Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 14: Decision time
The Victor Oladipo extension question is a big one. One that probably plays out the way Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier’s negotiations played out.
The Magic will likely give Oladipo a relatively low offer. Oladipo will think he can get a max — and knowing the salary cap is about to jump another $10 million, that max gets a lot more — and there will be no extension.
I would suspect the Magic offer Oladipo a contract extension starting at $15 million or $16 million per year. Oladipo will hold out for the max (would be $21 million base salary, I believe) and then they go to the season.
Who knows if Oladipo is truly worth the max or if he can get it in the market (Tobias Harris did get a max offer sheet on the market and took a discount to return to the Magic)? But that is essentially what is on the table for him.
For the point guard position, I am fairly certain the Magic will search the market for another backup point guard. At least to hedge their bets for C.J. Watson‘s injury. The Shabazz Napier experiment really did not work out well. But I do not see point guard as a super pressing need.
Elfrid Payton is pretty well entrenched as the starter. There is some talk of going after Mike Conley, and he would definitely be an upgrade, but I am not sure how realistic that is. Payton is the point guard until further notice.
Watson had the weird calf injury that knocked him out most of the season and the Magic’s point guard depth was somewhat exposed. It would be better for the Magic to have a backup point guard who could push Payton some for sure. A veteran like Deron Williams or Shaun Livingston would be a great option to bring in and have a leader off the bench that can challenge Payton some.
Even Jeremy Lin would not be a terrible idea for the Magic to look into as a backup point guard option. Especially since he can play off the ball some.
There are options out there for sure. But it is not the most dire or pressing need. Just something the Magic need to be prepared to handle better this season. Napier just did not work as planned and Watson’s injury threw a wrench into many of the team’s plans.
And finally, I do not think the Phoenix Suns would trade Eric Bledsoe. And, at his price right now, Victor Oladipo is probably a better player — at least until we see what money he gets next summer as a restricted free agent. It is hard to figure exactly what the Suns are doing, but I find it hard to believe they will part with Bledsoe.
On any case, with his injury history, I am not sure Bledsoe is a player you want to build around. He might become a better value than Oladipo with his contract the way it is, but he is really a stopgap more than anything.
Next: Rob Hennigan, Pat Williams to represent Orlando Magic at NBA Draft Lottery
Thank you everyone for the questions and for your patience as I answered your questions. I should be back with another mailbag closer to the Draft in June!