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With the passing of the NBA trade deadline, in recent days many of the league's clubs have reached buyouts with or requested waivers on their veteran players in order to allow them to sign elsewhere in advance of the playoffs. The Orlando Magic took such a step on February 21st by granting Glen Davis his release.
In the spirit of NBA buyout season, we offer this look at three former Magic players who've found new homes for the postseason push.
Earl Clark
Magic career: 78 games across one-plus seasons; averaged 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds
New team: New York Knicks | Posting and Toasting
OPP's assessment: Clark failed to impress in his brief time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who dealt him to the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline less than a year after inking him to a free-agent deal. He didn't fit into Philly's plans and it cut him loose, freeing him to sign a 10-day deal with the Knicks. The 26-year-old journeyman can offer some energy--offensive rebounds, weak-side blocks, the occasional jumper--off the bench at power forward, provided that Knicks coach Mike Woodson doesn't make the same mistake Cleveland's Mike Brown did by playing Clark on the perimeter.
Glen Davis
Magic career: 140 games across two-plus seasons; averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds
New team: Los Angeles Clippers | Clips Nation
OPP's assessment: The Clippers moved quickly to bolster their frontcourt with Davis after he cleared waivers. Though miscast in Orlando as a secondary offensive option, the Clippers' wealth of talent enables him to take on a tertiary role and to play to his strengths as a screen-setter and post defender. L.A. badly needed to upgrade its reserve big-man corps due to the disappointing tenures of Byron Mullens and Antawn Jamison, both of whom are, not coincidentally, no longer Clippers.
Beno Udrih
Magic career: 27 games in half a season; averaged 10.2 points and 6.1 assists
New team: Memphis Grizzlies | Grizzly Bear Blues
OPP's assessment: Dissatisfied with his role on Woodson's club, Udrih sought a buyout from New York and the Grizzlies snapped him up off waivers, giving the team a steady reserve lead guard for the playoff push. Udrih offers much more experience than Nick Calathes, the incumbent backup point guard, does in relief of Michael Conley. Udrih's vulnerable defensively, but he can still shoot the three-ball and make plays out of the pick-and-roll. If he cracks David Joerger's rotation, he can give Memphis a modest boost in the postseason.
Which of these three former Magic players will make the biggest impact with his new club? Please vote in the poll embedded in this post.