Orlando Magic
coach Steve Clifford sees enticing possibilities now that Orlando has acquired 6-foot-4 point guard Jerian Grant and 7-foot-1 center Timofey Mozgov in a three-team trade.
LAS VEGAS — Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford sees some intriguing possibilities now that Orlando has acquired 6-foot-4 point guard Jerian Grant and 7-foot-1 center Timofey Mozgov in a threeteam trade that sent center Bismack Biyombo and a pair of future secYork’s picks to Charlotte.
In a media availability session Sunday morning, just eight hours after the deal became official, Clifford said he and his staff will wait to work with Grant and Mozgov before they determine how Grant and Mozgov will be employed.
“It gives us additional size at the point guard position and versatility, a guy who has a good defensive element to his game who’s also at an age where he’s also experienced and has a lot of room for growth,” Clifford said.
“I think with Timofey Mozgov he’s, again, an experienced player. He’s very bright. He’s a big body, and he’s a much better athlete than peoond-round give him credit for. So we’ll see. We’ll bring them in and start to get to know them.”
The three-team deal came together Saturday and also included guard Julyan Stone going to the Chicago Bulls. Orlando will send Charlotte the less favorable of Washington’s and Denver’s secondround picks in 2019 and the less favorable of Brooklyn’s and New second-round picks in 2020.
The transaction ended Biyombo’s deeply disappointing two-year tenure with the Magic.
Biyombo came to Orlando in 2016 after he signed a four-year, $68 million contract and he expected to become the franchise’s starting center. But Biyombo never permaple
nently beat out incumbent starter Nikola Vucevic, and last month’s acquisition of rookie Mo Bamba with the sixth pick in the draft meant Biyombo’s playing time was going to diminish. Rather than risk Biyombo becoming disgruntled over a shrinking role, the Magic sent him to a Hornets team where he could have a better chance to play.
As unfruitful as Biyombo’s time with the Magic was, his teammates respected him for his work ethic, durability and hustle.
“I was surprised just at the type of trade it was, a threeteam trade, and it’s tough, man,” second-year forward Jonathan Isaac said. “Biz is a great guy. He’s one of the great leaders on our team and brought it every night. So I’m sad to see him go.”
The trade underwhelmed Magic fans because it proved that the team’s widely rumored interest in possibly adding free-agent point guard Isaiah Thomas had been overstated.
Although it was true team officials strongly considered adding Thomas and did extensive research, the Magic never reached a stage in which they started to negotiate a deal.
Indeed, the Magic ultimately ruled out signing Thomas, who missed most of the 2017-18 season with a hip issue and was largely ineffective when he did play for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Orlando currently has three point guards on its roster: incumbent starter D.J. Augustin, Grant and rookie free-agent signee Isaiah Briscoe. None of those players is widely regarded within NBA circles as a two-way player — someone who excels on both ends of the court.
“D.J. Augustin is a very good player, a professional player,” Clifford said. “He’s proven he can play against starters. He’s a knockdown shooter. He’s a terrific pickand-roll player, and I have a lot of confidence in the kind of year that he can have.”
One of Grant’s weaknesses is his shooting. In primarily a reserve role last season in Chicago, he made only 32.6 percent of his 3-pointers and 41.6 percent of his shots overall. He did, however, produce some promising assist numbers, averaging 4.6 in 22.8 minutes per game.
Asked if he envisions Grant, 25, becoming Orlando’s backup point guard, Clifford answered, “I don’t do it that way. I’ve never coached him. He’s never been a fulltime starter. To me, that’s all conjecture. You bring him in, you work with him, you see where he’s at, and then you make a decision.”
Mozgov, 31, is a traditional back-to-the-basket big man at a time when the sport is increasingly emphasizing outside shooting and agility, even with centers. Mozgov played in only 31 games last season for Brooklyn and averaged just 11.6 minutes per game.
Asked what types of matchups suit Mozgov’s skills, Clifford answered, “I’d say against other traditional centers. He does, I believe, have the ability to step out and shoot corner 3s, which I think he’s added to his game. But he’s a big guy with a live body.”