Orlando Magic: 5 players they could regret letting go

2. Elfrid Payton

Bill Simmons recently said on Zach Lowe’s “The Lowe Post” podcast that there were 40 point guards in the NBA better than Elfrid Payton right now.

Whether that was an exaggeration or not, here is what we do know: Payton is a restricted free agent this summer who, in year four, still doesn’t have a reliable jumper.

On some nights it seems to be all that’s holding him back from making him an elite guard in the league. On others, well, it is his desire to force the offense to play at a high tempo and inability to play in sync with the rest of his team, while failing to stretch the floor, that hinders his progress.

Still, if there is one player on this list who could leave and then immediately become relevant, it is Payton.

Orlando Magic

When he’s playing well, he drives the team on like nobody else can. The Magic have the seventh-highest pace in the NBA (101.3) because of him, and it helps them get out in transition.

Payton also has a desire to rush down the court when he has been scored on, as well as the kind of attitude you wish could be plugged into other players around the league.

But is it enough to keep him around for the long-term and pay him close to max money? It is a question we’ll find out before long, but you’d have to think they’re veering toward “no.”

The chance to take a potentially transcendent guard in the upcoming draft appears to be too good to pass up, and backup point guards are easily found.

This would leave Payton as the odd man out and looking for a job elsewhere, which he would get, coming off the bench most likely.

If he happens to develop even better and more consistent shooting (and really, the 40 percent he’s connecting on from deep is pretty impressive as it is), then the Magic could be in trouble.

Oh and he’s only 23 and improving all the time. These are the kinds of red flags we’ve seen before, which can now be found plying their trade in Indiana.

1. Evan Fournier

Evan Fournier has to be the clear favorite to one day come back to haunt to Magic, because he has all the makings of a guy they might eventually let go.

His 18.1 points per night (a career high) with an offensive rating of 105.2 show a player who is continuing to improve while also leading the Magic offensively as well.

Only he hasn’t reached the point yet where the team absolutely has to build around him. He is still a luxury piece next to what they hope will be an established young core by this time next year.

The Magic must be open to offers for him, and whether it is somebody with a similar skill-set or a younger player with more upside, there is a chance the team will let Fournier go.

They wouldn’t be wrong to do so; he is not indispensable. But just like Oladipo before him, he could really flourish elsewhere. In fact, Oladipo had less to work with in Orlando and still turned into this person who looks like a world-beater on any given night.

Fournier may have better teammates, but guys like Bismack Biyombo and even Simmons and Payton aren’t helping his cause by stretching the floor very much.

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Inserting him onto another team could bring the best out of Fournier, to the detriment of the Orlando Magic. With the way this rebuild is going, it’s something that may ultimately happen with a number of guys on the current roster.