Otis Smith, SVG, Orlando Magic fans, consider my ideas!

I have been a die-hard Orlando Magic fan ever since I moved to this city back in 2001/2002. I have been there like a lot of you since we still had Darrel Armstrong, and since T-mac was lighting it up at the TD-Waterhouse Center. The sole purpose of me creating this account was so that I could especially post this blog, and hopefully everyone would seriously consider a few ideas that I have come up with. Our true fans know that if something isn’t done soon, the Orlando Magic would be at a high risk of becoming a team that would hardly be worthy of becoming playoff bound again.

Now I have been following this site for quite some time, and it seems that every post listed is trying to satisfy Dwight’s trade request, and therefore bring in new players for him that wouldn’t have nearly as much of the same value. As a magic fan I have to make all decisions that would favour Orlando first, and think about everyone else after.

In order to keep it short, I think we should try to sign / trade for a player or two that would enhance our current roster within the coming trade deadline. Such move that will send a clear message to Dwight that Orlando is going to do whatever it takes to win a championship, with the superman as our captain. Consequently by making a run in the late playoffs (hopefully by even getting to the finals), coupled with making an offer close to the $30 million mark, Dwight will realize that Orlando is indeed the place to stay.

One huge problem for the Magic is that we don’t have a go-to guy to just demand the ball and carry the offense whenever the rest of the team is struggling. If the game is tied late in the fourth quarter and all of our shooters are cold, we just normally keep shooting until something goes in. Hence as the saying goes, we often die by shooting the three as often as we live by making them. Dwight isn’t an option in case he gets fouled and has to go to the free-throw line. Hedo was that player for us, but it unfortunately seems his age might be catching up to him. Nevertheless he is now as inconsistent as a yo-yo. In his last seven games, he has averaged just less than a miserable 27.5% from the field.

Now here comes my first suggestion. Trade Hedo Turkoglou and Jason Richardson for a small forward, an all-out scorer by the name of Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant doesn’t need any introduction. He’ll fit right into our system, of having four shooters with Dwight. He’ll be consistent, delivering his contribution of offense on a daily basis. And as a bonus, we will finally have a player to work his magic at a clutch or high pressure situation, or simply whenever the rest of the shooters are too cold. Let me just note that it would push JJ Redick into the starting lineup, with Von Wafer as his backup. This would be another move I would have to trust, as the maturity of Redick grows; and as Von Wafer proves to ignite the Magic’s instant offense, as well as knocking down two-pointers most consistently other than Dwight (according to a recent report from Evan Dunlap, in addition, he is 40% from three-point range).

According to ESPN’s trade machine, we can acquire Durant simply by trading Hedo Turkoglou and Chris Duhon. However everyone knows that the Oklahoma City Thunder would never in their wildest dreams accept that deal. Therefore throwing in a proven veteran like Jason Richardson into the deal, as well as a young prospect like Daniel Orton, (with Hedo Turkoglou) might just be an option that the Thunder would seriously consider. Similarly giving Durant to play alongside Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson might just be too good of an opportunity to give up.

This would have our line-up looking like this:

C: Dwight Howard
PF: Ryan Anderson, Glen Davis, Earl Clark
SF: Kevin Durant, Quinton Richardson
SG: JJ Redick, Von Wafer
PG: Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon

And the Oklahoma City Thunder would be looking like this:

C: Kendrick Perkin
PF: Serge Ibaka
SF: Hedo Turkoglou
SG: Jason Richardson
PG: Russel Westbrook

Please tell me what you guys think. I thought of this myself, and spent quite some time trying to write this all up. I really want to know if you guys think I have really come up with something, or if I am being totally unrealistic. Now before I leave I want to say one more thing. What if at the end of next year Deron Williams is fed up of being in New Jersey and we
pick him up as a free agent? Then our team would look like this:

C: Dwight Howard
PF: Ryan Anderson
SF: Kevin Durant
SG: JJ Redick
PG Deron Williams

I admit that this is definitely a fantasy but let a boy dream! This team would win championships for ten years straight!

Poll

Does my trade idea (Hedo Turkoglou, Jason Ricardson and maybe Daniel Orton for Kevin Durant), sound like a legitimate porposal that the Oklahoma City Thunder would seriously consider and accept?

9%

yes

26 votes

85%

no

224 votes

4%

maybe, if the Magic/Thunder throw in another player

12 votes

262 votes | Poll has closed