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Orlando Magic acquire Dakari Johnson from Oklahoma City Thunder, trade Rodney Purvis

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 29: Dakari Johnson #44 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic on November 29, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - NOVEMBER 29: Dakari Johnson #44 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic on November 29, 2017 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic acquired Dakari Johnson from the Oklahoma City Thunder, sending out Rodney Purvis in a deal done largely for financial reasons.

The Orlando Magic have acquired center Dakari Johnson from the Oklahoma City Thunder, trading away Rodney Purvis on Friday.

The move is a relatively minor one with the teams exchanging players at the end of their bench.

Johnson played 31 games, scoring 55 points in 161 minutes for the Thunder last season. He spent most of his time in the G-League where he averaged 23.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Blue. He spent most of the last three seasons in the G-League and never really burst into the NBA scene. He was always a Summer League stalwart knocking on the door.

His chance to play in the NBA still seems like it may be a little ways away.

Orlando may have acquired him in a trade, but it appears they are set to cut him, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

The Thunder are well over the luxury tax line and are facing a pretty hefty tax bill. It seems they looked to deal Johnson and his remaining year at $1.4 million guaranteed.

In all likelihood, they did this deal to acquire Purvis’ non-guaranteed deal so they could cut him, paying the Magic some cash considerations to cover Johnson’s salary. The savings from the repeater tax make it worth it for them.

The Magic essentially took Johnson for some cash to cover his expenses. All while dealing a player who was going to struggle to play.

Purvis shined for the Lakeland Magic in the G-League and earned a call-up at the end of the season. After averaging 20.5 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc, Purvis got signed to two 10-day contracts and then a multiyear deal to stick with the Magic.

He struggled a bit on the main roster though. Purvis averaged 6.0 points per game in 16 games, but he shot just a 38.8 percent effective field goal percentage.

Things did not get much better for Purvis in Summer League. He struggled to get playing time with the main players and shot just 7 for 22 for the week in Las Vegas.

With his non-guaranteed contract, Purvis was going to have to fight to make the roster once again. It seems the Magic made their decision to move on from him, seeing it difficult for him to get playing time with Melvin Frazier, Isaiah Briscoe and Wesley Iwundu ahead of him on the depth chart.

Next: Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag: Looking ahead to 2019

This is a minor move, done mostly for financial reasons and not basketball reasons. Johnson remains an intriguing prospect because of his size. But he is someone who has struggled to make the NBA. And with a ton of centers already on the roster, the Magic do not appear to be the team that will give him his shot to crack the league.