All parts of today's two blockbuster Orlando Magic trades have been made official. Orlando's deal sending Rashard Lewis to the Washington Wizards for GIlbert Arenas was made official by the NBA earlier. Since then, Orlando's trade sending Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus, cash and a first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark has been made official.
Jason Richardson Trade To Magic Official; Hedo Turkoglu, Vince Carter Also Moving
The deal shakes up a team expected to vie for the a trip to the NBA Finals in the Magic, who lost to the Lakers in the 2009 Finals but were vanquished in the East finals by the Boston Celtics last season. The Magic get a top scorer with an expiring contract in Richardson, and a familiar face who can be a playmaker at small forward in Turkoglu. Clark, a second-year player with an expiring contract, likely won't play much, but has promise as a playmaking forward.
The Suns similarly shake things up, with a big win in grabbing Gortat, the best back-up center in the NBA and a solid pick-and-roll player. Losing Richardson, Phoenix's top scorer, will require Steve Nash to look for his shot more often and will require Carter to play hard every night for the Suns to have a chance at playoff success.
The pick Phoenix has received from Orlando won’t be worth too much, unless the Magic’s experiment goes terribly wrong.
For more on the trade from the perspective of Magic and Suns fans, check out Orlando Pinstriped Post and Bright Side Of The Sun.
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