The Orlando Magic have reached a two-year agreement with free agent guard/forward Quentin Richardson, which could be the precursor to other moves they will make as they brace for the rise of the Miami Heat.Magic general manager Otis Smith confirmed the addition of Richardson. He also said it would not deter him from matching the offer received by J.J. Redick from the Chicago Bulls.
"One has nothing to do with the other,'' Smith said.
The addition of Richardson likely means the end in Orlando for Matt Barnes, last season's starting small forward. The Magic still hope to keep Redick.
Redick, a restricted free agent, received a 3-year, $19 million offer sheet last week from the Chicago Bulls that is front-loaded at $7 million the first year.
Smith said over the weekend that he "anticipated,'' matching the offer to keep Redick, who the Magic made the No. 11 pick in the 2006 Draft.
Keeping Redick, though, would be especially costly. Because the Magic already are over the luxury tax limit of $70 million, any money they pay Redick would be doubled under the dollar-for-dollar tax.
The offer sheet presented by the Bulls was designed to deter the Magic from matching. With the luxury tax, the Magic would be paying $14 million to keep Redick -- unless they can move others off the roster.
Redick, even in reserve, has been a very popular player in Orlando, and ownership has said several times it expected to keep him. The Magic still are exploring various trade possibilities that include moving center Marcin Gortat, forward Mickael Pietrus and high-priced guard Vince Carter.
Barnes is an unrestricted free agent who has been seeking more than the veteran's minimum of $1.6 million that the Magic would be willing to pay him.
Richardson, according to sources, is expected to receive a two-year deal worth just over $4 million.
The Magic have until Friday to decided whether to match the offer sheet to keep Redick.
Richardson gained considerable notoriety last summer when he was traded four times without playing a game. He ended the previous season in New York, but he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, to the Los Angeles Clippers, back to Minnesota, and then to Miami, where he spent last season.
Richardson, who made $9.3 million in the final year of a multi-year contract he had signed in New York, averaged 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Heat last season.
The Heat had no intention of bringing him back for anything beyond the NBA veteran's minimum of $1.2 million.
Note: this post was updated to reflect Orlando's expectation to match Redick's offer sheet.
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