Waiting and patience in trading an All-Star is something that is a slippery slope. While a team shouldn't want to jump at the first offer they hear, wait too long and you'll watch as the offers decline due to the impending reality that the player on the trading block could see his contract expire.
As the Magic bided their time with contract offers, they ended up forcing the issue in August and come out big losers in the trade, says SB Nation's NBA editor, Tom Ziller:
The Magic took the extraordinary step of lighting it all on fire to become really bad -- a time-honored NBA tradition -- so that they can again become really good. The only problem is this: the teams that usually try to get really bad in order to get really good pick up some real young assets to help out on the upswing. Harkless was the No. 15 pick in June's draft. Vucevic went No. 16 in the awful 2011 draft. None of the picks the Magic receive will be worth a whole lot unless GM Rob Hennigan hits home runs. Afflalo is a nice player who is nothing close to a star, and is paid pretty well. (He's due about $30 million over the next four years.) Harrington is a player who'd be just fine on a contending team that needs a stretch four in spot minutes.
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