However, another young team that doesn’t get enough public respect is the Orlando Magic. Their young trio of Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, and Mario Hezonja may not have quite the talent of Dunn, Wiggins, and Towns; unlike the Timberwolves, however, they have also shown the willingness to convert some of their upside players into proven NBA veterans who can accelerate the rebuild and mentor their remaining cadre of prospects. The Serge Ibaka trade not only returns an excellent player who was underused in Oklahoma City, but also an ideal mentor for Aaron Gordon free-agent signing Bismack Biyombo. Veterans Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin have been around the NBA and add stability. I love that they were able to retain 23-year old wing Evan Fournier, who offers the coveted combination of size (6′7″), shooting (career 39% from three), and defense. He’s still improving and salaries are rising across the league, so I expect that in a couple of years his 5-year, $85 million deal will make him significantly underpaid. Finally, the acquisition of Biyombo and Ibaka has made 26 year old Nikola Vucevic a bit of an afterthought, but the past two years he’s averaged nearly 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 2+ assists per game – excellent production by any standard, and definitely a nice guy to have either as a reserve option or as a valuable trading chip who’s still in his athletic prime.
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