The Orlando Magic are doubling down after their first visit to the NBA Finals in more than a decade. The Magic have acquired eight-time All-Star Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets for guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston and forward/center Tony Battie.
Carter, 32, remains one of the top two guards in the game, and gives Orlando a boost at the two-guard spot. He averaged 20.8 points last season for the Nets and had been mentioned in possible trade talks with San Antonio and Portland for months. But the Spurs opted to pick up Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee on Tuesday, and New Jersey wanted to address Carter's situation before Thursday's NBA draft. The Nets pick 11th in the first round.
Magic management said during the NBA Finals with the Lakers that it would be willing to go into the luxury tax next season to try and keep its core group together. But in picking up Carter, who has three years and up to $51.9 million left on his contract (only $4 million of his $18.3 million salary in 2011-12 is guaranteed), the Magic are now much less likely to be able to re-sign veteran forward Hedo Turkoglu, who will become an unrestricted free agent next week.
Orlando was quite pleased with the play of Lee, its first-round pick last season, who had strong moments in the postseason despite playing with a fractured sinus. But Lee, as should be expected, struggled somewhat in the Finals trying to guard Kobe Bryant, and missed a potential game-winning layup off a Hedo Turkoglu lob pass in Game 2 at the regulation buzzer. The Lakers went on to win Game 2 in overtime. The Magic acquired Alston at the trade deadline from Houston after starting point guard Jameer Nelson went down with a shoulder injury.
ESPN first reported the discussions this afternoon.
In rebuilding mode, the Nets now have a promising young backcourt in Lee and point guard Devin Harris, and Alston gives them a solid three-guard rotation. More importantly, trading Carter and his contract makes New Jersey a legitimate player in the free agent summer of 2010. The Nets only have a little more than $24 million committed in team salaries for 2010-11 at the moment, though that number will rise with the team's first-round pick this year. However, it's uncertain that the Nets, which have been hemorraging revenues the past couple of years, would be willing players with some of the league's bigger spenders next summer.