Magic GM Rob Hennigan
gets mixed grades from Magic Insider Brian Schmitz.
The Magic are trying to settle in after making two trades. They are the first significant deals that alter the direction of the club’s rebuilding plan.
So there’s no better time to evaluate general manager Rob Hennigan’s track history of trading.
I’ve ranked what I think are Hennigan’s biggest trades and have Mondaymorning-quarterbacked their impact.
No. 1: Dwight Howard to the L.A. Lakers: A dozen players were moved in this four-team 2012 blockbuster involving the Lakers, 76ers and Nuggets. Hennigan was hamstrung by Dwight’s destination demands but needed some compensation.
The best player he acquired proved to be Nik
Vucevic, who has blossomed into a productive center while Howard has declined physically.
Hennigan also essentially turned a first-round pick into Elfrid Payton. Hennigan’s grade: B+ No. 2: Tobias Harris to
Detroit for Ersan IIyasova and Brandon Jennings: I rank this transaction high because of the volatile nature of Harris’ value. Hennigan dealt J.J.
Redick in a 2013 trade to Milwaukee for Tobias, considered a key piece to the young core.
While others raved about Harris, Hennigan pursued Paul Millsap last summer. It was only after being unable to land Millsap that Harris was signed to a four-year $64 million contract.
With Harris leveling off, Hennigan traded him for IIyasova and Jennings. They essentially have expiring contracts, producing a pathway to $45 million in cap space to make runs at free agents. Bravo ... but this trade could also define his tenure
Hennigan’s grade: I give him a B+ for getting out from under Harris’ contract. He gets an A+ only if he can turn the Tobias saga into a star free agent — and a D if he can’t.
No. 3: Arron Afflalo to Denver for Evan Four
nier: This has been an underappreciated trade. Afflalo was acquired in the Howard transaction and then sent back to the Nuggets in a deal for the littleknown Frenchman.
Seven years younger than Afflalo, Fournier, 23, has become Orlando’s most versatile wing. It appears the only way Hennigan would not resign the restricted free agent is if Fournier becomes expendable to accommodate the arrival of a star.
Hennigan’s grade: B. No. 4: Redick to Milwaukee for Harris: Redick was caught in a rebuilding mess. Maybe he would have stayed for the right price as a free agent despite the losing. He signed a four-year deal with the Clippers for about $7 million per, a bargain.
I thought J.J. was everything the Magic wanted in a player, a career-keeper. He would be vital for a Magic team desperate for shooting and veteran leadership.
Hennigan’s grade: D (considering Harris is gone, too).
No. 5: Ryan Anderson to New Orleans for Gustavo Ayon and then Chan
ning Frye to Cleveland for a trade exception: Much like Redick, re-signing Anderson would have likely inhibited a tanking plan. The Magic didn’t match the Pelicans’ pricey four-year $36 million offer for Anderson, giving him away in a sign-and-trade.
When Hennigan upgraded the team, though, he signed Frye, 32 — five years older than Anderson — to a four-year $32 million deal. Frye never seemed to fit.
Hennigan’s grade: C-. I charitably assign him this grade for both trades only because he unloaded the last two years of Frye’s contract, a boon for the free-agent kitty. But his power forward is now Ilyasova, who could be a temp.
A pressure-packed summer looms for Trader Rob.