NBA Free Agency: Orlando Magic reportedly interested in Eric Gordon

The  Orlando Magic have reportedly shown interest in New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon. With free agency only a few hours away, reports of who the Magic are going to be meeting with are beginning to surface.

The Orlando Magic rumor mill is moving at full speed as the free agency period is about to get underway. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, the Orlando Magic have expressed interest in shooting guard Eric Gordon.

Gordon is heading into his his eighth season after spending the last five years with New Orleans. Gordon has been a solid player throughout his career, averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting a 50.7 percent effective field goal percentage for his career.

Coming out of Indiana University back in 2008, Gordon was a highly touted prospect. He was a drafted seventh overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and from day one has had problems staying on the court.

With seven years under his belt, Gordon has only been able to play more than 64 games once in his entire career. The injury concerns have always been an issue with him and if the Magic are going to pursue him they will need to have a backup plan.

When he is on the court, Gordon is a solid scoring option. He can spread the floor and knock down the outside shot. Coming off the bench, the Magic could really use a guy to provide a scoring punch.

If Gordon and the Magic are to come to terms with a deal, they are going to have to outbid multiple teams. According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans all have interest in Gordon.

Eric Gordon will not be the “be-all and end-all” for Orlando in free agency. But, he would fill a major hole.

The Orlando Magic are targeting a lot of guards along with Gordon. Jamal Crawford and the Magic reportedly have mutual interest and will meet on July 1 and Jodie Meeks was recently traded to the Magic for a 2019 second-round pick.

Sheridan Hoops’ Michael Scotto has reported that even with all of the interest Orlando is showing in free agents, they still plan on re-signing Evan Fournier. With this news, the Magic are clearly looking for bench scoring. One reason why Gordon, Crawford and the like make a ton of sense.

Last season the Magic had major problems finding a pop off the bench. For most of the season that is what Victor Oladipo provided, now that he was sent to Oklahoma City, Orlando needs to find that spark again.

For one, Crawford was sixth man of the year last season and would really help the Magic off the bench. And with Eric Gordon in a reduced role, there is a greater chance that he stays healthy.

Along with Gordon and Crawford, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders also reported the Magic have a few other meetings scheduled in what should be a busy offseason.

With a quick glance, all of these players make sense. D.J. Augustin would be a good option to backup Elfrid Payton and adding Kent Bazemore would provide another scoring outlet and he could also help on the defensive end. Al Horford would be a tremendous piece next to Serge Ibaka.

General Manager Rob Hennigan is trying to find any bench shooting that he can. It is a smart move by weighing all the options as there is still that chance the Magic land a big name free agent like Al Horford or Nicolas Batum.

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Only time will tell who the Magic actually land as they can begin contacting free agents Friday at midnight.