Orlando Magic starting
point guard Elfrid Payton insists he’s not worried about the upcoming NBA trade deadline.
Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton insists he doesn’t worry about the upcoming NBA trade deadline and tries not to get swept up in the rumors that inundate social media.
“I always feel like God’s got me, so whatever happens, it was meant to happen,” Payton said when asked if he ever worries about what might happen before the deadline.
“Whatever is for me, is for me. So it doesn’t concern me at all. As long as I’m here [with the Magic], I’ll give 100 percent here until they say it’s time to go or whatever.”
The deadline will expire Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
What the Magic do — or don’t do — with Payton before the deadline is one of the team’s biggest storylines to watch over the next few days.
Now in his fourth season, Payton has not lived up to the expectations that came with being the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft out of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Originally projected by the Magic’s prior front-office regime as a potential defensive standout, Payton has been a liability on the defensive end of the floor for most of his professional career, despite his lengthy 6-foot-4 frame.
To be sure, the Magic have been awful defensively most of the season. Through Saturday, the team ranked 27th in the NBA in points allowed per possession and 28th in field-goal percentage defense. So there’s plenty of blame to go around. But Payton’s defense at the point of attack has been a recurring issue.
Statistically, Payton has made significant strides on offense this season. He has improved his 3-point shooting to a career-high 37.9 percent and his overall shooting to a careerhigh 52.0 percent. He’s made better decisions on when to drive to the rim.
But despite his improved long-range shooting numbers, opposing teams generally back off him on the perimeter and dare him to shoot. That, in turn, limits the room his Magic teammates have to maneuver on offense.
Still, he has a talent for getting to the rim.
Because he’s in the final season of his rookie-scale contract, Payton will become a restricted free agent in July if — as expected — the team makes him a qualifying offer and Payton doesn’t accept the qualifying offer. In restricted free agency, the Magic would have the right to match any offer sheet Payton might sign with another team.
Payton, 23, said he never reads press clippings and rarely, if ever, scours social-media sites such as Twitter.
That’s a smart way to avoid distractions with the trade deadline approaching.
Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic, two of Payton’s teammates, said they try not to pay attention to the trade deadline.
Like Payton, Fournier and Vucevic said they have no control over the situation.
Rumors are rampant these days, especially on Twitter.
Asked if he advises family members to avoid social media, Payton smiled and answered, “Sometimes. Half that stuff is fake. But if that entertains them, if that’s what they want to do with their free time, go right ahead. I wouldn’t waste my time with it.”