The NBA schedule is moving towards 2014 and that means the trading deadline is coming up soon and as it gets closer more reports will come out about names on the block and some names that could end up moving includes a number of Orlando Magic players, including Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo and Hedo Turkoglu and some interested teams could be the NY Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Magic have a number of potential moves to make, as they are currently in the process of trying to get rid of Hedo Turkoglu due to his contract status and since the team is rebuilding, Glen Davis, Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo could be on the block as well. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported that the Magic will try and trade Hedo by January 7th, as his contract ends up guaranteed at $12 million after that date and the main reason for trying to trade him now is that half of that is guaranteed for the season and to keep it at that number for the Magic, the team needs to deal him or waive him and eat the money on that date by 5 pm and that gives them a deadline to make a move.
Reports say the Magic want to keep Afflalo, but someone like Nelson or Davis looks like a prime option to move based on their contracts and the fact that the Magic are a team that is in a rebuild and they don't look like they are finishing it up anytime soon. Apart from Hedo, Nelson is the oldest player on the team and he will be 32 coming up soon and with Davis and Afflalo nearing their 30th b-days as well, it could be time for those players to move. The Knicks are a team that is desperate for a point guard and they have continued to shop Iman Shumpert and that could be an option for the team as well.
The Atlanta Hawks have been mentioned in connection with a number of deals, including with the Sixers and the Houston Rockets and that could mean a deal for Davis or Nelson is in the future as well. The trading deadline for the NBA is in February and it looks like the Magic will be active during the deadline and the time leading up to it.
The team likely will buy out Hedo's contract if they can't work out a deal with someone, but the team would much rather trade him than simply eat the money. Afflalo is averaging over 20 points this season and through last week he had over four rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on the season and while he has a deal leading into 2016, he is not that expensive with a $7.5 million per year deal and he could be a nice fit for a number of teams looking for an offensive boost. Orlando is just 8-20 this season and they are one of the worst teams in the NBA.
