Orlando Magic Stand Pat at NBA Trade Deadline
The NBA trade deadline was totally bonkers but the Orlando Magic stayed out of the madness as they made no moves before the 3 p.m. deadline.
The Magic were heavily rumoured to be interested in moving Andrew Nicholson and Maurice Harkless but in the end general manager Rob Hennigan decided to hold onto the two youngsters.
A couple of the team’s veterans, such as Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour, surfaced in potential small-scale deals but nothing came to fruition.
Most of Orlando’s trade speculation hinged on Nicholson who has been vastly underused this season as he has appeared in just 18 games and hasn’t played in the team’s last 16 matchups. He’s averaging just 3.1 points per game.
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However, his $2.4 million salary for 2015-16 is fully guaranteed and may have scared teams away from acquiring the Canadian.
Harkless’ salary for next season is also guaranteed, thus making a potential trade slightly more difficult. The 21-year-old is averaging 3.4 PPG in 27 appearances.
One of the biggest trades of the day saw former Magic guard Arron Afflalo, who led the team in scoring the last two seasons, traded to Portland from Denver.
Orlando has 26 games remaining this season and as previously announced, James Borrego will remain the head coach through season’s end. The team will also now compete with the same roster Borrego inherited after the firing of Jacque Vaughn.