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.
I'm not sure what to think of this rumor, as I tend to believe Smith when he says he'd rather not make a knee-jerk move. However, Daniels appears to be the sort of player Smith would value, given his experience (12 years) and usually mistake-free play (career pure point rating of 5.2). It's a bit worrisome that his turnover rate has increased in each of the last 5 seasons, from a stellar 9.3% in 2004/2005 to a garish 18.1% last season.
Also adding kick to this rumor is that Dutt and Smith aren't strangers, as Smith has signed Dutt clients Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass as free-agents during his tenure as Orlando's GM.
Daniels split last season between the Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal for Bobby Brown and Darius Songaila in September; Minnesota released him at his request. He had a workout with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would like to add another guard due to the uncertainty surrounding the troubled Delonte West, earlier this month, but a deal with them never materialized.
In 867 career games, Daniels has averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 turnovers. We'll hold off on any further analysis until the Magic either confirm or deny the rumor.