NBA free agency 2014: Orlando Magic unlikely to spend big, according to report

Though the Orlando Magic could have as much as $22.7 million in salary-cap space, the team is unlikely to spend much of it, according to Orlando Sentinel scribe Josh Robbins.

As Robbins explains, many of the best players who can become free agents on July 1st--including LeBron James, Paul Pierce, and Tim Duncan--are veterans who are incredibly unlikely to leave their current teams, especially to take part in the Magic's rebuilding effort. Meanwhile, younger free agents like Luol Deng, Lance Stephenson, and Kyle Lowry either wouldn't fit well with Orlando or are otherwise unlikely to have interest in joining the team.

It bears noting that Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported in February Orlando might have interest in signing Deng, a Cleveland Cavaliers forward. Following a midseason trade from the Chicago Bulls, the two-time All-Star averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 41.7 percent shooting for Cleveland.

In free agency, the Magic figure to spend only modestly, Robbins says, remaining mindful of the long-term contracts Nik Vučević and Tobias Harris can sign over the summer of 2014 or following the 2014/15 season.

Since taking over as general manager in the summer of 2012, Rob Hennigan has spent sparingly on free agents, bringing aboard only E`Twaun Moore; undrafted rookies DeQuan Jones, Adonis Thomas, and Dewayne Dedmon; and veteran stopgaps Jason Maxiell and Ronnie Price in that span. Of those five players, only Maxiell earned a salary more lucrative than the league minimum.