Report: Magic decision frees up Andrew Nicholson as potential free agent steal
A talented 26-year-old stretch four will be loose on the market
By
Matt Moore
•
1 min read
The Orlando Magic are slowly deconstructing the young core they built over the past four years as they look to upgrade the roster with veteran free agents this summer. They let Kyle O'Quinn go last summer, then traded Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo in a matter of months. Now, with Andrew Nicholson coming up for restricted free agency, the team has elected not to issue him the qualifying offer, which means the 26-year old stretch-four will be an unrestricted free agent starting Thursday night.
Apologies if this has been reported, but Magic NOT planning to extend a qualifying offer for Andrew Nicholson, sources say. Unrestricted FA
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 28, 2016
Nicholson, a 6-9 power forward headed into his fifth season next year, struggled to get minutes under Scott Skiles who left in May after disagreements with ownership about the direction of the team and how Skiles handled young players like Elfrid Payton. Nicholson averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in less than fifteen minutes per game, but his per 100 possessions which factor for pace were very good. His 23.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per 100 possessions doesn't mean he'll put up those kinds of numbers on average in starters minutes, but it does show that he was productive when he was on the floor.
Most interesting is the 36 percent shooting he put up last year, up from 32 percent the season before. He won't be 27 until halfway through next year, and his kind of athletic versatility is exactly what teams are targeting in the modern NBA. Still, his shot has been unproven and his defensive aptitude in a team concept is unproven. With the Magic' addition of Serge Ibaka, it makes sense to free up some space at that position, but teams would be wise to consider Nicholson for a value signing in free agency.
Nicholson is No. 55 in our latest free agency rankings.
