I like the hiring of hiring Frank Vogel in Orlando. They did wisely keep Evan Fournier. I like their front court with Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and now Serge Ibaka (at least for a year).
However, I have not loved the moves the Magic have made this off-season on the perimeter. Gone is Victor Oladipo (and Tobias Harris if you go back to the last trade deadline), and in their place there is Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin. (Part of my issue is I’m far from sold on Elfrid Payton.) That backcourt/wing spot is wanting.
Into that mix, you can now add Jeff Green, a signing broken by Jeff Zillgitt of the USA Today.
Jeff Green has reached a one-year, $15M deal with the Orlando Magic, I've been told.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) July 1, 2016
That’s not solving the problems.
With a one-year deal Green has bet on himself — impress in a place he should get touches (with Oladipo and Harris gone) and next summer he can rake it in with a longer deal. But after eight NBA seasons, the book on Green is pretty much written: The one game he brings it every two-or-three weeks will tease Magic fans, but most of the time he will be a non-entity. He doesn’t shoot the three-ball well to space the floor, and he just kind of floats through games. If you’re thinking “but with a one-year contract he’s motivated” don’t — this has been going on for eight years. He is what he is. Good enough to be a slightly-below average rotation wing and stick in the league, but not a guy going to break out.
That this is a one-year deal saves it for me from Orland’s perspective. Paying $15 million a year for Green is too much, but they are not locked into him. They can use him this year.
The real loser here: The Clippers. They gave up a first-round pick for Green at the trade deadline, now he walks as a free agent. They got a mediocre half-season rental, and the Clips have another hole to fill. Maybe Doc Rivers is convinced he can slide Kevin Durant into that slot, but in the real world the Clips will need to find someone else.
