Justin Davis Period 5 December 3rd, 2015 The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They are currently in their 26th year in the NBA, where they play in the Southeast Division. Many notable stars have played for them at one point, such as Nick Anderson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. Others include Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, Patrick Ewing, and Dwight Howard. The Magic have not won any NBA championships, although they have reached the NBA Finals twice. The Magic were one of four new expansion franchises awarded by the NBA in 1987. They were created by Pat Williams, who was the point man for an NBA franchise chase in Orlando. Initially, the NBA was planning to expand …show more content…
They signed Tracy McGrady from the Toronto Raptors and Grant Hill from the Detroit Pistons. McGrady went on to have a successful career in Orlando, winning the scoring title twice and being selected to four All-Star Games. Hill, meanwhile, dealt with injuries for the majority of his stay with the team. In 2001, the Magic traded for Patrick Ewing, one of the stars of the game in the 1990’s. Sadly, he was past his prime, and did not help very much. He retired after one season with the Magic. Then, in 2004, after the Magic finished with the worst record in the league, McGrady demanded a trade. The Magic obeyed his request, sending him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Steve Francis. Since the Magic had the worst record in 2004, they had the best odds of getting the first pick in the next draft, and those odds paid off. They selected High School Player of the Year Dwight Howard. Howard was selected to the All-Rookie Team, and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. In the 2004 Draft, the Magic also selected point guard Jameer Nelson out of St. Joseph’s University. Nelson and Howard formed a dynamic duo, and along with forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis, they made a surprising playoff run that included reaching the 2009 NBA Finals for the second time in franchise …show more content…
In return, the Magic gained six players and five draft picks. This signified a new era in which the Magic were rebuilding, or developing young players to be good so they can compete for championships again. The Dwight Howard deal changed the overall mood of the Magic. They had a new general manager, a new coach, and a new look as a team. With Nikola Vucevic and Arron Afflalo, two young players acquired in the Howard deal, the Magic had hope for the future. However, the present wasn’t as bright, as the Magic finished with the worst record in the league. They slipped a little bit in the 2013 draft, and ended up with the second pick. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the first pick, surprised everyone by picking power forward Anthony Bennett. Bennett was expected to be drafted between the tenth pick and the twentieth - not the first. That meant that the Magic got to draft shooting guard Victor Oladipo out of the University of Indiana. Before the draft, Oladipo was widely considered one of the best prospects. Oladipo finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. Midway through the year, they traded with the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Tobias Harris. Harris was considered an average player, but, like Vucevic, has developed into a borderline All-Star during his time with