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Coming their procedural moves ahead of NBA Free Agency, the Orlando Magic formally announced Wednesday they extended a qualifying offer to swingman Evan Fournier. Fournier will now be a restricted free agent, allowing the Magic to match any offers.
Giving Fournier a qualifying offer should come as no surprise. The team has stated their intentions of keeping the 23-year-old Frenchman, and Fournier has said previously he'd like to remain in Orlando.
Add in the recent trade of Victor Oladipo, and Fournier's services are at an even higher premium for the Magic.
Fournier's services will likely be wanted by a handful of teams aside from the Magic, meaning the team will most likely have to match an offer, unless they can agree to a deal early on in the free agency period that starts at 12:01 AM on Friday.
With the addition of Jodie Meeks, as well as Fournier and Dewayne Dedmon's cap holds, the Magic will likely head into free agency with around $37 million in cap space, pending other procedural moves.