Orlando Magic sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu's next shot will be at free agency. Lon Babby, the agent for Turkoglu, told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that his client will opt out of his contract and become a free agent in two weeks. "It would make sense for him to opt out," Babby told the newspaper by phone. "I can't imagine a scenario in which he would not." June 30 is the first day players can declare for free agency. In Turkoglu's case, it wouldn't matter if the Magic choose to re-sign the 6-foot-10 forward. Turkoglu will be entering the final year of a $36 million, six-year contract. He is scheduled to make $7.3 million next season under terms of that deal. Babby told the Sentinel he intends to discuss the situation in the coming days with general manager Otis Smith. The Magic are just beginning to put their NBA Finals loss to the Lakers -- Los Angeles finished the series Sunday night in five games with a 99-86 victory -- behind them. "I think Hedo distinguished himself in this playoff run," the agent said. "He's in a different spot than he was before the playoffs began. He's a rare player, a unique player who helped take a team to the Finals. He's grateful for the opportunity he has been given. He's enjoyed his time in Orlando. It's a solid organization, a team on the rise. "Hedo will weigh his options." http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4260167
Good for him but I would be cautious about signing him if I were a GM. I find it no coincidence that his breakout into stardom took place while playing next to Howard with all the PnR'ing they do and what not. I would be cautious about giving him a fat contract if my team didn't already have a dominant low post player.
Technically, the PnR'ing doesn't require a dominant post player. Hedo would work well playing along with a number of athletic big men in the league.
It's not a requirement, per se, but it certainly is the best model to use if your system involves as much PnR'ing as Orlando's does. Imagine if Dwight wasn't there in Orlando. What are you gonna do....run a PnR with Rashard while he camps out on the perimeter? That's fairly predictable and easy to defend.
Turkoglu is a tall wing player that can shoot the 3 and create well off pick and rolls. He doesn't have great speed or a first step, nor is he a top-notch defender (which I think he got exploited for, but he was also responsible for most of Orlando's offense so he might've reserved energy for that end). I'd say he's worth anywhere from $9-11 million.
Gortat is a free agent and hardly a dominant low post presence. I'll just assume that was sarcasm and you weren't being serious.
