Though Dwight Howard has already made it clear he does not want to play in Golden State, the Warriors are hoping they can change his mind, and are aggressively trying to put a package together to reel in the Magic superstar.
The Magic would get quite a heist from the deal. It would likely come down to choosing between Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and then also getting Klay Thompson, Ekpe Udoh, and Andris Biedrins' $9 million expiring contract. Also, they own New Jersey's first rounder, but only if it falls outside the top 7 picks, and it likely won't, so there's no asset there really. That pick is pretty much protected.
The problem is that the Magic had hoped to net a package that would keep the team competitive in the short term, and Thompson is a rookie, Udoh is raw, and Curry or Ellis alone isn't even enough to keep the Magic in contention for the last playoff seed in the East, not with so many improving teams in the conference.
The Magic likely have already made their biggest blunder by rejecting a deal that would have brought them Jose Calderon, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. Why would a premier guard be any more attractive than that? Especially given the fact that Stan Van Gundy's offensive scheme, and Orlando's roster, is centered around having a dominant big man.
For that reason, it would seem Brook Lopez would make a lot more sense than dealing with the Warriors.
MarShon Brooks would likely be requested in the deal, and so would Kris Humphries' expiring $10 million contract. One would figure the Magic might consider re-signing Humphries after the season, but there's no certainly there, and the salary cap shedding would prove beneficial at any rate.
So how can the Warriors come up with a more impressive package?
I don't think they can. Lopez is a much better fit for the Magic, and Brooks would be a great "throw in," if you could even term a scorer of his caliber a throw in at any rate. The Nets also have Houston's first rounder if it falls outside the top 14 and their own first rounder to sweeten the pot in a deal with the Magic.
Orlando would have to choose that package, yet the Warriors are going to do everything in their power to get the upper hand.
The Magic would get quite a heist from the deal. It would likely come down to choosing between Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and then also getting Klay Thompson, Ekpe Udoh, and Andris Biedrins' $9 million expiring contract. Also, they own New Jersey's first rounder, but only if it falls outside the top 7 picks, and it likely won't, so there's no asset there really. That pick is pretty much protected.
The problem is that the Magic had hoped to net a package that would keep the team competitive in the short term, and Thompson is a rookie, Udoh is raw, and Curry or Ellis alone isn't even enough to keep the Magic in contention for the last playoff seed in the East, not with so many improving teams in the conference.
The Magic likely have already made their biggest blunder by rejecting a deal that would have brought them Jose Calderon, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum. Why would a premier guard be any more attractive than that? Especially given the fact that Stan Van Gundy's offensive scheme, and Orlando's roster, is centered around having a dominant big man.
For that reason, it would seem Brook Lopez would make a lot more sense than dealing with the Warriors.
MarShon Brooks would likely be requested in the deal, and so would Kris Humphries' expiring $10 million contract. One would figure the Magic might consider re-signing Humphries after the season, but there's no certainly there, and the salary cap shedding would prove beneficial at any rate.
So how can the Warriors come up with a more impressive package?
I don't think they can. Lopez is a much better fit for the Magic, and Brooks would be a great "throw in," if you could even term a scorer of his caliber a throw in at any rate. The Nets also have Houston's first rounder if it falls outside the top 14 and their own first rounder to sweeten the pot in a deal with the Magic.
Orlando would have to choose that package, yet the Warriors are going to do everything in their power to get the upper hand.
