Agent: Magic, Lewis seem like they would be good fit

[Dr.Zoidberg]

OrlandoSentinel.com
Agent: Magic, Lewis seem like they would be good fit
The Sonics forward is the prime target for Orlando, which has salary-cap space.

Brian Schmitz
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 1, 2007

Sounds as if J.J. Redick might have to start looking for a new uniform number with the Orlando Magic.

Rashard Lewis has been wearing Redick's No. 7 for the Seattle SuperSonics, but the way his camp is talking, he'd like to slip it on in Orlando.

"There is no better fit," said Tony Dutt, Lewis' agent.

The NBA's free-agent courting period began just after the stroke of midnight today, and the Magic were expected to contact Lewis -- their prime target this summer.

Also on the Magic's radar: Vince Carter and Gerald Wallace, along with their own free agents -- Darko Milicic and Grant Hill.

Teams can't start signing free agents until July 11.

Flush with ample salary-cap room (as much as $13 million) for the first time since acquiring Hill and Tracy McGrady in the summer of 2000, the Magic are searching for a scorer. A nine-year veteran, Lewis averaged 22.4 points last season with the Sonics.

"Orlando is a good situation. It's a fit that could work," Dutt said. "If the parameters are there, they can make it work.

"It's very intriguing to Rashard."

The Magic also have several other positives that Lewis finds appealing.

Dutt said they have "the big guy" -- all-star center Dwight Howard -- on their side and geography.

Better than even being in Florida, Orlando is located in the wide-open Eastern Conference. Lewis has been frustrated playing on an also-ran in the powerhouse Western Conference against the likes of San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix.

And while the Sonics drafted Kevin Durant -- lauded universally as the best player in college basketball -- he plays the same small-forward position as Lewis and will be marketed as the face of the franchise. Seattle fell back into a rebuilding mode, trading veteran Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics last week, leaving Lewis scratching his head.

The Magic mostly are intriguing to Lewis, 27, because they are one of the few teams who have enough cap money. He can average $15 million per year over five seasons, although the Sonics can top any offer to re-sign him.

That said -- and agents tend to work the media trying to leverage the best deal for their clients -- the Sonics have home-court advantage. They can offer Lewis a six-year contract (other teams can sign him for just five outside of a sign-and-trade arrangement), which translates to millions of guaranteed dollars.

The Magic could work a sign-and-trade with the Sonics for him -- shipping a player or two to Seattle -- which would allow Lewis a six-year deal in Orlando.

Dutt reportedly will meet with Seattle officials today in Houston on Lewis' behalf.

So that begs the question: If the Magic lose Lewis as their go-to free agent, who's their backup? Who's Plan B?

It widely is believed that Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons) and Carter (New Jersey Nets) will remain with their teams, erasing more options for the Magic.

Magic General Manager Otis Smith has another free agent in mind, but offers no hints. The backup plan could be Wallace, of the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Magic likely will be speaking with the representatives for Milicic and Hill today.

Hill, who will turn 35 in October, told the Sentinel shortly after the season that he would listen to other offers, but still is leaning toward a return to the Magic. The Suns, Spurs and his former team, the Pistons, reportedly are interested.

He signed a seven-year, $92 million contract in 2000, but his career in Orlando largely was undermined by injuries for five seasons.

Hill likely will receive an offer of the veteran's minimum (about $1.5 million) from the Magic.

Milicic, of course, is the linchpin to the Magic's aggressive free-agent chase.

He has a "cap-hold" number (about three times his current $6 million salary). Until Milicic either is re-signed or his rights renounced by the Magic, the club can't give its generous cap room to another player.

Milicic is a restricted free agent, meaning the Magic can match any offer. The club has a contract figure in mind that it likely will present today to Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, probably somewhere just above the mid-level exception (say, starting at $7 million).

Only the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Bobcats have enough spending money to accommodate a healthy salary for Milicic. The Bobcats likely are out of the running after using cap room to acquire Golden State guard Jason Richardson.

The Magic don't want to be bidding against themselves for Milicic, who turned in a solid playoff performance after a largely inconsistent regular season.

The Magic have said they are intent on re-signing him and getting a free agent, which could be tricky and require trading Hedo Turkoglu. "It can be done. Not easy, but it can he done," Smith said.

The feeling, though, is the Magic are pressing for the Darko negotiations to be resolved fairly quickly so as not to lose Lewis.

If the club and Milicic can't work out a deal, the Magic likely won't want their 7-foot asset to walk without compensation and will try to facilitate a sign-and-trade, perhaps for Lewis.

Brian Schmitz can be reached at bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com


Copyright © 2007, Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sport...,4318763.story

[Windmill360]

He already plays for the Magic

[Stranger]

If the Magic sign Rashard, would anyone be interesting in Darko for the MLE?

Edit: Never mind. After reading that article more closely, it looks like it would not be that simple.