Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1.
Headline Surfer photo illustration / Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (left), Evan Fournier (top right), and Aaron Gordon (bottom right), were all traded mid-day Thursday, March 25, 2021, in advance of the 3 p.m. NBA Trading Deadline.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- NBA All Star center Nikola Vučević - gone! High-flying forward Aaron Gordon - gone! Versatile guard-forward Evan Fournier - gone!
Just hours before the 3 p.m. NBA trading deadline back on March 25, 2021, the heart and soul of the Orlando Magic squad had been gutted in what may prove to be the biggest roster teardown in franchise history.
Magic brass justified the jettisoning of its star players for the promised draft picks that may not come to fruition in what is known as kicking the can further down the road.
Consider the bloodletting that went down without hesitation:
• Nicola Vucevic, the Magic's lone perennial NBA All Star reserve who was the franchise player on the roster going back half a decade and likely would have continued another half-decade or more had he not been traded.
Vucevic was traded to the Chicago Bulls in return for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter, and two first-round draft picks in 2021 and 2023 (both picks Top 4 protected).
• Evan Fournier with his expiring $17 million contract to the Boston Celtics for two second-round draft picks.
• Aaron Gordon and Aaron Clark to the Denver Nuggets for Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, and a 2025 first-round draft pick.
The three big trades were clearly about money.
Orlando went from a guaranteed payroll of $104.4 million in the 2022 season to $94.2 million in guaranteed salary; thus taking the Magic further away from the luxury tax and even below the salary cap by $15 million.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.