ESPN - Sources: Lewis agrees to leave Sonics for Magic
ESPN - Sources: Lewis agrees to leave Sonics for Magic - NBA
excerpt:
excerpt:
After being treated to an aggressive 24-hour courtship, Rashard Lewis told the Orlando Magic on Monday that he plans to leave the Seattle SuperSonics to sign a max contract with Orlando on July 11, according to NBA front-office sources.
The price for Lewis' services could grow, though. Unless a sign-and-trade arrangement can be worked out with Lewis' old team or unless it can otherwise shed a contract or two to create more salary-cap space in the next week, Orlando will have to renounce the rights to restricted free agent Darko Milicic to create the cap room to fund such a lucrative deal, instantly making Milicic an unrestricted free agent.
Only the Sonics had the right to sign Lewis to a six-year deal and pay him more than he'll get from the Magic, but the 27-year-old apparently eager to team with Howard and move out of the Western Conference.
Milicic, meanwhile, figures to have no shortage of free-agent opportunities if he is indeed released onto the open market, despite a fourth straight season marked by concerns about the 7-footer's intensity. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft by Detroit averaged just 8.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Magic in his first full season of regular playing time, but the 22-year-old did raise his game in the playoffs by averaging 12.3 points on 58.8-percent shooting in Orlando's four-game exit to the Pistons in the first round.
posted by WeRDevos @ 8:09 AM
3 Comments:
At 8:28 AM,
WeRDevos said…
If Darko is gone, the Magic better not be done putting the roster together:
PF/C: DH, Battie, Augustine
F: Lewis, Ariza, Turk
SG: Redick, Dooling, Bogans
PG: Nelson, Arroyo
Dead to us: Garrity
That's pretty weak at PF/C without Darko. Unless they go Phoenix Suns and put Lewis at PF/C.
I'm not sure this roster can get by Chicago, Detroit, Lebron or Miami and into the second round.
At 10:56 AM,
Big Figure said…
Top Free agent power forwards: A.Nocioni,F.Oberto,Mikki Moore,A.Varejao and K.Thomas Other Free agent power forwards: A.mcdyess,E.Najera,Joe Smith,M.Ely and D.Fortson.
At 4:35 PM,
Matt said…
WeRDevos is right. That roster without Darko is not attractive at all. In my view, we had to secure Darko's contract first and then try for getting Rashard through some shrewed trades, involving Hedo. As it stands we have too many SFs but very weak on the PF/C. if we play small ball with Hedo at PF look at all players who are known for their defense; Hedo, Rashard (although decent), J.J. and Jameer. This was OVERWADED suggested line-up. Small ball with Rashard at PF does not look any different. In my view, we would have been better off with Darko in the line-up even if we couldn't get Rashard. The Magic's inexperienced GM got blinded by wanting to get Rashard locked up so quick that they lost the sight of basic common sense. Expect another average season trying to barely make to the play-offs with no post season chance against CHI, DET, WAS, MIA or CLE.
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