Assessing Value on the Orlando Magic Roster: Class Warfare
Final Observations
So what does this tell us about value on the Magic’s roster?
The first thing we can say for sure is that Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton outplayed their rookie contracts last year. And that is a very good sign. Orlando is getting good value from two of its key players while they are on cheap contracts. That should seemingly make it easier to invest in others and then eventually in them.
The other rookie players are solid but have not quite cashed in. Where the Magic seem to struggle is in the “other” players outside their core. They are not getting great value for them compared to other rookie deals. Those are rookie deals.
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Things get a little more complex when looking at the Magic’s two big-money players.
If thinking about Nikola Vucevic as an upper middle class player, he like all upper middle class players often provide little value. And unlike a guy like Al Horford or Paul Millsap, Vucevic has a negative contract to value ratio.
But when looking at Vucevic as a max player, he proves to be right in the middle of the pack and, because he is not paid as a max player, he becomes a value.
As it always seems to be, Tobias Harris is a much more complicated story. His production last year in terms of value over replacement player did not project him well. And now comparing him to other max players puts him in company the Magic likely do not want to see him in.
Harris has to find a way to prove himself all over again and increase his value statistically. Winning helps.
On the other side with middle class players, the Magic appear to be getting C.J. Watson after one of his best years. They are paying him for one of his best career seasons. And Jason Smith is coming in off of a bad year. Playing for the Knicks will do that.
When it comes to value using this metric, the Magic appear to have done a good job drafting their rookies and establishing their core. With the big salaries, things seem a bit more hit and miss.
Orlando will have to wait and see how these players perform this year.