In some ways, Hedo Turkoglu became the face of the Orlando Magic during the 2009 NBA Finals. Dwight Howard was unquestionably Orlando’s top player, but with point guard Jameer Nelson battling injury, Turkoglu became the Magic’s primary ball-handler and leading scorer. All eyes were on him.
After the series, a 4-1 loss to the Lakers, Turkoglu signed a five-year, $52.8 million contract with the Raptors. He spent a disastrous season in Toronto and was so desperate to leave, he agreed to lower the amount of money guaranteed in the final year of his contract as part of a trade to the Suns.
Now, Turkoglu, since traded from Phoenix to Orlando, might soon find himself a free agent thanks to that renegotiation.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
The Orlando Magic and Hedo Turkoglu are progressing on contract buyout talks, league sources tell Y! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 9, 2013
Turkoglu’s 2013-14 salary is $12 million, but only $6 million of that is guaranteed. ShamSports.com doesn’t list a guarantee date, but all NBA contracts become guaranteed Jan. 10.
The Magic are clearly negotiating with Turkoglu, because they don’t want to pay the full $6 million. In exchange for accepting less money, Turkoglu would get the freedom to join the team of his choosing.
But if I were Turkoglu, I wouldn’t give up a single penny.
Magic have no use for a 34-year-old who played just 11 games last season due to a failed steroid test and injury. They’re rebuilding – maybe even tanking – and Turkoglu just gets in the way of giving minutes to young, developing players, and he’s expensive to boot.
If the Magic can’t negotiate a reduced buyout, perhaps they’ll try to trade Turkoglu to a team trying to reduce its payroll. Orlando could accept a player making about the same salary with a draft pick sweetener, and the team acquiring Turkoglu could waive him, saving the difference between the traded player’s salary and $6 million. For Turkoglu, that scenario would still leave him a free agent – just not as quickly.
But if Turkoglu hopes to land on a contender, it doesn’t really matter if he’s there early in the season. The whole point is to be with that team during the playoffs. A later buyout might limit the number of teams pursuing Turkoglu, but it’s just as likely it allows him to better assess which teams have the best chance of winning big.
If any contender wants Turkoglu next season, he’ll get there one way or another. He shouldn’t sacrifice money in the process.
