Magic 'Emerging' as Free Agent Target for Fred VanVleet; Could Orlando Sign?
The Orlando Magic is set to have the sixth-most cap space of any team in the NBA this offseason, allowing the team to make a big splash in free agency this summer.
While this year's free agent class is not one of the best and brightest we've seen, there are still several intriguing assets available, including All-Star guard Fred VanVleet.
VanVleet, 28, has a player option in his contract for next season, which can go either way. When he signed the contract, the Toronto Raptors were one season removed from a championship and made a deep run in the Orlando bubble. However, the team is now regressing and he may want to leave in order to pursue a new opportunity for a team on the rise, like the Magic.
Here's what The Athletic wrote about VanVleet's impeding free agency ...
"The Suns and Magic have emerged as potential free-agent suitors for All-Star guard VanVleet, league sources say. VanVleet — the 2019 NBA champion and one of the league’s greatest undrafted success stories — spoke recently about his pending free-agency status in the offseason and how he remains focused on the Raptors: “I’m completely focused on his team. My loyalty is to this team and to this franchise and trying to get us back to the level that we’re accustomed to around here.”
VanVleet could be a target for the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 9, but many teams could pass on him in hopes of acquiring him in free agency this summer without dealing any key pieces or picks from their own roster.
The Magic would be an enticing fit for VanVleet, who is averaging 18.2 points and 6.3 assists this season. VanVleet would immediately step into the starting point guard role that Markelle Fultz currently occupies. While VanVleet has a better track record than Fultz, the question remains to be seen whether the former No. 1 overall pick can make things work in Orlando.
Fultz is averaging 12.2 points and 5.6 assists per game, but also has improved considerably on defense.
There's a chance that the backcourt could feature both of them, but it would be a risk.
No matter where Orlando stands in the VanVleet sweepstakes - signing him to replace Fultz, play alongside him, or let him sign elsewhere - the Magic is taking a risk. In due time, Orlando will figure out if that risk pays off.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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