Where Will Hedo Turkoglu Call Home?

With the trade of Vince Carter to Orlando, incumbent wing Hedo Turkoglu -- an unrestricted free agent come July 1 -- seems less likely than ever to remain with the Magic. The Carter deal, which according to ESPN's Chad Ford will send Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie back to New Jersey, adds $2 million to Orlando's 2009-10, putting the team at roughly $65 million in payroll.

Magic bosses had indicated the team would enter luxury tax territory to keep Hedo, who should command a starting salary in excess of $8 million. But Carter changes the calculus. Orlando would be going well over the tax threshold to sign the 30-year-old Turkoglu, and Carter -- a playmaking scorer -- duplicates what Hedo does. So Orlando seems untenable, or at least illogical.

So where will Hedo land?

Portland. The Blazers have been a rumored destination for Hedo for a while now. PDX doesn't exactly have a hole at small forward, with young studs like Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster manning the position. But Hedo's ability to handle the ball and shoot really fits with Brandon Roy and the ball-control offense run by Nate McMillan. I'm not sure Hedo's a defensive upgrade over Batum (despite better size), but the rumor's been out there and it'd be silly to ignore it.

Toronto. The Raptors quietly have a grip of cap space, thanks to the Jermaine O'Neal/Shawn Marion trade. Because Marion is a question mark in terms of whether he'll return, the Raps also have a massive hole at small forward. (Remember: the team has traded Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono in the past six months. Joey Graham will be a free agent.) Toronto can offer Hedo as much money as anyone, and he'd be a solid fit behind Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani.

Sacramento. Rumors of Kings interest in Hedo have persisted since December. While I don't understand why a rebuilding team hemorrhaging cash would sign a high-priced 30-year-old while years away from contending, you can't deny the Kings' need for a top flight small forward or Geoff Petrie's adoration for skilled bigs who can shoot.