Hedo Turkoglu could return to the Orlando Magic as a part of a massive three-team trade that would also send Gilbert Arenas to Orlando and Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis or both out of town, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports. It is unclear what the Washington Wizards or Phoenix Suns would receive in the trade, though Berger reports that Magic center Marcin Gortat would definitely change addresses. Due to the huge salaries of Arenas and Turkoglu, it would appear likely that the Magic would need to lose both Lewis and Carter.
Hedo Turkoglu Could Join Gilbert Arenas On Orlando Magic In Three-Team Deal, According To Report
SB Nation blog Orlando Pinstriped Post first reported that the Magic were interested in a Gilbert Arenas trade back on Dec. 1. The rumor cooled down until Friday, when OPP and other outlets began to report that a Magic and Wizards trade was imminent.
Turkoglu, who helped lead the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals before signing a five-year, $52.8 million contract with the Raptors, was traded to the Suns this offseason as Toronto tried to escape from a mistake. Apparently and not surprisingly, the Suns are now in the same position of wanting to excise Turkoglu from the payroll. Hedo was successful in Orlando and played the best basketball of his career in a Magic jersey. But his performance had fallen off by 2009 (despite the deep playoff run), and Orlando demurred on a big long-term contract for a reason.
What the Suns would receive in such a trade remains unclear, though Gortat, perhaps the best back-up center in the NBA, would make perfect sense given Phoenix’s defensive void at the position. A report from OPP late Friday has Rashard Lewis traded in a potential Arenas deal; the Magic have a few players with smaller contracts that could allow a deal to go through involving just Turkoglu, Arenas, Lewis and Gortat as the principal talents of note.
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