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NBA free agency 2014: How Orlando Magic's signings affect their depth chart

With Orlando's free-agent spending apparently finished, we now look toward how their moves may affect their rotation.

Jacque Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn
Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic will wind down their busy offseason in the days ahead when they formally sign Luke Ridnour to a contract. Assuming that deal becomes official--and there's no reason to believe it won't--then it's fair to imagine the team will enter training camp in September with a depth chart resembling this one:

Starter Reserve Situational
PG Victor Oladipo Elfrid Payton Luke Ridnour
SG Ben Gordon Evan Fournier Devyn Marble
SF Maurice Harkless Aaron Gordon Willie Green
PF Channing Frye Tobias Harris Andrew Nicholson
C Nikola Vučević Kyle O'Quinn Dewayne Dedmon

As general manager Rob Hennigan has constructed it, the team has plenty of positional flexibility. Oladipo and Ridnour play either guard spot. Ben Gordon, Fournier, Marble, and Green can fill either wing position. Harkless, Harris, and Aaron Gordon can float between the forwards. Dedmon, Frye, Nicholson, and O'Quinn can hold down either power position.

It's not difficult to imagine the rookie Payton eventually claiming a starting spot and pushing Oladipo to shooting guard, his more natural position. Until and unless that happens, expect coach Jacque Vaughn to give the starting two-guard not to either Ben Gordon or to Fournier, depending on how training camp works out.

It's tempting to view Aaron Gordon as more of a power forward, given his skill set, strengths, and weaknesses. However, the fact that Orlando used him primarily at small forward in the 2014 Orlando Pro Summer League suggests his short-term future is on the perimeter. As he develops, he may indeed see more time at the four, but he tends to fit better on the wing at present.

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