Arron Affalo has bounced
Magic sign veteran wing to $2.3M deal
around to a lot of NBA teams over the years. On Thursday, he settled down in Orlando — again.
Arron Afflalo resembled a pinball the last three years.
He careened from one NBA team to another, never staying in one place for very long.
He went from the Denver Nuggets to the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks to the Sacramento Kings.
And as Afflalo bounced from city to city, he never felt as happy as he did in Orlando during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. So he did something about it. On Thursday, Afflalo signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract to rejoin the Magic. The team hopes he’ll add long-range shooting to their shooting-deprived roster and provide some veteran leadership. Afflalo, meanwhile, just wants to feel fulfilled.
“Obviously, it’s a business and we think about money and stuff like that, but I just want to find happiness,” Afflalo said after the team formally announced his new deal. “I just think this career is so short-lived, and you’re very fortunate if you can play over 10 years in this league. I don’t want to see any more years go by where I’m frustrated or not happy irregardless of wins and losses.”
The move reunites Afflalo with two people who shaped his
early professional career. New Magic executives Jeff Weltman and John Hammond worked in the Detroit Pistons’ front office during Afflalo’s rookie season with the Pistons.
From Orlando’s perspective, however, adding Afflalo addresses a critical team need. The Magic finished last season with the NBA’s second-worst 3-point shooting percentage. And when Jodie Meeks left the franchise to accept a free-agent offer from the Washington Wizards, the Magic needed to find someone who shoots as well as Meeks and can provide the durability that Meeks lacked.
Afflalo sank 41.1 percent of his 3s last season with the Kings.
“The last time I addressed the media, I alluded to the fact that we were going to try to add shooters as we completed the roster,” said Weltman, the Magic’s president of basketball operations.
“Arron’s proven to be a high-level NBA shooter over a lot of years. He shot over 40 percent from 3 last year, and he’s also a player of high character and a player who really enjoyed his time in Orlando and was eager to return.”
Afflalo will join a crowded group of wings that includes Evan Fournier, Terrence Ross, Jonathon Simmons, Mario Hezonja and Wesley Iwundu.
But Afflalo, who will turn 32 years old in midOctober, likely will receive significant playing time.
When he spoke with reporters Thursday, Afflalo acknowledged he might not occupy as central a role as he played during the Magic’s 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, when he averaged 17.4 points in 35.5 minutes per game.
“If it’s needed and asked, trust me, I’ll be available to do it,” Afflalo said. “But there might be other guys in position that are better suited on different nights to make the team successful, [if] it’s Evan or anybody else. Whatever it is that’s asked of me, I’ll be available to do it.”
The Magic also added centers Marreese Speights and Khem Birch on Thursday, signaling the end of the team’s major free-agent activity for this offseason.
Team officials now hope they’ll have enough depth to make some Eastern Conference inroads.
As for Afflalo, he hopes he enjoys his second Magic stint as much as he enjoyed his first one.
“Being in the NBA, you have to be happy,” Afflalo said. “You have to be happy, and this is by far the happiest place I’ve been, not because I was able to play some of my best basketball. Just on the court, off the court, the environment, the city, being here with John and Jeff, I just think there’s a combination of so many things that just really fulfilled me as a person. And when you’re happy as a person, I think it brings the best out of you as a professional.”