DeShawn

Stevenson

Stevenson has been competing with Keith Bogans to back up Cuttino Mobley. It is believed either Stevenson or Bogans will be put on the IL to start the season. If Bogans is on the injured list, league sources have told the Sentinel he will ask for a trade.

Stevenson’s on a nice three-game run, but it might not last much longer with Matt Harpring improving. The 21-year-old’s future is, however, looking brighter.

One of the players Stevenson trails is teammate Carlos Arroyo. Stevenson was a career .386 shooter coming into this season. The 22-year-old is working hard and has finally come into his own as a legit scoring option for the Jazz.

“They need someone who is going to come in and lock down the other team’s best player and I think I can be that guy,” Stevenson said. He probably won’t have much fantasy value this season, as he’ll struggle to score 10 points per game in the Wizards’ offense. And despite being a defensive specialist, his blocks and steals are not great in terms of fantasy appeal either.

He has agreed on a two-year contract worth the NBA minimum salary. Since he has six-plus years of service, that will be $932,015 for the first year. This was not an optimum deal for Stevenson, who turned down a three-year, $10 million contract from the Magic in early July. This deal means that Jared Jeffries will likely be allowed to sign with the Knicks next week, while Stevenson will hope to recoup his lost money as a free agent next summer.

He’s hoping to become a free agent again next summer and recoup the money he lost in this deal.

Dwight Howard contacted Stevenson, hoping to keep him in Orlando. “I hope he stays. He wants to be here,” Howard said. “He can be one of the guys who helps us take it to another level.” The Magic could target a shooting guard in the draft now.

GM Otis Smith said the Magic want to get an indication of what Stevenson plans to do so they can adjust their draft needs accordingly. “Hopefully we’ll have a cleaner cut answer on whether he will stay on his current contract or opt out,” Smith said.

He’s testing the free-agent market and it’s starting to look like he won’t be in Orlando next year.

He’s already received two offers and is waiting to hear from a third team before making his decision. It doesn’t look like he’ll be in Orlando next season.