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Wizards reporter Chase Hughes of CSN reported Thursday morning that the Magic are among teams interested in free agent point guard Trey Burke:
Former Wizards point guard Trey Burke has drawn interest from multiple teams on a 1-year deal including the Orlando Magic, CSN has learned.
— Chase Hughes (@chasehughesCSN) July 6, 2017
D.J. Augustin has been mediocre as a backup option behind Elfrid Payton, and C.J. Watson is a possible buyout candidate, so the Magic might be in the market for another reserve point guard. So far the Magic have been fairly quiet in free agency, but a small move like this one is likely to happen at some point.
Burke spent the most recent year of his fairly uninspiring career with the Washington Wizards, averaging about 5 points and 2 assists in 12 minutes a game. Burke has struggled to establish a concrete NBA skill, failing to show much proficiency as a floor general or a scorer.
Still, there’s something to be said for taking a chance on a 25-year old who might still have something to show in the right situation. More than anything, Burke might be able to compete a little with Payton and the others and push them to up their games.
Burke is unlikely to really pan out as a quality guard, but if the Magic get him on a 1-year deal, ideally for something close to the minimum, then it certainly can’t hurt to give him a shot. The only downside might be opportunity cost: if the Magic sign Burke, it’s unlikely they’d give a roster spot to some of the other prospects they’ve been looking at recently, such as Derrick Walton Jr. at summer league.