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Rashard Lewis to the Magic Kingdom


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he NBA's most sought-after free agent is going to the Magic Kingdom.

 

Rashard Lewis has given the Orlando Magic a verbal commitment to leave the Seattle SuperSonics and sign a max contract on July 11, according to NBA front-office sources.

 

That's the first day free agents are allowed to officially sign new contracts.

 

Unless a sign-and-trade arrangement is worked out with Lewis' old team or unless it can otherwise shed payroll between now and July 11, Orlando will have to renounce the rights to restricted free agent Darko Milicic to create the salary-cap space needed to sign Lewis to a deal believed to be in the $15 million-a-year range.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2924228

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would have loved it...but oh well...magic just got a lot better.

 

They'll improve, no doubt about it. But the rest of the roster is a question mark. Even so, this one signing bumps them up to 5 or 6 in the East. I still wouldn't consider them better than Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, or Chicago, but the offseason's just getting started.

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Ok, we're pretty much screwed now. The odds that we get Wallace or Billups and/or get rid of Walker's and Williams' contracts are terrible. Looks like we're stuck with this team unless something major happens like Riles promised.

 

We're 2 days into free agency and Miami is already doomed? I'd hate to see you DURING the season. Sheesh.

 

Lewis was obviously at the top of Miami's list, but the offseason is just getting started. I wouldn't put anything past Riley. He's worked out some deals that seemed near impossible before (i.e. Shaq trade, Walker, Williams, Posey trade) so I'm not worried.

 

This isn't Minnesota. The guys in the front office aren't going to stay put all Summer. :thumbdown

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I'll just throw this in here. Is there any chance we can make this the OFFICIAL offseason thread because having different discussions for random signings, trades, etc. is going to get annoying when things pick-up.

 

There's at least a chance the Heat won't watch a second free agent bolt to another team without getting something -- or someone -- in return.

 

The agent for veteran forward James Posey said Monday his client would agree to be used in a sign-and-trade deal if the Heat was unwilling to offer a new deal to stay in Miami.

 

Posey has attracted interest from Utah, Dallas, Denver, New Jersey, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Mark Bartelstein said.

 

Posey is an unrestricted free agent and free to deal with another team without having to work out an arrangement with the Heat. But Bartelstein said Posey is willing to wait for the best opportunity.

 

''When it gets to this time of the year, you have to have an open mind about everything,'' Bartelstein said. ``[Posey] would like to go back to Miami, but he's going to make the best decision he can for him.''

 

Posey, 30, earned $6.3 million last season, his second with the Heat. Most of the teams interested in Posey reportedly plan to use either part or all of their midlevel exception salary of $5.5 million to $6 million a year. Any deal above that amount likely would require a sign-and-trade.

 

Posey and forward Jason Kapono entered the offseason as the Heat's biggest free agents -- and among its most valuable trade assets. But the Heat apparently will come away empty with Kapono, who agreed to a four-year, $24 million deal with Toronto on Sunday.

 

According to a league source, Kapono left because the Heat offered a three-year deal with an annual salary much lower than Toronto's offer.

 

The teams interested in Posey could give the Heat six potential trade partners in its attempt to acquire help at point guard and small forward. Among the free agents the Heat has contacted: Seattle forward Rashard Lewis, Milwaukee guard Mo Williams, Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace, Toronto swingman Mo Peterson, Orlando forward Grant Hill and Denver guard Steve Blake.

 

Another veteran point guard soon could be available on the free agent market. Utah agreed to release Derek Fisher, 32, from his contract to focus on his daughter's cancer treatment. Fisher did not rule out returning.

 

That's awful thoughful of Posey. I'd like to keep him around, but if he's going to allow himself to be moved to help the Heat then I'm all for it.

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I'll just throw this in here. Is there any chance we can make this the OFFICIAL offseason thread because having different discussions for random signings, trades, etc. is going to get annoying when things pick-up.

 

There's at least a chance the Heat won't watch a second free agent bolt to another team without getting something -- or someone -- in return.

 

The agent for veteran forward James Posey said Monday his client would agree to be used in a sign-and-trade deal if the Heat was unwilling to offer a new deal to stay in Miami.

 

Posey has attracted interest from Utah, Dallas, Denver, New Jersey, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Mark Bartelstein said.

 

Posey is an unrestricted free agent and free to deal with another team without having to work out an arrangement with the Heat. But Bartelstein said Posey is willing to wait for the best opportunity.

 

''When it gets to this time of the year, you have to have an open mind about everything,'' Bartelstein said. ``[Posey] would like to go back to Miami, but he's going to make the best decision he can for him.''

 

Posey, 30, earned $6.3 million last season, his second with the Heat. Most of the teams interested in Posey reportedly plan to use either part or all of their midlevel exception salary of $5.5 million to $6 million a year. Any deal above that amount likely would require a sign-and-trade.

 

Posey and forward Jason Kapono entered the offseason as the Heat's biggest free agents -- and among its most valuable trade assets. But the Heat apparently will come away empty with Kapono, who agreed to a four-year, $24 million deal with Toronto on Sunday.

 

According to a league source, Kapono left because the Heat offered a three-year deal with an annual salary much lower than Toronto's offer.

 

The teams interested in Posey could give the Heat six potential trade partners in its attempt to acquire help at point guard and small forward. Among the free agents the Heat has contacted: Seattle forward Rashard Lewis, Milwaukee guard Mo Williams, Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace, Toronto swingman Mo Peterson, Orlando forward Grant Hill and Denver guard Steve Blake.

 

Another veteran point guard soon could be available on the free agent market. Utah agreed to release Derek Fisher, 32, from his contract to focus on his daughter's cancer treatment. Fisher did not rule out returning.

 

That's awful thoughful of Posey. I'd like to keep him around, but if he's going to allow himself to be moved to help the Heat then I'm all for it.

 

But if we had an "official" offseason thread then how would the forums get cluttered? :confused

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You are wrong about having no money to play with. They have the mid and low level execptions as well as 2 players with expiring contracts in JWill and Doleac. Not to mention a reasonably priced Haslem contract and a couple of young players like Wright, Simien, and maybe Cook. They also have future picks like next year's #1, and 2 extra 2nd rounders in 09. Plus Posey's agent has offered to allow him to be included in a sign-and-trade. Some combination of these pieces should be enough to get help at either PG or SF, or both. It will take some creativity, but the one thing Riley has always done in the offseason is find creative ways to fill needs.

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You are wrong about having no money to play with. They have the mid and low level execptions as well as 2 players with expiring contracts in JWill and Doleac. Not to mention a reasonably priced Haslem contract and a couple of young players like Wright, Simien, and maybe Cook. They also have future picks like next year's #1, and 2 extra 2nd rounders in 09. Some combination of these pieces should be enough to get help at either PG or SF.

I just spit up coffee when I read we have 2 players with expiring contracts by the name Williams and Doleac. I hate to break it to you but the rest of the league is not as high on players like UD and Dorrell Wright like Heat fans are.

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This is a huge pickup for the Magic. Lewis is the scorer they have been missing. The Magic played this really well. Basically make it obvious to Seattle that they will sign Lewis outright and renounce Darko if they have to, but they prefer to do a S&T so that Seattle gets something back. The Magic are the only team in the league that actually has this leverage over the Sonics with the exception of the Bobcats. Hopefully this allows us to bring Darko back or get extra money to sign other guys. I'm pumped.

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You are wrong about having no money to play with. They have the mid and low level execptions as well as 2 players with expiring contracts in JWill and Doleac. Not to mention a reasonably priced Haslem contract and a couple of young players like Wright, Simien, and maybe Cook. They also have future picks like next year's #1, and 2 extra 2nd rounders in 09. Some combination of these pieces should be enough to get help at either PG or SF.

I just spit up coffee when I read we have 2 players with expiring contracts by the name Williams and Doleac. I hate to break it to you but the rest of the league is not as high on players like UD and Dorrell Wright like Heat fans are.

 

I'm not saying that teams necessarily want JWill and Doleac to play for them, but teams do want players that have contracts ending and will come off of their payroll next year. That is how trades work in the NBA. Teams aren't looking for players, per se, but they are looking for ways to create cap space. Do you think Portland wanted Steve Francis? Of course not. But they took him because his contract matched up and it ends sooner than Zach Randolph's monster deal. So they will buy him out and in 2 years have more flexibility rather than in 4 years with Randolph.

 

Also, I guarentee that there are teams out there that would be interested in Haslem. Watch how much money Anderson Varejao is about to be overpaid. Haslem will be a bargain by comparison. As for Wright and Simien, I think they are regarded more highly by NBA GM's than fans. They are both young, cheap, and have some potential. They wouldn't be a centerpiece to a trade, but they are the sort of players teams will want to help complete a deal.

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NICE!

 

go magic

 

Hopefully the point will be to keep him in and let GHill walk out, their starting 5 is up there with the best in the NBA now and hopefully they get to keep Darko. I think Darko could be a valuable commodity for the magic, regardless of how much he has underperformed.

 

Maybe not immediately, but with Dwight developing and Lewis hitting his prime, we have a great core to attack the east as it is reshaping itself.

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