What’s the deal with Orlando point guards?
LAS VEGAS — The NBA’s annual free agency period typically incites passionate arguments, even for teams stuck in the league’s cellar. The Orlando Magic are no exception, especially this year. Let’s not mince words: The team’s point guard situation has confounded many fans and infuriated a vocal segment of fans who are active on social media.
Here’s where the Magic stand.
The team has three point guards under contract on its regular roster: incumbent starter D.J. Augustin, Jerian Grant (who arrived via a three-team trade this past weekend) and rookie free agent signee Isaiah Briscoe. Orlando recently signed another point guard, Troy Caupain, to a two-way contract; he’s slated to spend the majority of the season with the team’s G-League affiliate in Lakeland.
The team’s main roster currently has 14 players on either guaranteed contracts or partially guaranteed deals, and Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman told the Sentinel the team is done adding anyone else via free agency, other than training camp invitations or two-way deals. Weltman also noted, however, the Magic hypothetically could make a trade or trades.
So with the scene set, let’s get right to reader questions in this latest edition of the Sentinel’s Magic Mailbag. inaccurate report on July 3 over Twitter that said Thomas and the Magic were “negotiating a possible deal.”
“Nothing has been agreed to yet, but it seems both sides want to get this done,” the tweet also read.
Again, and I cannot stress this enough: The report, sources tell the Sentinel, inaccurately stated the Magic wanted to reach a deal.
An element of fact did underpin the report, however. The Magic did talk directly with Thomas and his agent, but from the team’s perspective, those conversations were exploratory in nature. No doubt questions such as these were asked: What is Thomas’ mind-set? What role is he looking to fill? What, exactly, is the status of his surgically repaired hip?
Fans and even journalists are conditioned to think that
conversations between free agents and officials from NBA teams are geared toward coming to an agreement.
In fact, however, many meetings or conversations are exploratory in nature.
Remember, Thomas never played for one of Weltman’s or GM John Hammond’s prior teams. Accepting a get-to-know-you meeting would have been the prudent thing for the Magic to do, especially for a player as accomplished as Thomas is.
Several days after the initial report came another tweet that said “the two sides couldn't agree to a deal.” That, too, was inaccurate. The implication was clear: The two sides disagreed on possible contract terms. The reality, however, was different. There was no deal because the Magic never decided they wanted Thomas.
No wonder fans are confused. The Magic have been one of the NBA’s worst teams for six years and counting — by far the worst stretch in franchise history. The team’s fans are frustrated, and understandably so. When a report surfaced the Magic were negotiating with a former two-time AllStar who averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season, the fans had reason to be excited. Fans deserved better. That said, the Magic clearly could have added Thomas if team officials had wanted to do so. Orlando’s decision not to do so is ripe for second-guessing. If Thomas signs somewhere and enjoys a fantastic drama-free season, then upset fans will have ample evidence to say the Magic made a major mistake when they didn’t bring Thomas aboard.
A lot of people around the league are rooting for Thomas — and for good reason. By all accounts, he’s a good person. He’s also a fighter who, despite only being 5-foot-9, scrapped and clawed his way to NBA stardom.
Yes, barring a trade, it appears the Magic are prepared to enter the season with Augustin as their starting point guard.
Magic officials are far more bullish on Augustin, a 30-year-old who has played for eight different NBA teams, than fans seem to be.
Augustin posted one of the best years of his career last season, shooting 42 percent from deep and averaging 10.2 points per game.
His assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.33-to-1 exceeded Jrue Holiday’s (2.28), Dennis Schröder’s (2.28), Kyrie Irving’s (2.19) and Goran Dragic’s (2.16).
Is that to say Augustin is better than Holiday, Irving or Dragic? Of course not. At 6 feet tall, Augustin is a defensive liability.
Also, there is a danger with Augustin. Over the course of his career, he’s had a pattern of following strong seasons with subpar seasons. If the pattern holds, the 2018-19 season would be a down year.
But you can make a strong argument that the Magic are far better off with Augustin as their starting point guard than they were last season with Elfrid Payton as their starting point guard. Augustin can shoot, and his shooting ability opens space for teammates. Opponents cannot go under when he handles the basketball on pick-and-rolls.
And despite Augustin’s deficiencies as a defender, those deficiencies are not due to a lack of effort or savvy.
“D.J. Augustin is a very good player, a professional player,” coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s proven he can play against starters. He’s a knockdown shooter. He’s a terrific pick-and-roll player, and I have a lot of confidence in the kind of year that he can have.”
Weltman told the Sentinel: “We’re always looking for ways to improve our roster at every position, but we are in capable hands with D.J. D.J. is a very good player and he’s coming off the best year of his career under trying circumstances. D.J. represents what we want to be about: a professional who prepares, who plays for his teammates and who always brings the same personality to the team irrespective of the highs and lows of the season.”
That said, Orlando’s point guard rotation will not incite fear in the majority of its opponents.
Jerian Grant has been a backup his entire career, and he has struggled with his shot during his three NBA seasons.
The team will need to surround him with shooters for it to generate offense, and shooting is one of Orlando’s biggest weaknesses. Isaiah Briscoe also struggles with his shot, and there are real questions whether he’s an NBA-caliber player.
Orlando entered free agency with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $8.6 million at its disposal.
Financially, the team easily could’ve afforded to sign Isaiah Thomas.
Whether it was a mistake to pass on him is a decision that can be, and should be, debated.
But apart from that decision, what other obtainable options on the free market would have been clear upgrades over Augustin?
Fred VanVleet, a restricted free agent, re-signed with the Toronto Raptors at a starting salary of $8.65 million. So if the Magic had signed him to an offer sheet at that figure — the highest salary the Magic could have offered — the Raptors simply would’ve matched.
Note, however, that Weltman did not rule out the possibility of a trade before the start of training camp.