The Orlando Magic announced the signing of Argentine swingman Patrico Garino Monday and received way more attention for it than they ever would’ve liked. Just not for the actual signing, though.
By announcing the deal on Twitter with a photo of Garino putting ink to paper, the Magic may have also revealed what appears to be a big board of their off-season targets.
The tweet has since been deleted, but the photo and, more importantly, the information seen from the slip-up is living on thanks to intrepid Reddit user “pickprotection,” who posted the photo on Imgur and laid out a convenient table of all the info on that white board.-Sportsnet
Accident? I do not think so. I think that the Orlando Magic posted this picture in the hopes of other NBA GM’s calling them in reference to the players on the far left-Hybrid Trade category-and they are putting the rest of the league on notice that they will pursue the “Hybrid Free Agents” essentially saying “if you want to sign them, you will have to compete with us”.
Some pretty good names on the lists above. “Hybrid Trade” list has many solid role players: Hernangomez, S. Johnson, Nance, Kuzminskas etc. One name I would stay away from is Parsons who has been riddled with injuries since signing with the Memphis Grizzlies. Chandler would also be a great option if the Magic could acquire him via trade.
Gallinari, Iguodala, Millsap and J. Johnson are the biggest names on the “Hybrid Free Agency” list. All four players bring veteran leadership and playoff experience, something a young Orlando team can desperately use. Tucker and Gay could be great additions as well, but my guess is that Gay will sign with a contender, while I really hope Toronto re-signs Tucker.
“Spread Bigs Trade” is a category with mostly role players. Leuer has had a great season in Detroit, while Mirotic, Anderson and Teletovic have been up and down for the most part. Bertans-who currently plays for San Antonio-could be a steal, especially if he is given consistent minutes on a nightly basis which he is not getting with the Spurs. Maker is still very raw, while Bjelica could provide veteran leadership.
According to the Sportsnet article, the last category is “Free Agent Spread Bigs”. Once again, Gallinari (I believe) is mentioned. Patterson is a solid defender, although his bread and butter-the three point shot-has been off this season, but I would still take a chance on him. Muscala and Olynyk bring size and energy, something every team needs.
I saved the “Gordon for Saric” trade for last. If I am Orlando, I do this trade. Saric started off the season rather slowly, but has really picked it up since February. Gordon I am not too high on. He is very gifted athletically, but you never know what you will get with him, which could be due to system that he plays in, but he still needs to bring it on a nightly basis.
I think this will be an active off-season for Orlando. I would not be surprised if they trade away Vucevic as well as Fournier and started fresh once again. Payton I would keep because he has shown signs of improvement, especially this season. In the draft, they could go with Tatum who would slot in at the three, which would then push Ross to the bench. Or they can go with someone like Isaac who would take over for Gordon, if he is indeed traded.
Ogi is a graduate of Humber College’s Sport Management program. He is the founder of Blago Blogger Sports.