--Vince Carter didn't take long to get to the Magic's practice facility to meet his new coach and general manager Thursday. He was running a summer basketball camp just a few miles away when he was notified the trade was official. Carter is from nearby Daytona Beach and already has a home in Orlando. He was at several of the Magic playoff games and has talked about wanting to play for the Magic for a few years.
--Magic will venture into luxury tax territory for the first time this season with a payroll that is expected to rise to $75-80 million. The luxury tax limit this season has been estimated at $68 million. Although Carter will be making more ($16.3 million) than Turkoglu would have been if they decided to re-sign him, he has only two years remaining. The Magic wanted the flexibility instead of locking into Turkoglu for five years. One reason they aren't afraid of the luxury tax so much now is that when they move into the new arena for the 2010-11 season they expect an estimated $20 million in additional revenues. --C Dwight Howard was unavailable to comment immediately after the trade, but he sent word that he needed a couple days before he would say anything. One reason is that he really liked Courtney Lee, helping him through a rookie season. He also had grown fond of Hedo Turkoglu. His immediate reaction would have been negative, so he decided to say nothing.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It would be hard." -- GM Otis Smith when asked if there was any chance the Magic still could sign Hedo Turkoglu after trading for Carter.
