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Orlando Magic Shooting Month: Shooting trades the Magic regret

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Gilbert Arenas arrived in Orlando to try to revitalize his career. Instead it was the end of the Orlando Magic's championship window. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Gilbert Arenas arrived in Orlando to try to revitalize his career. Instead it was the end of the Orlando Magic's championship window. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Orlando Magic Shooting Month: Shooting trades the Magic regret

More Friend Troubles

The Orlando Magic’s puzzling January trade of Cuttino Mobley to the Sacramento Kings will remain one of the strangest and most criticized deals in Orlando history.

In that first year after trading Tracy McGrady in 2005, the Magic were cruising at 18-14 with Steve Francis playing at an All-Star level and Dwight Howard finding his footing in a reduced role. Grant Hill was healthy and playing well. Hedo Turkoglu was getting his Magic time going.

This was a talented and capable playoff team. Cuttino Mobley was a big part of that. He is still among the best shooters by 3-point percentage in Magic history. Which is incredible considering he played only 23 games in a Magic uniform.

Why it was not more is still baffling.

Mobley averaged 16.0 points per game and shot 46.4-percent from beyond the arc. How is that not a player that is super valuable? How is that not a player who you get more for in return in a trade? Instead the Magic gave up another player to get Doug Christie!

Christie was not a bad shooter. But he was more known for his defense. And it fit the defensive mentality that then-general manager Jon Weisbrod was trying to build. Christie was still one of the best defensive players in the league.

He averaged 7.3 points per game and shot 25.6-percent from beyond the arc. Just go back up a few paragraphs and compare those two stat lines and give a collective, “Huh?”

This was a case of Weisbrod envisioning something for this team and not understanding what makes a good basketball team. Not just on the court, but off-the-court dynamics too.

This deal was a disaster in every way.

Christie was not thrilled about coming to Orlando and bristled with coaching and the general situation. He ended up sitting out the final 26 games with the enduring vision or story of his time being his agent shaking a bag supposedly filled with his bone spurs after questions about whether he was actually injured emerged.

Francis was not thrilled about the Magic suddenly trading his best friend in Mobley.

Francis was on an All-Star path that season, averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.0 assists per game. But after Mobley’s trade, Francis’ temper came to the front. That included a two-game suspension for refusing to enter a game and kicking a cameraman in Seattle.

The Magic’s season collapsed and they missed the playoffs.

This is a trade that never should have happened and had little justification.