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According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Orlando Magic will be interested in obtaining exiled Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas--who pled guilty to felony weapons charges in Washington, D.C. yesterday--"when the time comes."

Stein's sources within the league say Magic general manager Otis Smith, a part of the Golden State Warriors' front-office staff when they selected Arenas in the 2001 NBA Draft, "continues to be one of Arenas' closest confidantes in the league."

More from Stein:

Sources thus say it’s a virtual certainty, given the depth of their friendship, that Arenas will lobby Smith to be the GM who looks past the damage this incident has done to Gil's reputation and grants his comeback chance.

But how can the Magic make a play for Arenas, whose contract runs for 4 more years and $80.2 million after this one? And how can the Magic make room for Arenas, a ball-dominating point guard, when they already have four All-Stars who need shots? Stein didn't offer specifics on either count, but he is "convinced" that Orlando will consider the idea, especially if the Magic continue to underachieve. He points to "the summer of 2010" as a potential time for Orlando's next "roster shake-up" to occur.

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There are conflicting reports of the Orlando Magic's desire to add a third point guard in the wake of starter Jameer Nelson's knee injury, which will sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks. GM Otis Smith told the Orlando Sentinel yesterday that he's not in a hurry to sign another point guard, as he'd like to see how Jason Williams and Anthony Johnson fare first. However, Alex Kennedy of RealGM reports that Tony Dutt, who represents free-agent point guard Antonio Daniels, is in Orlando and expects to meet with the team tonight.

UPDATE: Dutt confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that he did indeed contact the Magic on Daniels' behalf:

"I talked to Otis about Antonio after Jameer got hurt. But I think they are going to wait a few days if they do anything," Dutt said by phone.

Dutt said that the Magic could sign Daniels, 34, to a non-guaranteed contract.

Our original story is after the jump.

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With the news that restricted free-agent guard Nate Robinson has agreed to re-sign with the New York Knicks on a one-year deal came this Twitter tidbit (Tweetbit?) from Knicks beat reporter Alan Hahn:

LAL, ORL among teams that were interested in @nate_robinson

He added this note for clarification a few moments later, in response to my "re-tweeting" his original missive:

@3QCMagic not trying to suggest something was in the works with ORL. But there was interest in him.

This update comes a few months after the start of the free-agency period, during which other NBA reporters, among them Howard Beck of the New York Times, also linked Robinson and the Magic. It's enough to make one actually believe that GM Otis Smith actively pursued Robinson, although as Hahn indicated, he may never have had formal discussions about Robinson with his agent, Aaron Goodwin.

The rumor, though, sounds ludicrous. What could Robinson, a 5'09" shooting guard who coasts on defense, possibly offer the Magic? That's what some media members discussed during the Orlando Pro Summer League, when the rumor started circulating; one reporter wondered aloud if the Magic's locker room was big enough to contain the egos of both Robinson and All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson.

Defensive and chemistry issues aside, Robinson would have provided the Magic with much-needed scoring off the bench; Orlando rated 15th among the league's 30 teams in bench scoring per 100 possessions, according to 82games. For New York last season, Robinson averaged 17.2 points per game in just 29.9 minutes, which equates to 20.7 points per 36 minutes played. For comparison's sake, that figure would have tied Dwight Howard for the lead on last year's Magic team. And while it's tempting to think of the diminutive Robinson as a gunner, as most undersize shooting guards are, consider that he committed turnovers on just 10.7% of his possessions, and that his offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 113 is extraordinary for a high-usage player. Last season, Robinson was one of 14 players who used at least one-quarter of their team's possessions, committed turnovers on fewer than 12% of their own possessions, and posted an offensive rating of at least 113.

Ultimately, this rumor doesn't mean much for the Magic as they stand now. Even without Robinson's dynamic scoring, they still have one of the deepest benches in the league; Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat are talented enough to start for most teams. Ditto for Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus, although one of them will indeed start for Orlando at small forward.

A final note on this rumor: if Goodwin's name sounds familiar, it should. He represents Magic superstar Dwight Howard, as well as Barnes, who just signed with Orlando. And as Barnes informed the media during his introductory availability session, Howard expedited the process of Barnes' joining the Magic, and he almost signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers instead. If Howard brokered a deal between the Magic and Barnes, he almost certainly could have done the same with them and Robinson, if he needed to.

If Orlando is still interested in Robinson, it'll have its chance to sign him next summer, when he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

Yup, there's more grist for the Grant-Hill-to-the-Orlando-Magic trade rumor mill. The rumor was first reported by Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel early Tuesday morning.

Hill told the Arizona Republic he'll retire if he's traded anywhere. Yet, as Schmitz is quick to point out, Ken Berger of CBS Sportsline confirmed the rumor with an "NBA coaching source who does not toss trade rumors around carelessly."

Whatever you make of the situation, it's clear that the rumor hasn't made anyone happy:

• Hill was frustrated enough after reading Schmitz's initial story that he approached Suns GM Steve Kerr to discuss the rumor.

• Magic fans, or at least the ones who read this site, are incensed that the Magic are apparently interested in trading for a man who, over a seven-year span, collected $93 million from the franchise while missing nearly half its games.

• Suns fans want absolutely nothing to do with J.J. Redick, rumored to be the player Orlando would ship to Phoenix for Hill.

• Schmitz is having to fend off criticism from all comers.

The two sides of this discussion are mutually exclusive. Either Grant Hill wants to be traded or he doesn't. Either the Orlando Magic want to trade for him or they don't. No matter whom you believe, it's clear that this rumor probably won't get resolved soon.

We now return to your regularly scheduled Magic/Spurs hype, already in progress.

I usually hate posting things this late, but this one is too big to ignore. Don't forget to read the recap of the Magic's 109-98 victory over Golden State earlier this evening. Onto it...

Brian Schmitz, who insists his sources are "impeccable", reports the Orlando Magic are interested in acquiring Grant Hill from the Phoenix Suns:

A little more than a year after parting ways, the Magic and Grant Hill would be interested in getting back together.

[....]

Hill, who has one home in Orlando and is renovating another, would embrace a reunion despite feeling the Magic didn't try to keep him after his star-crossed seven-year career ended in 2007. He signed a two-year contract with the Phoenix Suns.

Schmitz says likely bait for Hill would be J.J. Redick. So the Magic would trade a young, fan-favorite player who is historically a fantastic three-point shooter--a must-have skill for shooting guards in Stan Van Gundy's offense--and receive an old, fan-reviled player who doesn't shoot three-pointers well? What? How does this make any sense? Follow the jump for the counterpoint in this mini-argument.

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• The most important rumor floating today might not be exactly credible -- it comes from a message-board poster -- but if it's true, I'll be one happy camper, as will plenty of Magic fans. Says poster INeedMoreDarko (via Punisher):

  I've been told Turkoglu will sign a 2 year extension this offseason. Turk loves Orlando(and the Dragon Room), loves Stan, loves the direction the Magic are headed and loves the signing of Pietrus.

  Otis also has a great relationship with Lon Babby, his agent. And will extend Turk another 2 years, possibly 3(Similar to Lew's non-fully guarenteed contract for the last year of his). Remember when we inked Battie to an extension out of nowhere? Agent? Lon Babby... I dont know how much he'll be extending for but I hear it will be roughly 8 Mil a year.

  John Denton reported only a few days ago that Pietrus and Turkoglu vacationed together in Turkey earlier this summer, so it makes sense that Hedo would appreciate the Magic signing one of his close friends. I don't know when Turk would sign this extension; Battie signed his near the end of the 2005/2006 season.

  I do not know what the Dragon Room is.

• Denton also says the Magic's front office is keeping its eyes on what happens to embattled point guards Jamaal Tinsley of Indiana and Stephon Marbury of New York. If those players accept buyouts from their present teams, the Magic will consider signing them to back-up Jameer Nelson. Tinsley's a decent enough point guard when healthy and not shooting the ball, but I think I'd feel more comfortable with Jason Williams. As for Marbury... no. A million times, no. 
  
  UPDATE: Brian Schmitz spoke to Otis Smith about the Marbury and Tinsley rumors. There's no truth to them:

  The Magic desperately need a point guard, maybe two, to back up Jameer Nelson.

  So when I asked Smith if he had interest in either the Pacers' Jamaal Tinsley or the Knicks' Stephon Marbury --- two moody, controversial players who might be bought out by their teams and available for a song --- he shook his head.

  No.

  And no way.

  "You know me," he said.

  That's a relief.

I get the sense that J.J. Redick is on his way out, or at least that he will be this summer.

From Brian Schmitz's recap of last night's win:

The club has the midlevel exception (roughly $6 million a year), but that attracts few stars. Short on bigs, [Magic GM Otis] Smith said he'd like to add another power forward "to protect Dwight."

And from Schmitz's blog today, emphasis mine:

Magic General Manager Otis Smith flatly refused to trade J.J. Redick before this season's trade deadline, but he is a little more open to moving the unhappy Duke icon now.

Smith told me that he'd look at dealing Redick either in the June draft or in another trade this summer.

Redick, frustrated with his lack of playing time, requested a trade early this season. Smith now says he doesn't rule out dealing Redick this summer, but would prefer he remain patient and stay with a promising team.

Smith might be looking for another shooting guard on the market, although Maurice Evans played well since arriving in a November trade from the L.A. Lakers.

"All of our free agents had good years," Smith said.

I'm not a math major, but I do know how to add two and two. Smith's new stance regarding Redick leads me to believe he thinks Maurice Evans is good enough to be this team's starting two-guard, and that Redick is the Magic's best trade asset to acquire what the team needs most: a true power forward, a point I drove into the ground back in February.

All that said, I doubt Redick has as much value as we think he does. If Otis thinks he can use Redick to move up in the draft, he can probably forget it. The Magic, who will probably pick in the 20s, certainly can't expect to receive a lottery pick for a little-used, undersized, two-guard who is a defensive liability... can they?

A more realistic option is trading J.J. for an established role-player. TravelerKT from Denton's board suggests shipping J.J. and Marcin Gortat to Portland for Channing Frye (stats). Those per-36-minute numbers sure are pretty, as is the PER of 14.7, which makes him a "pretty good player" according to John Hollinger's rating scale. As a bonus, his rebound rate (the percentage of available rebounds he grabs) is 15.5, 47th in the league this season.

Not much is certain about the Magic's offseason maneuvering, and with the playoffs and draft still to come, it's probably too early to speculate. But it indeed appears as though J.J. Redick's days as part of the Orlando Magic are nearing an end.

Corey Maggette spent his rookie season in Magic blue, but could return to Orlando as a free-agent this summer.
File photo by Eric Gay, the Associated Press

In his NBA Confidential piece in today's Orlando Sentinel, Tim Povtak mentions two possible free-agent acquisitions for the Magic this summer: Jason Williams and Corey Maggette:

Point guard Jason Williams of the Miami Heat isn't the only one who will go into free agency this summer hoping the Orlando Magic will give him a call. With the Magic having so many guards in the final year of their contracts -- and with center Dwight Howard locked in for many years -- there are players all over the league hoping for a ride to Orlando.

Shooting guard Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers will be another one looking to see what the Magic will do, which is why he smiled last week when he was asked about opting out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent this summer [....]

"We'll sit down this summer and see where it goes," Maggette said before the Clippers were pounded by the Magic last week [....]

I have no interest in Jason Williams at all -- seriously, if we want to have a pass-first point guard around to back-up Jameer Nelson, we'd be better off re-signing Carlos Arroyo -- but Maggette is an interesting proposition. So interesting, in fact, that discussing his potential signing merits its own discussion.

Consider these positives: Maggette is averaging career-highs in scoring (22.4 points per game), field goal percentage (.470), and three-point percentage (.413). Additionally, he's fourth in the league this season in free throw attempts per game, and he converts on a solid 84% of them. Adding him to a starting lineup that already features Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis along the perimeter -- not to mention Dwight Howard down low -- would make the Magic formidable indeed. Furthermore, Nelson, Maggette, and Turkoglu can all handle the ball well, meaning they aren't just going to stand around on the perimeter and launch threes. This year's Magic team is fourth in the league in offensive efficiency, and it's not a stretch to think that standing would surge to first with Maggette in the starting lineup.

There are a few downsides to Maggette, however. For one, he likes to dominate the ball: when he's on the floor, he uses 27% of the Clippers' possessions. Of course, if he's willing to sacrifice " million in guaranteed money next season to play for us, as Povtak suspects he might, I'm sure he'd be willing to share the ball. Second, he's a poor defender. He allows opposing small forwards to post a PER of 18.4 against him. For comparison's sake, note that Dallas forward Josh Howard's PER this season is 18.2. Understandably, I'm a bit leery of signing a guy who lets his man post borderline All-Star numbers. Finally, he's far from a beast on the offensive boards. The player he'd replace in the starting lineup, Maurice Evans, grabs 7.2% of the Magic's missed shots when he's on the floor. Maggette grabs just 3.6% of the Clippers' misses. Don't be fooled by Maggette's higher overall rebound rate: the Magic are 26th in the league in offensive rebound rate and third in defensive rebounding, and Evans is the better offensive rebounder. We could also retain Evans more cheaply than we could obtain Maggette. Even if Evans wants a raise this summer -- and he's earned it, by all accounts -- he'd still only command $2.5 million or so. Maggette would cost us the whole $5.5 million mid-level exception, and he'd be on our books for five seasons.

So, should the Magic make a run at Maggette to improve their already elite-level offense? Or should they look elsewhere, hoping to shore-up their 11th-ranked defense and save money? I'm still undecided. On the one hand, I like the idea of having yet another offensive threat, especially one whose presence could -- gulp! -- allow us to trade Hedo Turkoglu, whose value has never been higher, for help at the power positions. On the other hand, there's no reason to tinker with what's already a fantastic offense, especially not when the defense needs attending to.

Corey Maggette and Maurice Evans statistics from www.basketball-reference.com.