The first player off the Orlando Magic in Thursday's win over the Brooklyn Nets was rookie Jase Richardson.
While there was an overall pall over the team with the departure of Tyus Jones, someone who was viewed as a mentor and steady hand in the locker room, even if he struggled on the court, this was also an opportunity.
Magic fans had long called for Richardson to play over the veteran guard, eager to see the rookie perform and get his chance on the court. In his limited minutes, he always seemed to produce and score. He popped off the screen with his energy.
There was certainly something to that.
As much as it might have hurt to have Jones of the roster emotionally, this was a chance for Richardson to prove himself. The table was seemingly clear for him.
In 22.5 minutes on Thursday, Richardson missed all four of his shots, including three 3-pointers. His lone point came at the free-throw line, where he made one of two.
Richardson was still plenty active despite the poor shooting. He had two assists and two steals. The Magic won his minutes by six points.
One game is not an indictment on him as a player or what he might do with the opportunity.
But fans may not be pleased to know that Richardson will have to fight for these opportunities again. He will find himself behind a veteran point guard.
After trading Jones, the Magic were required to fill the 14th roster spot. They moved quickly to do so reportedly agreeing to a contract with veteran guard Jevon Carter on Friday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
In Carter, the Magic get a veteran guard who is known for his defense. He fits a type for the Magic and fills a clear need.
But to play him, someone has to sit. And it seems like the Magic are not ready to give the keys to their rookie point guard.
Seeking a veteran
In the wake of the trade deadline, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman made it clear the team would lean toward a veteran to fill the roster spot they were required to fill.
But they were not going to bring someone in who was not going to be a contributor to the team. They were not expecting a major "needle-mover," but they wanted to sign someone who would make enough of an impact to play.
Carter checks all those boxes at 30 years old and eight seasons under his belt.
"This a lot feeds into what our roster looks like and picking guys up just so you said you did something or a guy that's going to make a difference," Weltman said after the trade deadline Thursday. "We have our backcourt with Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, is that guy going to play in front of those guys? We've been talking about potential buyout guys. We'll look to add somebody to replace Tyus shortly. After that, we'll see how that stuff shakes out."
Carter has been a bit of a journeyman guard. But teams have always valued his toughness and defense more than anything else.
Carter is not much of a scorer, averaging 5.2 points per game in his career. In 23 games for the Chicago Bulls this season, he averaged 5.4 points per game and shot 41.0 percent from three on 3.4 attempts per game. He is a career 38.1 percent 3-point shooter, despite entering the league with questions about his shooting.
In his limited sample this season, he is 21 for 55 on catch-and-shoot threes, according to data from Synergy Sports.
He has seven games with more than 10 points this season despite few opportunities. In his best game this season, Carter scored 14 points and made 4 of 8 3-pointers in a loss to the Golden State Warriors in early December.
Carter's last game for Chicago saw him score 11 points with five rebounds in a win over the Miami Heat on Jan. 31.
Even at 6-feet tall, Carter is known for his defense. And that solid defensive presence is certainly something the Magic like.
Carter is not going to change everything overnight. Orlando is bringing him in as a steady hand and solid role player. There is a reason Carter fell out of the rotation in Chicago and has bounced a bit around the league.
Richardson waits for his chance again
Inevitably, though, the Orlando Magic are not adding a player just to add a player. Jeff Weltman said he would only add a player if he had a path to playing. That is one of the reasons the team did not make any further moves at the trade deadline.
League rules required the Magic to sign a player to carry 14 players on the roster. Orlando was going to sign somebody.
It felt like the team might focus again on a point guard. And that puts the Magic's rookie back in the spotlight.
Jase Richardson has been fine in his rookie season. He is averaging 5.1 points per game and shooting 35.5 percent from three. He has played well when given minutes and ample playing time.
But there is still a concern about his size on defense, even though he tries to make up for his shortcomings with effort. Richardson is still learning how to be a role player for this team and make good decisions. Many of his mistakes are expected rookie mistakes.
Orlando is not giving up on Richardson by any stretch. But his rookie year was always going to be spent learning and fighting for opportunity. That continues now.
The Magic have found themselves in a tight playoff race. There is little time for mistakes -- especially with the team struggling to find its identity.
The Magic will likely give Carter a chance to see if he fits in with the group. They want the veteran.
Richardson will be spending some more time learning, even if that idea might frustrate Magic fans. We will see how coach Jamahl Mosley handles those minutes.