The Eastern Conference powerhouse Magic could free up $70 million in salary space this summer, enough to sign two star players, and even two superstars if they pay a luxury tax. And there was also news before that the Magic were interested in the Clippers' forward Paul George, and was willing to offer him a 4-year, $212 million contract extension, George averaged 22.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season, and the Magic's signing of George will definitely be greatly improved.
Paul George
And for the Magic, signing George is not to strengthen the team's forward defensive ability, because the Magic's forward line is already strong! There are defensive gates like Isaac and offensive players like Wagner Jr.! They took a fancy to George's big-hearted ability in key moments, and could help the team's star Banchero share some of the offensive pressure at critical moments.
The Three Masters of Magic
But the Magic's current weak link is the point guard position, although Suggs has a good defense, but his organizational skills are too poor, and his passing vision is not wide. And Anthony is affected by his height, and he still can't rely on it at critical moments! So the team is eager to bring in a star guard, and if George really signs with the Magic, then isn't the most suitable point guard for the Magic team to be James Harden?
Harden
Harden not only has the league's top passing ability, but also has the top vision in history, not to mention Harden's scoring ability! Although Harden will turn 35 next season, he is the league's three-time scoring champion after all, and when he wants to score, it is no problem to score 20 points in one or two quarters, and he still averages 22 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists per game in the playoffs this season. And Harden has had very good chemistry with George this season, and signing them can achieve the effect of 1+1>2.
Harden and George
In the end, some people may say that Harden is too slow, the Magic is a young team used to playing fast, and Harden will definitely not be able to adapt to it! But anyone who has watched the Clippers and Magic games this season knows that Harden's offensive speed with the ball has increased significantly this season! And the Magic team uses Banchero as the offensive core, as a center, he is obviously not too fast with the ball, and the team often plays positional battles, isn't this what George and Harden are best at? If the Magic are willing to sign George for $210 million in 4 years and Harden for $100 million in 3 years, then the championship of the Magic team is really not far away!
Banchero