DALLAS ? At first glance, the Orlando Magic appeared to conduct business as usual Wednesday. The team's most recognizable healthy players ? J.J. Redick, Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo ? suited up and played against the Dallas Mavericks.
But Wednesday wasn't a typical day. And the hours leading up to today's 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline won't be ordinary, either.
In a measure of how important this stretch before the deadline is, general manager Rob Hennigan and assistant general manager Scott Perry didn't join the team on its current road trip. Hennigan and Perry remained in Orlando, where they took calls and made calls about potential deals.
Just because Redick, Nelson and Afflalo played against the Mavericks doesn't mean they're immune from possible trades Thursday. If a deal occurs, the Magic executives would want young (and preferably inexpensive) players and draft picks. The Magic also would like to shed some long-term salary commitments.
The desire to create some salary-cap flexibility is one reason why the Magic almost certainly won't use the $17.8 million trade exception they received in last summer's Dwight Howard deal to acquire a player who has a large contract. Instead, the exception could be used to facilitate a multi-team deal that would leave the Magic with draft picks.
Redick, a 28-year-old shooting guard in the final year of his contract, continues to generate interest from opposing teams.
The Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs have been rumored to have interest in him.
The Bucks are said to be pushing hard for Redick ? but only if they first trade away shooting guard Monta Ellis.
Milwaukee is said to be offering the Magic a draft choice and wing Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a talented defender with a limited offensive game. But Mbah a Moute's current deal, which pays him about $4.5 million a season, runs through 2014-15. It's unlikely the Magic would want to take on that kind of salary commitment, especially if the draft choice from the Bucks isn't a first-rounder.
Hennigan, who rarely discusses personnel issues publicly, isn't fielding questions from the media about his plans.
The Magic and Redick's agent, Arn Tellem, haven't had discussions about a contract extension because Redick isn't eligible for a contract extension. Players who are in the midst of a one-, two- or three-year deal ? and Redick is completing a three-year deal ? can't sign contract extensions.
Redick is the Magic's most popular player, but he's also a role player (albeit a very good, much-improved role player).
The league's new, more punitive luxury-tax rules will go into effect during the 2013-14 season, and with those new rules in place, teams ? including the Magic ? are trying to manage their salary-cap space as prudently as possible.
This summer will give Redick his best opportunity to secure a lucrative deal, and Tellem surely will seek a raise over Redick's current annual salary of $6.2 million.
It remains unclear whether the Magic would be willing to meet the asking price Tellem would set.
In the meantime, the Magic might be hard-pressed to obtain a first-round pick for Redick because teams would be reluctant to give up value for a player who might leave their franchise in free agency over the summer.
The picture will become clearer before 3 p.m. Thursday.
jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.
Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-magic-trade-deadline-0221-20130220,0,862153.story?track=rss
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