If the Orlando Magic decide not to re-sign Tobias Harris, there may be an impetus to sign a guy in free agency who can solidify Orlando as a Playoff team.
This year’s free agent crop is not the most attractive comparative to what is yet to come when the current collective bargaining agreement expires and the new TV deal kicks in, but the Orlando Magic need to make the step towards playoff contention in one offseason. That may require spending some money.
Superficially, the first issue here with spending cap room is that it must exist.
That means there is no re-signing of restricted free agent Tobias Harris. They may not even be able to offer him the qualifying offer to ensure maximum cap space and flexibility. By not committing $10 to $13 million to Harris, the Magic will have the funds to offer considerate offers to some of the free agents whose values may not be fully recognized.
If the Orlando Magic decide not to re-sign Tobias Harris, there may be a driving impetus to sign a guy who can solidify Orlando as a postseason team.
Each of the following five free agents has potential still to be cashed in on, and while all are in favorable situations right now, the chance could be there for one to be a star player on a young team — or even just an indispensable part of a much better roster.
Of course, that is, if the price is right and the Magic pony up the cash to beat all bidders.
Next: Paul Millsap
1. Paul Millsap
Paul Millsap is a guy whose short stature has never mattered because he has extremely long arms and great timing. He abused the Magic thoroughly this season, showing an ability to punish Magic big men both on the blocks and stepping out for the 3-point shot.
He is a really dynamic talent and absolutely worth the max contract he may command.
Though it is Al Horford who has the most All-Star appearances of any Hawks player, it is Millsap who is the superior talent, but lingered in a tough Western Conference, unable to draw All-Star bids. That honor aside, what is left is a workhorse that is capable of carrying an offense, and at times, fully taking over games.
Perhaps those are just a lot of superlatives, but there is a reason why the Hawks are the No. 1 team in the East, and a further reason they were able to boast having four All-Stars this season.
Millsap “buys into” the team concept, and the Magic could benefit from having a No. 1 option who still plays selflessly when it comes to giving an all out effort and playing tough on both ends of the court.
Next: Greg Monroe
2. Greg Monroe
Greg Monroe has already been featured here at OMD as a possible target in free agency. Really, think of all the things Kyle O’Quinn did when he was playing his best ball, and add consistency and an ability to stay in games (O’Quinn is a foul master), and the result is a rich man’s Kyle O’Quinn that could instantly render the offensive unit far more dangerous.
Monroe feeds well from the high post, and like Nikola Vucevic he can step out and knock down the long two.
“Moose” is tough on the glass, and while he is not a dominant rebounder or a shot blocker, he is a power forward. If he is a rich man’s O’Quinn, in some senses he is also a poor man’s Tim Duncan.
Monroe would be an unassuming way to increase the potency of the front court while making the Magic a much tougher team to cover in half court sets.
For all Dewayne Dedmon has been as a success story, a former Georgetown Hoya big man is always tough to pass on. The pedigree speaks for itself, not to imply he is the next Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning or Patrick Ewing.
Next: Draymond Green
Again, Draymond Green has been a big focus here at OMD in an earlier piece on the former Michigan State Spartan.
Suffice it to say that those who were familiar with his NCAA career, the success he has enjoyed as a starting power forward is not surprising. Green took and made tough shots his entire career under Tom Izzo, and he emerged a very smart, NBA-ready talent.
He is the type of guy who can put up 20 points without teams really even noticing it, but when he gets hot he is a prime target for double teams. The Magic have good talent in Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Nikola Vucevic, but teams do not often decide to double on Magic players.
Vucevic faces up quickly in such situations and throws it back out. Green tends to pummel it baseline and make great plays. His acumen for exploiting holes and gaps in the defense is hard to find in the NBA. And though his statistics are somewhat humble, it is important to remember he is on a very stacked team that features the highest scoring backcourt in the Association.
The question with Green is always one of commitment and salary: What is he really worth?
The answers have ranged from $10 million to “max-deal,” but it is difficult to say whether any team giving him max dollars could be satisfied.
It is not to say Green’s upside is any way low, but rather that he may not be the guy to carry a team in need of a No. 1 option. If he is getting max money, he needs to step up to a much higher level of raw production, unfortunately, because his talents alone won’t measure statistically necessarily.
Next: Tyson Chandler
At first thought, many may ask “What would the Magic do with Tyson Chandler at that salary during a rebuilding effort? What about Nikola Vucevic?”
This is a move for leadership.
The Magic can easily play a lot of twin tower lineups, and James Borrego has already gone to starting the seven-foot Dewayne Dedmon alongside Vucevic. There has been plenty of talk about adding Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor and going with a twin-tower lineup.
Given Vucevic’s lack of rim protection, it is going to require crafty moves to achieve the defensive balance needed.
One thought had been to add Willie Cauley-Stein by trading down in the draft, but if the Magic want to make a playoff push, it could be viable with the addition of Tyson Chandler.
The Smoking Cuban
He is obviously not a game changer offensively, but he is good in pick and rolls and can help free up guards as he has always done with his ability to set solid screens and roll to the rim hard. He cleans up the offensive glass.
There is a certain allure to having three seven-footers on the roster, and this would fill that luxurious quota. Portland (more on this later) has done that with success all season.
The Magic may make a stranger move like this, and considering that Channing Frye got an $8 million deal to provide spot shooting, Chandler would prove far more worth the money to give the team more significant contributions, not the least of which is a more vocal leadership call.
Next: Wesley Matthews
Wesley Matthews is out for the remainder of the 2015 NBA season, but he is a far more talented player than star-gazers of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge may have noticed.
He is a lights-out shooter capable of getting very hot, and his heat check shots seem to fall at a rate far greater than the typical NBA 2-guard.
Matthews is not going to be an MVP candidate any time soon, but on the Magic he could round out the backcourt rotation with a little more stability and consistency while providing shooting talents that neither Oladipo nor Payton have yet.
Essentially, adding Matthews would make Evan Fournier expendable, and that may not be a problem. He is capable of putting up 20 points per game on a team like Orlando’s, and could easily serve as a No. 1 or No. 2 option until (and if) the Magic add the major free agent or draftee to complete the core lineup.
With an offseason that is sure to include a restructuring of the bench, Matthews could head a new core of Magic second-unit players, or if Tobias Harris really does walk, start at the 3-spot.
Matthews will likely be in line for similar money to Harris’ (even with Matthews recovering from his season-ending injury), and the argument that he is a far safer pick for major production is shown in the fact he is able to still put up 16 points per game.
Since Portland now has C.J. McCollum starting to play more inspired ball, and also having added Arron Afflalo, it may choose to let Matthews sign elsewhere rather than overstaff the backcourt and not provide Aldridge the help he will need down low (see: unrestricted free agent Robin Lopez needing to be re-signed).
The Blazers identity lies in Lillard and Aldridge, and if the team makes a run in the postseason with Matthews on the shelf, that will blow holes in the value of his free agency campaign.