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As the NBA enters its second winter with more clubs preferring to strengthen their rosters rather than sell important veterans, no rival head office may be watching the stuttering Chicago Bulls' decision-making more closely than the Orlando Magic. Two years ago, as the trade deadline came, league officials were circling Orlando, and the Magic delivered: dispersing Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier around the postseason map.
The fallout from the Vucevic transaction is at the heart of Chicago's present problem. Forget the fact that talent evaluators frequently rate Wendell Carter Jr., the cornerstone of the Bulls' transaction that secured Vucevic, as a more effective player than the experienced big at the moment. In the 2021 NBA draft, the first of two selections Chicago traded to Orlando landed explosive wing inventor Franz Wagner. The Magic's second departing Bulls pick is this year's top-five predicted pick, with just Nos. 1-4 protected — which may deliver Orlando a second premium lottery pick in a highly anticipated draft class.
A six-game winning streak that ended Monday, Paolo Banchero's spectacular rookie season, and Orlando's unusual combination of size and youthful skill have observers optimistic about the Magic's immediate future. They aren't quite pounding on the door of the play-in tournament, but Orlando has taken the good step toward competition that Magic personnel hoped to see this season.
"They have two of the league's top positions — playmaking forwards — on rookie-scale contracts, intriguing young talent surrounding them on solid contracts, no bad money moving forward, and some veterans who could get them even more draft capital if they choose to trade them," one Eastern Conference team strategist told Yahoo Sports.
Outside of Harris' non-guaranteed 2023-24 salary, the Magic will have around $37 million in cap room if they maintain their whole squad for next season. And there are straightforward routes for Orlando to make more than $60 million this summer. Markelle Fultz's contract is only guaranteed for $2 million next season. Bamba's second year is also absolutely unguaranteed. Bol Bol's pay for 2023-24 is not guaranteed. Not to mention Jonathan Isaac's contract, which may cost Orlando nothing beyond this season if the Magic decide to part ways with the injury-plagued defensive stalwart.
It is too early to pinpoint specific Orlando targets should the Magic grow aggressive between now and the opening night of next season. But scan the list of upcoming free agents and take your pick to who’d best slot alongside the Magic’s core pieces.
Could you fault the Magic for throwing maximum money at, say, Khris Middleton, who holds a player option for next season and whom Magic general manager John Hammond landed for Milwaukee when he was piloting the Bucks?
Here’s to waiting and seeing if this current Orlando regime is willing to take a big swing.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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