Talk to 10 different Magic fans, and chances are you'll find that they have 10 different favorite former Magic players who have moved on.
Of course, some of them remain very visible -- such as The Big One Who Got Away (and no, I'm not talking about the Chicago Bulls' big-money center, Ben Wallace). And still others just recently have left town (professionally, if not personally) -- like Grant Hill, who is chasing his NBA title dream in Phoenix, and Darko Milicic, who will be the running mate of former Magic first-round pick Mike Miller and Pau Gasol instead of Dwight Howard's in Orlando. The locations of others, though, are not quite as obvious. Here's what's up with some former Magic men:
Fan favorite Darrell Armstrong, 39, is still under contract with the Indiana Pacers, at least for now. Indiana still is talking about adding a third point guard so it appears they would need him. There are no trade rumors involving Armstrong, but it's not quite clear the direction that team will take for the upcoming season. Rumors have swirled for at least a year that Jermaine O'Neal could be traded, but he remains in Indiana. If O'Neal is traded, that could signal a move to get younger.
Another player who a lot of Magic fans just didn't seem to see quite enough of before he was shipped off was Corey Maggette. Orlando dealt Corey Maggette to the Los Angeles Clippers to get them to accept the contract of Derek Strong so the Magic could clear enough cap space to sign Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill back in 2000. Much of the past two seasons, Corey Maggette reportedly has been unhappy because he would like to start for the Los Angeles Clippers, and Coach Mike Dunleavy has been unhappy with Corey Maggette's defense. It seems that he finally will get his wish this year and be given the opportunity to start. Maybe not so coincidentally, Corey Maggette can opt out of his contract after the upcoming season and become a free agent. "He will be a starter for sure,'' Dunleavy told the Los Angeles Times. "We're fine. Things ended up well for us.''
And speaking of the Los Angeles Clippers, one of the players in Orlando's Tracy McGrady trade, Cuttino Mobley, is one of Corey Maggette's teammates in Los Angeles. Reportedly, another piece in that trade, Steve Francis, could be joining them after having his contract bought out for $30 million by the Portland Trail Blazers. (And if you can't figure out how Francis got to Portland, he was part of a trade with the New York Knicks this summer.) Or Francis could end up in South Florida with Shaq and Pat Riley, though I have a hard time imagining those guys all together. The third piece from Orlando's acquisitions in that deal -- Kelvin Cato -- is not on an NBA roster right now. Juwan Howard, who was sent to Houston in the deal, was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer. Doug Christie, who came to Orlando in the trade that sent Mobley to Sacramento a few years ago, is trying to get back in the league again after pretty much refusing to play in Orlando, signing a contract with the Dallas Mavericks and then having that contract bought out.
Whew....Drew Gooden finally beat the Detroit Pistons, as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, this past offseason, and he has been rumored to possibly be part of moves the Cavs are considering this summer to change their roster. Right now, though, he still is with Cleveland. The other forward who was sent to Cleveland in the deal that brought Tony Battie to Orlando -- Anderson Varejao -- looks like he probably will remain in Cleveland for at least one more season, but he might choose to sign a one-year qualifying offer rather than a long-term offer for less money than he thinks he should be paid. Point guard Chucky Atkins just signed a deal for at least two years (and possibly a third) with the Denver Nuggets. DeShawn Stevenson just signed a deal that reportedly is worth $15 million over four seasons with the Washington Wizards, after rejecting a three-year, $10 million contract from Orlando last summer.
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