would be a big improvement!

[ezzzp]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

The Kings are still in it.

If the Mavs can’t get Kemba then I expect them to go the other direction make an offer to Vuc. They are still big fans.

He will have suitors. I don’t know what the offers from them will be, but there will be multiple offers.

When that Sacramento Amick rumor came out it clearly smelled of agent. Unless its a disgruntled employee trying to hurt the team they're working for, there is no reason for a FO to leak out their offseason strategy.

Then all you have to do is step back and see who the coach is and it smells even fishier. Luke Walton in Golden State used pace and space; then in LA he continued with pace and space + lots of small ball. Then you look at their roster make up with already a top option (Hield) and a 2nd option (Fox) + Bagley who is expected to be a top 2 option asap. Why would they pay a player that doesn't fit system and to lure him they would have to pay him #1 option money? and why would Vucevic want to go there unless he's getting a massive overpay? Makes zero sense. The James Ham rumor that Sacramento isn't interested seems much more believable.

Dallas has Porzingis + Powell just opted out to resign an extension. Tim McMahon (top Dallas NBA insider) said that Dallas sees Powell as perfect fit next to KP. On top of that, they need help at the guard spot.

Both are suitors, but that doesn't mean they're going to offer him a big enough payday - of the kind the Magic FO won't also offer.

I'm sure there are 30 teams that are suitors. Unfortunately for Vucevic, the teams that can offer him a starting spot + are in development stage to have interest in him and vice versa + have cap space to pay him starter money are almost non existent. He is an unrestricted free agent, so there is always the chance that he takes a massive pay cut to go play on a high quality team...but outside of that scenario, his options are very limited.

[Popsicle1228]

Man.... all these teams have rumours about trades. What about us?

I wouldn't expect much on the trade front until the Magic have a firm grasp on whether or they will resign Vuc and/or Ross. I think that will determine the teams direction and what trades (if any) will best compliment the team.

On a side note, if Vuc and Ross are retained, I would love to see us try to obtain Conley.

[magicman112]

Man.... all these teams have rumours about trades. What about us?

I wouldn't expect much on the trade front until the Magic have a firm grasp on whether or they will resign Vuc and/or Ross. I think that will determine the teams direction and what trades (if any) will best compliment the team.

On a side note, if Vuc and Ross are retained, I would love to see us try to obtain Conley.

As it gets closer to Thursday things will start to heat up on the trade front from teams trying to get picks.

[The Effect]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

The Kings are still in it.

If the Mavs can’t get Kemba then I expect them to go the other direction make an offer to Vuc. They are still big fans.


He will have suitors. I don’t know what the offers from them will be, but there will be multiple offers.

Vuc,Zo,Ingram, Holiday, Ball, plus whatever the #4 pick turns into

Now thats an instant rebuild if ive ever seen on...Man i wish the NBA would of shown up love after the dwight nonsense....seems like we were the only team to lose a superstar and not be gifted the #1 pick in a prime year.....But i guess its all "luck" huh

[basketballRob]

I am not sure Nikola Vucevic will have much of a market.

I expect The Magic will be fair to him though.

Regardless, come June 30 at 6 PM, things are going to get crazy.

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

The Kings are still in it.

If the Mavs can’t get Kemba then I expect them to go the other direction make an offer to Vuc. They are still big fans.


He will have suitors. I don’t know what the offers from them will be, but there will be multiple offers.

I really hope so but I won't believe it until I see it.

[ezzzp]

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

I've done several searches for anything linking Pelicans and Vucevic and there is zero coming back. Where are you hearing this?

[PrimeThyme]

Considering the opening paragraph arguing to consider both present and future, maybe they meant no choice as in Vuc might choose to leave if another team like the Kings make a big offer. Which site put up this article anyway?

Looks like an ESPN article to me. I took that statement as even if Vuc is offered a 4 yr max by someone we may not have any other choice but to offer him that same contract because he is an asset we just cannot afford to lose.

I just don't see it that way. We are a rebuilding team that just picked a center 6th overall in last years draft. I could just as easily see the FO siding with resigning birch as our starter and grooming Bamba under him if Vuc signs for big money with another team.

Depends on the path that the front office want to take.

I don't anticipate that they or ownership have any intention of wanting to take steps backward. Which is why the expectation is they will do their best to retain Vucevic. If their goal is to continue onward as a playoff team, they will certainly have pressure to bring Vucevic back. UNLESS, there is an alternative plan to acquire another offensive option that makes up for Vucevic's win shares. That would involve more steps and luck and would be more challenging. It's possible, but if it's not probable, then they're going to do their best to bring Vucevic back. They don't have to match that max offer, but there will be some pressure if their intention is to remain competitive. And by all accounts, I believe that is the intent.

Giving Vuc a 4yr contract of anything more than 20 mill would really set this team back imo. I get the argument for the FO wanting to remain competitive and feeling pressure to give him that, but I don't think they necessarily will.

There is a lot of internal growth that could potentially happen next year. We need to see what kind of jump a player like Isaac takes and we need to see if Fultz/Bamba can come back healthy and what they will look like next year. If those players don't make the kind of progress we are hoping for then this roster will be pretty capped out. Especially if Vuc gets something in the 25+ range.

We do not want to become the 2016/2017 Miami Heat. Who felt the pressure to sign their free agents after a somewhat fluke playoff run and now they are capped out as a treadmill team and have been for the last 2 years.

I would be okay if we took a step back next year and Isaac/Fultz/Bamba took on bigger roles and showed promise. Then next offseason we could hit free agency and make upgrades. Especially with Mosgov/DJ coming off the books and Fourniers contract becoming much more moveable with only one year left on it.

I'm just not sure if this offseason is the one to push the chips in and sign free agents to big money. I would be more than okay with next year being more of a developmental year and I think the FO could be too. That doesn't mean we would have to be a bottom 10 team either. I'd be more than open to resigning Birch and also resining Ross to a deal and depending on how guys developed I could see us remaining competitive especially if the East takes another step back.

[jayrehme]

Looks like an ESPN article to me. I took that statement as even if Vuc is offered a 4 yr max by someone we may not have any other choice but to offer him that same contract because he is an asset we just cannot afford to lose.

I just don't see it that way. We are a rebuilding team that just picked a center 6th overall in last years draft. I could just as easily see the FO siding with resigning birch as our starter and grooming Bamba under him if Vuc signs for big money with another team.

Depends on the path that the front office want to take.

I don't anticipate that they or ownership have any intention of wanting to take steps backward. Which is why the expectation is they will do their best to retain Vucevic. If their goal is to continue onward as a playoff team, they will certainly have pressure to bring Vucevic back. UNLESS, there is an alternative plan to acquire another offensive option that makes up for Vucevic's win shares. That would involve more steps and luck and would be more challenging. It's possible, but if it's not probable, then they're going to do their best to bring Vucevic back. They don't have to match that max offer, but there will be some pressure if their intention is to remain competitive. And by all accounts, I believe that is the intent.

Giving Vuc a 4yr contract of anything more than 20 mill would really set this team back imo. I get the argument for the FO wanting to remain competitive and feeling pressure to give him that, but I don't think they necessarily will.

There is a lot of internal growth that could potentially happen next year. We need to see what kind of jump a player like Isaac takes and we need to see if Fultz/Bamba can come back healthy and what they will look like next year. If those players don't make the kind of progress we are hoping for then this roster will be pretty capped out. Especially if Vuc gets something in the 25+ range.

We do not want to become the 2016/2017 Miami Heat. Who felt the pressure to sign their free agents after a somewhat fluke playoff run and now they are capped out as a treadmill team and have been for the last 2 years.

I would be okay if we took a step back next year and Isaac/Fultz/Bamba took on bigger roles and showed promise. Then next offseason we could hit free agency and make upgrades. Especially with Mosgov/DJ coming off the books and Fourniers contract becoming much more moveable with only one year left on it.

I'm just not sure if this offseason is the one to push the chips in and sign free agents to big money. I would be more than okay with next year being more of a developmental year and I think the FO could be too. That doesn't mean we would have to be a bottom 10 team either. I'd be more than open to resigning Birch and also resining Ross to a deal and depending on how guys developed I could see us remaining competitive especially if the East takes another step back.

I would be happy with letting Vuc walk and replacing his long jumpers with AG's fadeaways. Our defense would improve immensely with a Bamba/Birch/Isaac center rotation... plus cap flexibility is gold.

[ezzzp]

Yeah, there's not a lot of news about teams being interested in him. The Kings were reportedly the most interested and they're supposedly not pursing him. Of course none of that means anything until FA actually starts.

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

The Kings are still in it.

If the Mavs can’t get Kemba then I expect them to go the other direction make an offer to Vuc. They are still big fans.


He will have suitors. I don’t know what the offers from them will be, but there will be multiple offers.

Vuc,Zo,Ingram, Holiday, Ball, plus whatever the #4 pick turns into

Now thats an instant rebuild if ive ever seen on...Man i wish the NBA would of shown up love after the dwight nonsense....seems like we were the only team to lose a superstar and not be gifted the #1 pick in a prime year.....But i guess its all "luck" huh

For the Pels just to get to around $20m in cap space, they would have to renounce all their FA's and team options. If they stretch Solomon Hill they get to around $25m.

I don't see Vucevic choosing to move his family to Louisiana for that amount + what looks like a lottery team in the West. Lonzo still can't shoot (see E Payton) and Ingram/Holiday are considerable health risks; and while Zion will probably be good he'll still be young.

L Ball 22 /
J Holiday 28 / E Moore 28
B Ingram 22 /
Zion /
? / ?

+ #4 pick

---

The Magic after first year of rebuild:

V Oladipo 20 /
A Aflallo 28 / E Moore 24
M Harkless 20 /
T Harris 21 / A Nicholson 24
N Vucevic 22 / K O'Quinn 23

Magic were on the right track, in one year Hennigan squandered most of the assets he had accumulated in his first 3 seasons.

DJ 32 / Fultz 21
Fournier 27 /
Gordon 24 / Iwundu 24
Isaac 22 /
Vucevic 29 / Bamba 21

+ #16 and either Ross or a player acquired with $9.2m MLE

[MagicFan101]

I’m hearing his name regularly as a target of the Pelicans in the post AD trade world.

I've done several searches for anything linking Pelicans and Vucevic and there is zero coming back. Where are you hearing this?

You don’t watch Sports Center?

The Pelicans are widely believed to go after a vet center in free agency ... not a huge stretch of the imagination given the AD trade.

Vuc is the name someone threw out but multiple names were listed as targets. There aren’t rumors based on leaks.

But which way do you want it? All leaks are misdirection to you and any speculation is baseless. So we can’t talk at all about anything related to your man crush having outside interest?