Category IV: Hold on. Wait a second. Let me think about this.
8) Evan Fournier, $7.1 million/3 yrs., RFA 2016
Fournier jumped out to a great start this season after being buried on the bench in Denver. It looked like Rob Hennigan found a gem in dealing Arron Afflalo quite suddenly.
He has come back to earth some and struggles a bit when he does not have the ball in his hands. He works better as a quasi-point guard creating for others. And he does a good job setting his feet for 3-pointers and getting his shot up quickly.
That a good player does not make. He has proven himself to be pretty streaky. But at just 22 years old, he is young enough to show promise and get everyone thinking.
Fournier has value. His age and his shooting ability make him valuable. He is still on his rookie contract which makes him very valuable. The question is what his his ceiling and what can he contribute to a team? Despite how well he has played, he seems destined to be a bench player for his career without a drastic improvement.
7) Aaron Gordon, $25.3 million/5 yrs., Team Option 2016-17 & 2017-18, RFA 2018
It is really tough to trade a rookie in the first year of his contract. The length is long, but it is a reasonable rookie deal.
Much like Gordon himself. The talent is there, but we are not quite sure what it is. This is not about the Magic and whether they would make a deal though. This is about who a team would make a deal for.
Gordon is a big mystery and that plays into his value. The 19-year-old forward is all potential. No one is quite sure what he will become. But what he could become is what tantalizes. Only no one probably wants to put in the work to develop him. They would probably want to leave that to someone else.
So, as a rookie, Gordon is probably best left where he is to develop with the Magic. Let them figure out what he is and who he can become. Traders can reap the benefits later or a little closer down the road.
6) Dewayne Dedmon, $3 million/3 yrs, 2016 season non-guaranteed, RFA 2016
Dedmon is still a really intriguing and interesting talent. He has had trouble breaking into the Magic’s rotation consistently, but there is no denying his defensive talent and ability. It is still very raw, but he has put things together. He went into the break on the back of three very strong games.
His offensive game remains pretty non-existent however. Dedmon is not going to do much more than put back and rebound with the ball in his hands.
And defensively, he can get a bit overzealous. Causing as many fouls as he does blocks — 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes to 6.8 fouls per 36 minutes. Still, that is more than enough as a 7-footer to get a ton of interest.
Next: No. 5 Elfrid Payton