Dream Off-Season Scenario:
Bear with me here, I’m an NBA 2k addict, an active armchair GM and a sucker for all things CBA related. Below I’ve put together how I’d manage the Magic’s off-season (including draft, free agency and of course trades).
First, let’s deal with the NBA Draft and draft day trades:
Like many of you, I was pretty underwhelmed by Evan Fournier’s production this past year. Although Evan improved both as a playmaker and as a wing defender (often guarding the oppositions best SG/SF), however, he struggled mightily with his shooting touch and often appeared relatively complacent in his shot selection. If I had to choose between Fournier and Ross, I’m going Ross as I believe him to be the better fit in Steve Clifford’s offense.
With that being said, the Magic need an upgrade at the PG position, at least in the short term. The team is strapped for cash so finding an upgrade via free agency is just not an option. So I propose a trade to Memphis built around “should be” all-star PG, Mike Conley.
Proposed Trade:
Magic send:
DJ Augustin
Evan Fournier
Timofey Mozgov
Melvin Frazier
Grizzlies send:
Mike Conley
CJ Miles
Why for Orlando? The Magic finally get the dynamic, two way playmaker they’ve been missing since, well, since Stave Francis back in 2004 (though I’m not sure you can call Stevie Franchise a two way player). Sure, Mike Conley will cost a pretty penny, however, his contract is only two years in length and would still allow us to maintain financial flexibility going into the 2021 off-season (Giannis, Beal, McCollum and many other stars all enter 2021 as UFA). The Magic also take on “dollar menu JR Smith” CJ Miles. In all honesty, CJ Miles is nothing more than filler here. He’s a guy that has never seen a shot he didn’t like and runs more cold than hot, however, he’s capable of spot minutes and when he is on, he can quickly go off for 20+ points.
Why for Memphis? Let’s not sugar coat this. Memphis is long overdue for a rebuild and this trade kick starts that by offering potential savings of nearly 11 million in year one if they stretch Mozgov, (and if Memphis plays their cards right they can save an additional 10 million by renouncing the rights to Jonas Valancuinas, Joakim Noah, Mario Chalmers and Tyler Zeller, pick up QO for Delon Wright).
Now let’s looks at the draft itself. All things considered, this year’s draft is nothing to write home about. It’s a deep draft, but its relatively lacking in star power. Here I will briefly touch on two guys that make sense for this team:
Draft Tyler Herro at 16
Draft Tacko Fall at 46
Nobody in this year’s draft moves without the ball quite like Herro does. At only 19 years old, Herro understands his role, knows where to pick his spots and how to get to those spots, and more importantly seems to be a coachable kid. With potential to someday be an elite shooter, combined with his relentless motor moving without the ball, Herro seems like the perfect fit for a team that lacks floor spacing.
Regarding Tacko Fall, there seems to be a lot of aversion to using a pick on him, but I must admit, I’m a Tacko “Stan”. First and foremost, standing 7’6 with a 8’2.25 wingspan, Tacko Fall is en elite shot blocker and has size that you cannot teach. Much like Herro, Tacko is an extremely coachable kid with a high motor and is a better athlete than given credit for. However, Tacko is a project and should be treated as such. Despite his size, Fall is a liability on the offensive end, completely lacking in go to moves and an absolute shit show at the free throw line, furthermore he lacks the lateral quickness needed to be a true game changer on the defensive end. With all that being said, I am still a believer and in time, I think Tacko Fall could develop into a quality backup center.
FREE AGENCY:
Now we’ve hit free agency. With limited cap-space, it’s going to be difficult to be a major player for one of the big name stars (D-Lo, Kyrie, Klay etc). I’m also of the belief that we cannot afford to regress record wise next season. We need to do everything in our power over the next two seasons to 1) Convince AG to stay here long term, 2) Convince free agents in 2021 that we are a team AND a city worth playing for, which is why I believe we should resign Nikola Vucevic and Terrance Ross. Depending on how contract extensions for Iwundu, Fultz and Isaac look, we could very well open up enough cap space for AT LEAST one max contract slot in 2021.
Resign Vucevic: 3yrs/85 million (8% decline each season)
Resign Ross: 2yrs/21 million (front loaded 5% with team option for 3rd year)
Resign Martin: 1yr/1.6 million (Vet Minimum)
Granted, these resigning’s would require a bit of loyalty anda little luck to get done, but I 100% feel these offers are more than fair market value. Bringing Vooch and Ross back on relatively team friendly contracts would allow us to remain competitive and bring a sense of continuity that we have not had the luxury of having since the rebuild began over 7 years ago, while also ensuring flexibility to be players in the 2021 free agency class.
New Additions:
Sign Jeremy Lin: 1yr/6 million (player option for 2nd year)
Sign Anthony Tolliver: 1yr/3 million
After trading Fournier, the Magic will have a hole at the 2 guard spot. Bringing back Ross helps fill some of the void left behind, and IF Fultz is healthy he should help as well, however, with so much uncertainty I believe it is imperative to go after someone who is capable playing both guard positions, can create for himself and his teammates, space the floor, and mentor Markelle Fultz (because lord knows he needs one). One man checks all these boxes and then some. NBA CHAMPION, Jeremy Lin!
One of the best players in the league when it comes to scoring out of the pick and roll, Jeremy Lin is also one of the top guards in the league at getting to the free throw line, in only 19.8mpg Lin ranked 24th in FTA amongst all PG’s (2.8 FTA per game), that figure would have ranked 13th amongst all SG’s last season (being a combo guard, Lin played 48% of his minutes last year at SG). While not a lights out shooter, Lin has a career 3pt% of .342, so he isn’t a total liability either. Lastly, and this is a big one for me, Lin has familiarity with Steve Clifford (Lin played for Charlotte in 15-16), which lends itself well to building team chemistry AND helping guys like Fultz and Herro understand what Coach Cliff expects from his guards.
To help with depth, floor spacing (and to act as a strong locker room presence) I’d also offer a contract to 11 year veteran stretch four, Anthony Tolliver (career .372 from 3). At 34 years old, we shouldn’t expect too much from Tolliver, however, he has shown that he can still contribute in spot minutes
PROJECTED 2019/20 LINEUP:
Conley/Fultz/Lin
Ross/Lin/Herro
AG/Iwundu/Miles
Isaac/Tolliver/Martin
Vucevic/Bamba/Fall
Going into the 19/20, this iteration of the Magic looks to be (on paper) deeper, more versatile and very deep. We’ve addressed our PG situation and added spacing/shooting, scoring and playmaking without sacrificing future roster and financial flexibility. Adding Conley now takes a ton of pressure off Vucevic and Gordon offensively and is a significant upgrade defensively over DJ Augustin, while Jeremy Lin adds a secondary playmaker to play behind or alongside Conley and Fultz. Initially, I don’t think Herro or Fall will crack the rotation, but are more than talented enough to fill in should we get hit with the injury bug. With internal improvement from Isaac, Bamba and Gordon, there is no reason to believe that this team couldn’t notch 45-48 wins in the Eastern Conference.
Disagree with me? Found flaws in my logic? Hate everything I wrote? Too bad. This is MY dream scenario off-season. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know how you’d conduct your off-season if you were the GM.
By: JONATHAN ALICEA
Twitter @Jontimus_Prime