first off, im not linking to articles by marc stein and john hollinger on this subject because they require espn insider acces, and im not linking to the press release on the francis or the milicic trade because im lazy.
i say magicians when referring to the front office of the team because they did what other teams have recently lacked the testicular fortitude to do - admit they were rebuilding. let me break down each trade and show you what i mean.
Magic Outgoing: Kelvin Cato, 2007 first round pick (protected from 1-5 turning into unprotected in 2008)
Magic Incoming: Darko Milicic, Carlos Arroyo
This was the first sign that the rebuilding process was at “T minus 0″. First, look at what they got. Everyone knows what Darko is the whipping boy from the loaded 2003 draft that featured LBJ, Melo, and Flash. But the kid is barely 20 years old. His skills are raw, but there’s a reason that some GMs said they would have taken him before James. If he turns out to be even half the player that people thought he could be in 2003, then the deal is a steal right there. They also receive Carlos Arroyo, one of the best international players basketball can give you. While his game hasn’t yet taken off in the NBA, he is only around to provide insurance for budding star Jameer Nelson. So even if Arroyo doesn’t start, he’s one of the better backup PG’s around. What did the Magic give up? Cap relief in Cato’s expiring contract and a draft pick. But here’s the kicker - it’s for 2007, meaning they get to keep their pick this year. Giving up their present pick would have but a road bump in the rebuilding process, but holding on to it, especially considering how many ping pong balls they will have come lottery time, this pick should be top 5. Incredible.
Magic Outgoing: Steve Francis
Magic Incoming: Trevor Ariza, expiring contract of Penny Hardaway.
A lot of people are already thinking this is one of the worst trades in history, but they’re looking at it on face value. It’s like me giving you 200 dollars for a share of Google when it was only at 100, and then watching it climb to 400+ in a couple years. Sure, you ripped me off at time=zero, but at time=2, who’s the sucker? That’s what rebuilding is all about. A lot of teams just don’t understand that. But what is the actual value of this trade for the Magic, you ask? Why, I’ll tell you. First, they get rid of 3 things: Steve Francis’ 3-year overpriced contract, Steve Francis’ whining, and Steve Francis’ incessant need to hog the ball. Dwight Howard was never going to mature with him around - Charles Barkley actually said that last week. That’s addition by subtraction. What physical aspects did they get in return? Trevor Ariza, a good-looking rook last year who got parked on Larry Brown’s bench this year, and the contract of Penny Hardaway, which comes off the books this summer. Earlier in the week, Orlando shunned a deal which would have given them Jamal Crawford (a legit talent) in this trade also, smartly, because they just didn’t want the liability on their accountanting records. Now, with Grant Hill’s contract expiring in 2007, the Magic have, by far, the most amount of cap space to throw at free agents. No, they won’t be getting Lebron, Carmelo, or Wade, but they could make a run at Nowitzki, Pierce, or Carter. Or maybe two medium stars. Plus, they can resign their young guys for the long term, solidifying their stance in the future.
The Magic cleaned their slate this week of everything that they didn’t think had a big future. It just makes sense. I think they’re my favorite team.
