Marcin Gortat, a restricted free agent in the 2009 offseason, signed an offer sheet to be a Dallas Maverick for the coming season. Too bad that didn't dictate where he was going.
It is reported that the Orlando Magic have matched the Dallas Mavericks' deal of a five-year, $34 million contract to bring him back in a Magic uniform for the following season. Gortat would come in to be behind Dwight Howard on the depth chart, an insurance policy if anything happens to the All-Star Howard.
The 25-year-old Gortat provided a very solid backup to Dwight Howard last season, and the Magic would like to retain that same frontcourt depth. Coupled with the Carter trade and Bass signing, the Orlando Magic have made the biggest splash this free agent period.
This comes as very disappointing news to the Dallas Mavericks, as now they don't have a starting center and are forced to stay with Dampier as the staple of the defense.
Gortat had every aspect the Dallas Mavericks were looking for in a center: good hands, good size, great shot blocker, and decent offensive presence. Now they are left to waddle in their sorrows, because they just lost out on a good future center.
According to Gortat's agent, he is "very, very disappointed" to be coming to Orlando again, where he would get limited playing time and small opportunity to flourish, in contrast with Dallas, where he would have started alongside great players.
Gortat would have made a great fit in Dallas, and it would have raised their status in the West by a great margin. The choice to keep Gortat in Orlando by Otis Smith really comes to show you the NBA is a business; they don't care about how many minutes you play or how you do, they just care about their team's status.
Gortat is a harsh example of this. Well, at least he is paid and lives in Florida.
This decision to retain Gortat fortifies the Orlando Magic as elites in the Eastern Conference. This decision also comes at a cost. The Magic will have $80 million in salary, well above the luxury tax threshold, and coupled with their elite status on the court, they will be the Elites in highest payroll as well.
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