NBA Trade Rumors: Magic Must Pursue Hornets Big Man Chris Kaman

With growing uncertainty around Dwight Howard, it's becoming more clear that the Magic are going to need to look in a new direction for the franchise. A good way to start that would be to trade for Chris Kaman. 

As was reported by Marc Stein of ESPN, the Hornets are openly shopping the center. According to Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated, the Magic are one of the potentially interested teams. This is a deal that they need to make happen. 

The team that acquires Kaman will do well to do so. First of all, he isn't a bad player by any means. His career numbers and 2011-2012 numbers will bring a lot of value to whatever team acquires his services. 

	Minutes Per Game	Points Per Game	Rebounds Per Game	Blocks Per Game
2011-2012	22.7	9.2	6.7	1.2
Career	29.5	11.7	8.3	1.4

On top of that, Kaman is only 29. So, should the Magic choose to keep him, they will have a valuable player for a few more seasons. Still, Kaman's real value comes from the fact that he has a juicy $14 million contract coming off of the boards. 

The more money Orlando clears up, the better it will be. Even if there is no way that Howard will ever play for the Magic again after this season, that is money that can easily be spent elsewhere. Orlando is a nice destination spot and Florida has great tax laws, so there is no reason that the Magic wouldn't be able to quickly retool. 

Lowe does detail one reason why the trade may not work. 

"

As shaky as Davis has been this season, dealing multiple rotation players for a center who might not be able to play alongside Howard damages Orlando’s depth.

"

If we were talking about making this move so these players can be a part of the franchise's long-term goals, I would buy that argument; that's just not what we're talking about. 

We are talking about a team whose franchise player has one step out the door. Over the last few days, we've learned that Howard's wish list may even include the Bulls (per Vaughn McClure Chicago Tribune). 

He may stay in Orlando through this season, but beyond that we're talking about a star who no longer wants to be on the Magic. Orlando needs to find a way to rebuild. That means that they need to get a lot of money to spend on free agents. 

Bringing in Kaman would open up a financial window that isn't there right now. The fact that he doesn't fit the Magic's current style of play is irrelevant. We are talking $14 million of cap freedom. 

When you consider that, the inability to mesh well with a team already struggling to stay in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture isn't such a big deal. 

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