Photo for Headline Surfer / NBA All Star center Nikola Vukevic was the centerpiece in a multi-player trade with the Chicago Bulls that netted the Orlando Magic three first round draft picks.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
Blog: People, Places & Things
ORLANDO, Fla. -- There's an age-old term that certainly applies to the Orlando Magic's bloodletting of its roster of stars: Kicking the can down the road.
To “kick the can down the road” became, in the rhetoric of some lawmakers, a colorful and mildly critical new way of referring to putting off work on an issue for a later date. ... And some standard reference books came to agree: Kicking the can down the road signifies nothing but postponement, as described in merriam-webster.com.
The Orlando Magic were far from an NBA championship contender, but in the previous two seasons, they were good enough to make the post-season, with first-round exits. And so as the clock ticked closer to the 3 p.m. Wednesday trading deadline, their three top players -- Nikola Vukevic, Aaron Gordon and were traded away primarily for future draft picks.
And so this perennial small market team pushes the rebuild on its depressed fan base yet again with the promise of a far more competitive roster with patience as the lead-in to that occurring: This is nothing more than the proverbial Kick the Can game.
These were the trades by the Magic per NBA.com: :
Bulls acquire Vucevic from Magic (March 25)
Bulls get:
- Nikola Vucevic
- Al-Farouq Aminu
Magic get:
- Wendell Carter Jr.
- Otto Porter Jr.
- Two future first-round picks
Celtics add Fournier in deal with Magic (March 25)
Celtics get:
- Evan Fournier
Magic get:
- Jeff Teague (will be waived)
- Two future second-round picks
Official release: Magic | Celtics
Magic trade Gordon to Nuggets (March 25)
Magic get:
- Gary Harris
- RJ Hampton
- Future first-round picks
Nuggets get:
- Aaron Gordon
- Gary Clark
Official release: Magic | Nuggets
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories. Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.