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2017 Orlando Magic Free Agency Preview: The Centers

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 20, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) drives to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) drives to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 112-109 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tiago Splitter, Philadelphia 76ers
Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Tiago Splitter (47) shoots against Brooklyn Nets forward Andrew Nicholson (44) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Tiago Splitter, Philadelphia 76ers

Per Game Table
Season Age Tm G MP FG% 3P% eFG% FT% TRB PTS
2016-17 32 PHI 8 9.5 .452 .333 .484 .818 2.8 4.9
Career 355 19.2 .555 .143 .556 .697 5.0 7.9

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/30/2017.

Tiago Splitter might be the kind of reclamation project the Orlando Magic would be interested in if they were not already full at center.

Splitter struggled all year last year with injuries, eventually getting shipped from the Atlanta Hawks to the Philadelphia 76ers. He played a few games at the end of the year. Splitter showed some success, but his NBA future is very much in doubt. He is looking for a low-level salary to get a chance to show he is healthy again.

That is not a place Orlando can guarantee much. There are simply not enough minutes for the Magic to pass around and give Splitter the chance to build to a new contract. And he is not likely to be an effective power forward next to Biyombo. This alone will make it tough to entice Splitter to make the move to Orlando.

At his best, Splitter is a solid defender and rim protector. But ultimately he is not much of an offensive player. He is good at put-backs and working around the rim, but he does not have a ton of jump-shooting ability.

In reality, Splitter is probably the third center on a team in this league. But he is not likely to accept that role quite yet. After averaging 16.1 minutes per game in Atlanta in 2016, he should feel like he can still reach that level again and play the backup role. That is something the Magic cannot offer.