Paul Millsap headlines list of leaked potential Orlando Magic targets

The Orlando Magic let something happen on Monday. In short, the team elected to sign Argentinian wing Patricio Garino and, in theory, that was a relatively anonymous move given the standing of the player and team.

However, in the process, Garino’s agent fired off a picture of his client’s contract signing and it leaked some vital information from inside the Magic’s front office. It can be seen here, with a tip of the cap to UPROXX’s DimeMag and it includes a wide-ranging list of potential targets that Orlando could pursue this summer.

DimeMag/UPROXX

It is important to note that the Magic have since denied that this list was comprehensive or necessarily important, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel brings word.

Asked by the Orlando Sentinel for comment, Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said the lists are “not indicative of plans” and were “simply listing options, including some of which other teams have inquired about.”

However, four members of the Atlanta Hawks appear on the list and the most glaring inclusion is future free agent Paul Millsap. Millsap is joined by Mike Muscala, Thabo Sefolosha and Ersan Ilyasova in various categories but, with all of the focus surrounding Millsap’s decision this summer, this is particularly noteworthy in his case.

Orlando famously pursued Millsap as a free agent back in 2015 and the Magic were seen as the “runner-up” for his services on that occasion. Given that Millsap is one of the best players in the NBA, it is not a surprise that any team would covet his services but (relatively) concrete evidence of interest doesn’t come around every day. Whether the Magic would pony up a max-level contract over a four-year period remains to be seen but, in case there was any doubt, Orlando appears to at least be considering another run at the All-Star power forward.

In the case of Muscala, Sefolosha and Ilyasova, they would be on the secondary level of targets for Orlando and most NBA teams. Still, all three will hit the free agent market in July and each will be intriguing with regard to possible pursuits by Atlanta and a number of different teams. Could Sefolosha and Ilyasova help a contender in the short term? Absolutely. Has Mike Muscala shown enough to warrant a speculative contract this summer? Absolutely. We won’t know what the Magic plan to do in this spot until July but the names are out there.

If the Atlanta Hawks want to lock up Paul Millsap to a multi-year contract, they will absolutely have to battle with multiple teams to make that happen. This list just might be an indication that the Orlando Magic are one of them. Stay tuned.