Hedo Turkoglu Leans Toward Opting Out

Hedo Turkoglu has a choice to make this summer: opt-out and leave $7.1 million on the table or stay put and hope for the best in the summer of 2010. At the beginning of this season, he denied the decision was even on his mind. "I never really think about it," he told FanHouse's Matt Moore. "I think it's tough to focus on stuff that's not till next year. ... I can't be like 'Oh, I have to opt-out next year.' That's going to affect my play if I try and play for my contract."

Skip ahead several months and it's understandable that he's changed his tune, even if the Magic are in the midst of a playoff run. As he told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, his future is very much on his mind, so much so that it sounds all but certain that he'll opt out this summer just so he won't have to go through another year of uncertainty.

If I'm coming out, I'm coming out for one reason - to secure myself, my family. Not wait for the NBA lockout and stuff. The only reason I'm making that decision - if I decided that - is not to worry about another year," Turkoglu said.

"Listen, the market is going to be bad, anyway, this year or the next year. I'm just thinking about doing my best for this team and go from there.

The Magic had a chance to offer him an extension last summer but waited, perhaps in part because his value had reached an all-time high after being named the league's Most Improved Player of the Year. His numbers this year have declined slightly across the board, but there's no reason to think he can't maintain this level of production going forward.

The question Orlando needs to answer, though, is whether they want to bring him back. There's no doubt that he's a productive player, but is he the best fit for the roster? The Magic have resorted to playing Rashard Lewis at the four, and while he has the height for it, he's probably better suited for the three. Because of his passing ability, Turkoglu is often used in a point forward role, but with a healthy Jameer Nelson joining Rafer Alston, the Magic won't be lacking for starting-caliber playmakers.

If Turkoglu opted out, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Magic pursue a more traditional big man, a move that would allow Lewis to slide back to his natural position and take some of the load off Dwight Howard. Who might that be?

It's pure conjecture, but how about Rasheed Wallace? He'd fits into the team's offensive philosophy of surrounding Howard with three-point shooters, but he can still get his points on the post when he wants to. More importantly, teaming up with Howard in the post would give the Magic one of the most daunting defenses in the league. Who knows if this is actually a possibility, but Wallace has gone out of his way to praise and help Howard in the past.