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Orlando Magic: Three best free agent signings in team history

By Luke Duffy

AUBURN HILLS, MI - APRIL 23: Tracy McGrady #1 of the Orlando Magic sits on the bench late in the game against the Detroit Pistons in Game two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2003 NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills on April 23, 2003 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Pistons won 89-77. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, MI - APRIL 23: Tracy McGrady #1 of the Orlando Magic sits on the bench late in the game against the Detroit Pistons in Game two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2003 NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills on April 23, 2003 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Pistons won 89-77. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images) /
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Orlando Magic (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) /

2. Hedo Turkoglu

A different generation of Magic fans might not agree with Hedo Turkoglu over Grant here, but the addition of Turkoglu (and not crazy money at six years, $36 million) actually had similarities to that of Grant, while also providing one key difference that gets him the second spot.

Like Grant before him, Turkoglu would go on to be a key piece in a team that made the NBA Finals, although he joined back in 2004, with the Magic not getting to the showpiece series against the Los Angeles Lakers until 2009. Like Grant, he was also complimentary next to Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, rather than being the main man.

The real difference, however, is that Turkoglu unlocked a different way of playing for his team, and in some ways was ahead of his time. This is not true of Grant. Turkoglu was an early version of a “point-forward”, a big guy comfortable bringing the ball up the court and setting the table for others.

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Never was this more evident than after Nelson, who was having an All-Star year, went down with a torn labrum. He was rushed back in time for the finals but wasn’t the same player, but in the meantime, Turkoglu took on a lot of ball-handling responsibility. Add to that his 3-point shooting (37.9 percent while with the Magic), and it gave the Magic a different dimension.

They put four shooters around Howard, and alongside teammate Rashard Lewis, Turkoglu provided the kind of length, shooting and in his case handling of the ball that made the Magic so tough to beat. They were ahead of their time, and it is fascinating to think about what that version of the team could have achieved in today’s league.

The suspension and a failed second run with the franchise came after, but to get Turkoglu from age 25 – 29 at that kind of money (it allowed them to still go out and get Lewis, who made a different kind of list) was huge for the organization, who spent a lot of his time there with high expectations in the playoffs.

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