Pre-Detroit injury, Mickael was worth the money given his production. I even made a post about this a while back, stating that Pietrus was best served coming off the bench as a sixth-man because that’s where he was most effective. I internally questioned if his numbers would regress to the mean a bit, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt .. thinking that he’d grown as a player a bit.

However, post-Detroit injury, Mickael has been awful at times. So much so that his numbers have really dipped to a point that he’s NOT worth the money given his production. He’s like Tony Battie in that regard .. both are overpaid bench players in their current state. With a team like Orlando that can’t afford to exceed the luxury tax, it’s imperative that the Magic invest their money efficiently and wisely (more so than ever given that Hedo will presumably get a raise).

Assuming Hedo re-signs next season .. unless Pietrus is starting (which he won’t), it’d be in the best interest of the Magic to trade Mickael away. It’s not worthing paying a guy coming off the bench $5-$6 Mill., especially when you consider the fact that Lee is bringing the same skill set Pietrus does but at a cheaper price and without the injuries. Can Pietrus put up numbers comparable to his contract value? Maybe, but in the end, we probably will never know given that he’s constantly injury-prone. Having Mickael around isn’t smart in the grand scope of things. There are cheaper alternatives out there.

At this point, we have a fair grasp on Pietrus’ ceiling. He’s been around the block enough. I don’t see any evidence at all that he’s going to improve enough where he’ll merit earning his contract that will continue to escalate in price for several years. It’s a shame, but that’s the reality of the situation. I think M.P. has some potential he’s yet to tap, but not sure if he’ll ever be able to reach into that potential.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pietrmi01.html

Losing Pietrus does nothing to get the Magic under the cap, but that’s not the point. The purpose is to a.) get under the luxury tax and b.) be more efficient with funds.

The point of acquiring a guy like Bell is more of a financial move than a personnel move.

His contract is slightly smaller Tony’s current deal, which pays him $5.7 M this year and $6.2 M next year.

Yeah, it sucks that the Magic don’t get a player in return but cost-cutting moves like these occur periodically. This is one of those instances.

.. and besides, acquiring an expiring contract theoretically bodes well for Orlando for two reasons, a.) Bell’s expiring contract can be used in a trade (in conjunction with Alston’s and/or Battie’s expiring contracts next year) and b.) if the Magic choose, they can let Bell walk.

It’s a win-win in the long-term because it relieves Orlando a bit payroll-wise.

To be honest, I’d be hard pressed to see how the Magic don’t exceed the luxury tax next season if they re-sign Hedo. Because of that possibility, I’d be shocked if Orlando didn’t move either Alston, Battie, and/or Pietrus via trade next season to put themselves under the luxury tax.

Thus making a trade like this sensible.