Lewis to Magic Official?

[Dro]

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/ ... ith_magic/

Report: Lewis Agrees To Sign With Magic
July 2, 2007 - 11:39 pm
WKMG Channel 6 -
Orlando television station WKMG Local 6 is reporting that Rashard Lewis has agreed to sign with the Orlando Magic on July 11.

The deal is reported for 5 years and $75 million.

Sports anchor David Pingalore also reported the Magic will allow restricted free agent forward Darko Milicic to become an unrestricted free agent. [READ]

Well, I know it was expected that he was to go to the Magic BEFORE Jesus was traded, but I expected the Sonics to keep Lewis after the trade. Now they have two rookies leading a team, with a young point guard in Ridnour who has a long ways to go. They're definitely not going to compete for a playoff spot in the west this year. Maybe they'll add another lottery pick next year to the mix of young talent they have. Unless, of course, they can add an impact free agent this offseason (I haven't looked up their financial situation, so I'm not sure how realistic that is).

[Axel]

Not worth that much.

[Dro]

Not worth that much.

Right now it seems that way. However, one thing Orlando was desperately missing last year was a go-to scorer. If Lewis can become that, then he'll be worth the $15 mil per year. Howard-Lewis is a pretty wicked inside-outside combo.

[Silas]

I'll believe this when it's officially reported

[Gundy]

It's official.

[1CenT]

It's official.

Official signings aren't allowed until July 11st i think...
Verbal Agreement means he can still pull a Carlos Boozer.. but then no 1 is gonna offer him more money.. since he is maxed out already.


I think he is worth 10 million dollars as the go-to guy on the Magic..
They'll win like 5-10 more games with 1 more year of exp + Rashard... given that no injuries occur..

So they'll be a 50 win team...

Why does it seem like every team in the NBA gets better in the off season.. and then under performs..?

So we got
Spurs, Suns, Dallas, Houston, Jazz, Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers(i don't know what is up with them), Portland in the west that are winning teams..

In the East
Bulls, Pistons, Cavs, Nets, Raptors, Wizards, Heat, Magic, Celtics...

Is it just me.. or does the east look pretty crappy... Raps, Wizards, Heat, Magic, Celtics just don't look like 2nd round teams..

err lets get back on topic...

Lewis is overpaid... The thing is.. they could have spend that 5 million dollars ( pay him 10/year instead of 15... ) + save sum $ by trading maybe battie, hedo .... ) could have gotten up another good player...

Why don't players take less $ so their team can win more..?

But then. i don't know if i can sacrifice 5 million a year, for 5 years.. thats 25 million dollars..

[Sauru]

you gotta remember, alot of the players in the nba are not there cause they love basketball, they are there cause they grew fast, had a nack for it, and knew thew they would be set for life if they made the nba. so these players work on thier game only as a means to make an income.

[NovU]

lewis is at his prime no doubt... but 75 mil?

[cyanide]

They couldn't get Vince Carter, so they got Lewis. The Magic were willing to overspend just to get a big name player, but I really doubt their team is improved enough to compete. Suddenly, the Jason Kapono deal sounds good.

[frenchy]

75 M$ is really too much for Lewis, Orlando wanted a big name so they got a big name.
IMPO they should have signed Gerald Wallace and a shooting guard (perterson why not).

Cyanide The Kapono deal is very good for Toronto, hope they will also add Pietrus

[Sauru]

i knew he was gonna get overpaid, have said it all alone. thats the thing though, someone will pay. its why i think building through the draft is the best way to go now.

also i dont consider lewis a big name player, never have, probably never will. what has lewis done to earn a big name?

[JT_55]

Now the Magic will be a great team...even without Darko.

Wonder if he's ever going to shine to his potential.

[hammertime23]

It is a great signing. I think he was worth the money because if him and Dwight develop a bond they could make a great duo for years to come. with Dwight getting 15/12 and Rashard adding in another 25/6 they should be a great team. Jameer Nelson will have a career season also with assists. Overall it is a great move that makes the Magic a helluva lot better.

[Air Zoom Kobe I]

They shouldn't have let him go. Rashard would have been the undisputed leader of that team. Now they have to look to a basically inexperienced point guard (Ridnour) and a #2 pick(Durant) to lead them. I thought they would have made the playoffs IF they had Rashard. Now unless Ridnour grows up FAST and Durant puts up Vince Carter-like numbers, they're going to be rebuilding for a while

[Dro]

Rashard would have been the undisputed leader of that team.

There would be nothing "undisputed" about it. Durant is going to be better than Lewis in 2 to 3 years. IMO, Lewis is just a poor man's Durant. Durant does everything as well as Lewis, plus he has an array of post-moves that Lewis doesn't have.

That said, I don't like how that team is constructed right now. You're right about Ridnour, he's nothing to write home about. You got Ridnour, a young Chris Wilcox, and two rookies leading that team.

[Anthony15]

They shouldn't have let him go. Rashard would have been the undisputed leader of that team. Now they have to look to a basically inexperienced point guard (Ridnour) and a #2 pick(Durant) to lead them. I thought they would have made the playoffs IF they had Rashard. Now unless Ridnour grows up FAST and Durant puts up Vince Carter-like numbers, they're going to be rebuilding for a while

Nah man, Lewis was never a leader, the only leader they had was Allen and now he is in Boston. I think Seattle is a team that needs a few years to develop and know that Durant will be their leader, add some pieces to support him and Seattle can be playoff contenders once again.

On theme, Magic finally got a scorer they needed. Hill is too old to be the 23-24 PPG guy, but he is a mentor on that team, and Howard couldn't do it by himself. Turkoglu and Jameer aren't a big offensive threat, so it will for sure help the Magic out, mostly offensive-wise.

[maes]

As a Rashard Lewis fan....that was way too much for Rashard. I think Presti would have let him go for over $11, Orlando paid $15M per year.

I'm happy Rashard landed a great deal but i think there's going to be some negativity as Orlando looks to Rashard to live up to that franchise player type of money. He's getting paid more than Dirk Nowtizki's 2nd contract, which was $80M over 6 years before the extension.

He's nothing like Vince, which is who Orlando wanted. What makes Rashard a wonderful roleplayer and a poor star is that he has no capability of creating his own shots or making plays. There's a reason the lad impressed so poorly he was drafted with the 32nd pick. He's very much a tweener in that he's too soft to play the 4 (5 boards a game in 40 minutes) but doesn't have the handles or speed to play the 3, but he does shoot extremely well and has been working on his post game lately.

IMO Orlando needs a perimeter star to pair up with Dwight, and Rashard can only play SF well and is mainly catch & shoot. Vince would have been a good fit as a star & a guy to run the offense through...Vince averaged 5 assists a game and 7 in the last playoff series. Rashard is a career 1.7 assist guy...the Seattle offense doesn't go through Rashard.

[Dro]

^^^ excellent analysis of Rashard's value. As you said, he is a great complementary player, not a go-to-guy.

I agree that he is overpaid in Orlando for $15 million because he makes Orlando a 2nd round exit team at best. However, I think he would've been worth close to $15 mil in Seattle as an excellent complement player to Durant. No way a team would be able to double Durant and get away with it with Lewis roaming on the perimenter. Then you have Jeff Green who is a great distributor and finisher. Chris Wilcox is about as solid a post presence as you can ask for.

[Fitzy]

thats a shitload of cash for lewis, but their lineup is at least taking a bit of winning shape

[Sauru]

^^^ excellent analysis of Rashard's value. As you said, he is a great complementary player, not a go-to-guy.

I agree that he is overpaid in Orlando for $15 million because he makes Orlando a 2nd round exit team at best. However, I think he would've been worth close to $15 mil in Seattle as an excellent complement player to Durant. No way a team would be able to double Durant and get away with it with Lewis roaming on the perimenter. Then you have Jeff Green who is a great distributor and finisher. Chris Wilcox is about as solid a post presence as you can ask for.

i think seattle is probably happy to see lewis leave. i think both portland and seattle want to let thier 2 new players know that this is to be thier team. if a player like lewis is there he is gonna have the attitude of "this is my team".

[joejam999]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/stor ... eaguesday2

Orlando has agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Seattle SuperSonics that will allow Lewis to make $126.4 million over the next six seasons, according to NBA sources who requested anonymity. The Magic will send back a second-round pick to the Sonics.

LOL are you kidding me. We are talking KG in his prime type money here. This is ridiculous.

[Silas]

If that's really true, I'm in absolute awe. I am in no way mad at Presti for letting him go now. No way in hell is Rashard, who I absolutely love, who was the longest tenured Sonic, who was the only remnant of the Payton-Kemp days, worth 21 mil a season.

I do wish we'd gotten more than a 2nd rounder in return. I was hoping they'd send Darko over but oh well.

[joejam999]

Kemp was gone for a year when Lewis was drafted. (98 draft) But I didn't realize he had been on Seattle for that long. I was thing he was in the 99 or 00 draft.

[cyanide]

$126 million for Rashard Lewis (Appx. $26 million in a year at the end of the contract). My god, Otis Smith is a dumbass. That's superstar money for the elite players. The Magic just flushed themselves down the shitter.

[Silas]

Not just the elite players, the most elite of elite. You can count the type of players that deserve that much money on one hand.

Just posted from Hoopshype.com

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/sonics/archives/117902.asp?source=rss

The Sonics have agreed to sign forward Rashard Lewis to a six-year contract worth the NBA maximum and then send him to the Orlando Magic for a conditional second-round pick and a trade exception worth between $9 million and $9.5 million, the PI has learned.

Lewis will sign a six-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $117 million and then begin a new career with the Orlando Magic.