NBA
It begins: NBA free agency finally starts Sunday
Published
5 years agoon
By
FNN NEWS
Kawhi Leonard is planning meetings in Los Angeles. Kevin Durant will do the same in New York.
Those are the cities where they’ll begin free agency.
Where they will end it will finally start to get clearer soon.
NBA teams will start opening their checkbooks Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT, when the negotiating window for one of the most hotly anticipated free-agent periods begins and with more than 200 players — including two dozen with at least one All-Star appearance
— eligible to change teams in the coming weeks.
“Some people could say, ‘Oh my God, look at all that player movement,’” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during this past season. “On the other hand, that player movement could be very positive for a lot of teams.”
Leonard, Durant, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Al Horford and Khris Middleton are among the top players who will be deciding whether to change addresses or not.
Boston apparently knows it will be losing Kyrie Irving, because a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Saturday that fellow All-Star point guard Kemba Walker has informed the Charlotte Hornets that he’s leaving them for the Celtics. Irving’s focus is believed to be on joining the Brooklyn Nets.
No deals can be signed until July 6 because of the league’s annual moratorium, though players and teams can enter into agreements starting Sunday.
“There’s a lot of obviously decisions that will go into the summer,” Golden State guard
Stephen Curry said. “And we’ll deal with those accordingly.”
Everyone will, and won’t have a choice.
Changes could shift the balance of NBA power considerably — especially if Durant leaves the Warriors and Leonard leaves the NBA champion Toronto Raptors. Durant will be pursued by the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers along with Golden State; Leonard is likely to hear pitches fr om the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers and the Raptors.
Durant and Leonard were asked countless times this past season about their free-agent plans.
Neither offered much of a hint.
“I just want to play and just let people remember that I played hard at both ends of the floor, I was a winner, and that’s basically it,” Leonard said during the NBA Finals, on his way to winning his second ring and second finals MVP award. “I’m just here enjoying my dream, having fun.”
Durant won’t play next season because of a ruptured Achilles tendon. He still may command a $221 million, five-year contract from Golden State.
“I know what I bring to the team but I also know that a lot of people on the outside, you know, don’t like to see us together,” Durant said last month. “You know, I get it.”
Whether he and the Warriors remain “us” is up to him now.
Then again, even when players say certain things, it doesn’t mean much. A parting of ways between Irving and the Celtics didn’t seem likely in October, when the point guard grabbed the microphone at a fan event in Boston and said “if you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.”
Plans apparently changed.
“I shouldn’t really comment on things until things are done,” Celtics President Danny Ainge said on draft night, dodging question after question about Irving and Horford’s respective futures. “I really can’t comment on all of the things that are said to have happened. I wish I could tell you everything I know, but I can’t.”
It’s a certainty that the Lakers will be extremely active in free agency, since they’re about a week away from having only three players actually on their roster. Take away their restricted free agents, and when the complex six-player, four-pick trade with Washington and New Orleans gets executed on July 6 and lands the Lakers Anthony Davis, they’ll have just him, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma under contract.
“We have a superstar on our team and an open slot,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said earlier this offseason, when the team hired Frank Vogel as its new coach and before it swung the deal that will net Davis. “So I think that people can look at this as an opportunity to come and win a champions hip possibly next year. And we’ve got to do the work.”
Teams now know exactly what they have to spend — as expected, the league’s salary cap for the coming season was set at just over $109 million.
And some deals shouldn’t take long to be announced Sunday.
The Warriors have said they have no intention of letting Thompson leave, even while he recovers from a torn ACL, so expect a $190 million, five-year deal to be agreed to quickly there. A person with knowledge of the situation told AP that Sacramento plans to offer Harrison Barnes a deal that will pay him as much as $90 million over the next four years.
Jimmy Butler could re-sign with Philadelphia to stay there, or as the first step in a sign-and-trade with Houston and Miami — the Heat are getting a Sunday meeting with Butler, a sign of the mutual interest there — among the potential suitors in that case.
Orlando wants to keep Vucevic, and Milwaukee seems positioned to give Middleton a max deal that will keep him alongside NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“A lot of things are going to happen,” said Raptors guard Danny Green, one of this summer’s free agents.
Come 6 p.m. Sunday, those things can officially begin.
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NBA
Orlando Magic Rally Late to Beat Washington Wizards 122-112
Published
1 year agoon
March 21, 2023
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – The Orlando Magic had a lot of ground to make up for at home after their long road run, and the Washington Wizards didn’t make it easy on them–their defense greatly frustrated the Magic.
First Half
The Wizards led most of the first quarter, especially since the Magic made none of their three-pointers…until Moritz Wagner came in off the bench with just over two minutes left in the first. With a couple of shots, he switched the lead to Orlando by a single point at the end of the first quarter, 26-25.
Cole Anthony got a nice and-1 after his rebound from a failed Wizard free throw. Bradley Beal fouled him as he ran into the paint, but Anthony’s fadeaway shot was successful as he fell to the floor.
In the second quarter the Wizards regained the lead, but like in the first quarter, the Magic rallied near the end of the quarter. When Gary Harris, Markelle Fultz and the other Wagner, Franz, got back on the court, the Magic began sinking more shots.
Mo Wagner contributed 11 points in the first two quarters, while Franz, Harris and Anthony each followed with 10 points. The Magic also made up for their three-pointer deficit in second quarter. They were seven of 17 (41.2 percent) on threes in the first half compared to the Wizards’ five of 15 (33.3 percent) and were 23 of 43 on field goals (53.5 percent) compared to the Wizards’ 21 of 40 (52.5 percent).
For Washington, Deni Avdija and Monte Morris led the scoring with 12 points each; Kristaps Porzingis followed with 11 points.
The Magic secured a four-point lead heading into halftime, 60-56.
Second Half
The Magic ended third quarter one point behind, 88-87.
The Magic brought the fire in the fourth quarter, getting on a run between Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero, who went to the free throw line three times late in the fourth and nailed every free throw. The highlight play of the second half happened within the final minute of the game: Banchero had pressure on him and made an ugly fadeaway baseline three-pointer…and sank it in.
The most critical hit of all was Bradley Beal fouling out of the game, which dealt a huge blow to the Wizards’ offense in the final stretch. Porzingis tried to pick up the slack, but the Magic saw the blood in the water and piled on the pressure, closing out the game with a 10-point win, 122-112.
For the night, Gary Harris led in scoring for the Magic with 22 points, going six for nine on three pointers and seven for 10 on field goals. Franz Wagner followed with 20 points with four rebounds and six assists. Banchero contributed 18 points and was six of six on free throws. Fultz contributed 17 points with five rebounds and five assists.
For the Wizards, Porzingis led the scoring by far, with 30 total points, six rebounds and three assists. Beal followed with 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
__________________________________
Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com
NBA
Orlando Magic to induct Dennis Scott into their Hall of Fame March 23
Published
1 year agoon
March 7, 2023By
FNN SPORTS
Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic will induct Dennis Scott into their Hall of Fame on Thursday, March 23 at 3:45 p.m. in Amway Center, near the Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience.** Scott will become the 12th member of the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
In addition to the induction ceremony, Scott will be honored that night during Orlando’s game vs. New York. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and tickets are available through OrlandoMagic.com or by calling 1-800-4-NBATIX.
“Dennis (Scott) still remains one of the elite, long-range shooters in both Orlando Magic and NBA history,” said Martins. “His ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc was a major key to our success during his time in Orlando and his records stand to this day. We are proud to make Dennis the next inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.”
Originally selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft by Orlando, Scott played seven seasons with the Magic from 1990-97. He played in 446 regular season games (322 starts) with Orlando, averaging 14.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg. and 2.3 apg. in 30.7 minpg., while shooting .403 (981-2,432) from three-point range.
During the 1995-96 campaign, Scott set a then-NBA single season-record with 267 three-pointers made, a standard that lasted for ten years. The 267 three-pointers made remains the franchise record for most made in a season. On April 18, 1996 vs. Atlanta, Scott connected on 11 three-pointers, breaking the then-NBA single game-record, a mark that lasted for almost seven seasons. The 11 three-pointers made also remains the franchise record for most made in a game.
Scott also appeared in 41 playoff games (31 starts) with Orlando, averaging 12.2 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 33.8 minpg., while shooting .364 (92-253) from three-point range. On May 25, 1995 vs. Indiana, he made seven three-pointers during Game #2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, setting a franchise playoff-record that still stands today. Scott helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals.
Scott remains the Orlando Magic all-time leader in three-pointers made with 981. Entering this season, he also ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals attempted (second, 2,432), field goals attempted (seventh, 5,737), games played (eighth, 446), steals (eighth, 429), points scored (tenth, 6,603), field goals made (tenth, 2,421) and minutes played (tenth, 13,692).
The Orlando Magic unveiled its inaugural Hall of Fame class on April 9, 2014 with the first two inductees, Magic co-founder Pat Williams and the team’s first-ever draft pick and current community ambassador, Nick Anderson. Scott also joins Shaquille O’Neal (2015), the late Rich DeVos (2016), Anfernee Hardaway (2017), Jimmy Hewitt (2017), Tracy McGrady (2018), David Steele (2019), Darrell Armstrong (2020), John Gabriel (2022) and Brian Hill (2022) in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.
The Orlando Magic Hall of Fame honors and celebrates the great players, coaches and executives who have had a major impact during the team’s illustrious 34-year history. It bridges the past with the future of Magic basketball, and the exhibit, located in Amway Center on the terrace level near Nutrilite Magic Fan Experience, provides Magic fans an opportunity to learn some Magic history while in the building. The inductees are selected based on their overall on and off the court contributions to the team and organization, years of service, impact in the community and general character of the individual.
NBA
Jonathan Isaac to Miss Remainder of 2022-23 Regular Season Due to Another Injury
Published
1 year agoon
March 3, 2023By
FNN SPORTS
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on Friday morning to repair a torn left adductor muscle and will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 regular season. An MRI conducted Wednesday revealed the injury, after he felt discomfort following Tuesday’s practice in Milwaukee.
“Our thoughts are with Jonathan, whose fortitude in dealing with adversity is unique,” said Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “Jonathan has worked extremely hard to return to the court this season and has demonstrated his impact on our team. We will be by his side as he focuses on the work ahead.”
Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) played in 11 games this season, averaging 5.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg. and 1.27 stlpg. in 11.3 minpg.
Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Orlando, Isaac has appeared in 147 career NBA regular season games (106 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 9.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 1.0 apg., 1.43 blkpg. and 1.08 stlpg. in 24.7 minpg. He has also played and started in five career playoff outings, averaging 6.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.3 minpg.
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