Tony Battie News

Hedo Turkoglu officially left the Orlando Magic , but he didn't leave them empty-handed. The Magic received some valuable compensation for Turkoglu after signing him to a five-year, $53 million contract and then trading him to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

Varejao and his agent Dan Fegan have said all along that Varejao's top choice was to return to Cleveland.

Admittedly nervous as the start of the NBA's free-agent signing period was about to begin, Marcin Gortat planned to ink his five-year, approximately $33 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks just after midnight.

Ryan Anderson might be the overlooked piece in the Orlando Magic trade that landed them eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, but a day hasn't passed since the blockbuster deal that the sweet-shooting power forward hasn't thought about his incredibly good fortune.

The Magic, the Boston Celtics, the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Utah Jazz and a team made up of players from the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers each will play a total of five games today through Friday at RDV Sportsplex.

NBA teams can start signing free agents such as Hedo Turkoglu on Wednesday, but there's no shot-clock on how long the courting period can last this summer.

The NBA draft became the trading deadline redux when Shaquille O'Neal and Vince Carter, two aging franchise players who seemed destined to leave their teams in February, crisscrossed the country Thursday.

The Orlando Magic will make another long-shot run at re-signing small forward Hedo Turkoglu while patiently waiting to bargain-shop after the green flag drops on free agency.

With Vince Carter's $16.3 million salary taking the Orlando Magic deep into luxury tax territory, the likelihood is that standout forward Hedo Turkoglu is long gone and any top-shelf help at power forward will be out of reach.

After playing such a prominent role in the Orlando Magic's run to the NBA Finals in just his rookie season, Courtney Lee figured that he would be an important cog with the Magic for many years to come.

Just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers who were easily disposed of in the playoffs. The magic seemed to have a lot of their nickname working for them throughout the 2009 playoffs.

Vince Carter holds up an Orlando Magic jersey as he attends a new conference in Orlando, Fla., after he was traded to the Magic, Thursday, June 25, 2009.

A weekly look at five talking points that have the league buzzing: 1. The "wow" factor.

The deal that sent Vince Carter from the New York Nets to the Orlando Magic will apparently send Hedo Turkoglu packing... by Paul Peszko 92 reads Breaking News The deal that sent Vince Carter from the New York Nets to the Orlando Magic will apparently send Hedo Turkoglu packing.

With experts panning the 2009 NBA draft Thursday as weak compared to recent years, Eastern Conference contenders opted to improve with draft-day trades.

Take that, Cleveland. The Orlando Magic just upstaged your deal for Shaq by trading for Vince Carter.

An NBA source has told Orlando Magic Daily that the Magic are in talks with the New Jersey Nets to acquire Vince Carter.

So what do you do when the NBA gets all dressed up for its annual ball and you're invited but don't have a date? Well, the Orlando Magic will soon find out as they prepare for Thursday's draft without a selection for the first time in team history.

Can you spot Tyronn Lue in the picture above? Yeah, he's that guy sitting on the Magic sidelines, as usual.

The Orlando Magic don't have a single pick in this year's NBA Draft. At least they can't mess it up, right? But what does this mean for the team going forward? Here I break down some areas of ... by Jessica Reuter 27 reads June 21, 2009 The Orlando Magic don't have a single pick in this year's NBA Draft.