Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reported that the Orlando Magic are finalizing a deal that’s sending point guard Shabazz Napier to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash. Napier, 24, has nearly fallen out of the Magic’s rotation completely due to a surplus of floor generals, including Elfrid Payton, newly-signed D.J. Augustin, and C.J. Watson.
Napier was the 24th overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Charlotte Hornets, who then traded him to the Miami Heat in exchange for Semaj Christon and P.J. Hairston. In the ensuing season, Napier appeared in 51 games and averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 assists in roughly 20 minutes per game.
The UConn product spent time between the D-League and the NBA before being traded to the Magic in July of 2015 for a second-round pick. Napier had issues sliding into the rotation and averaged just 10.9 minutes per contest over the 55 games he appeared in. As expected, his numbers dipped, and the 2013-14 Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 assists, and shot 33.8 percent from the field.
All data is from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted
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