NBA: Mavericks set to woo Marcin Gortat away from Magic
By Brian Schmitz
The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat appears headed to the Dallas Mavericks unless the Magic match an offer to keep the second-year back-up to Dwight Howard.
Gortat has given the Mavs an oral commitment to sign a offer sheet, according to ESPN.com and the Dallas Morning News late Thursday.
Because Gortat is a restricted free agent, the Magic have seven days to match the offer after July 8, the first official day that players can sign contracts with new teams.
The Mavs apparently are offering Gortat the full mid-level exception, starting at $5.6 million, a significant raise from the $770,000 he made last season. Such deals usually run four to six years.
GM Otis Smith told the Sentinel on Monday that he would not match an offer for Gortat “north of 5 (million),” although the Magic could go deep into the luxury tax to retain him.
Smith and Gortat’s agent, Guy Zucker, did not immediately return calls on Thursday night. Small forward Hedo Turkoglu, who is an unrestricted free agent, is being courted strongly by Portland.