In his first offseason at the helm, Stan Van Gundy opted to swap out young, inexperienced players for more established veterans. That meant Peyton Siva and Josh Harrellson were let go in favor of D.J. Augustin and Aaron Gray, respectively.
Now, Peyton Siva has caught on with a new club, signing an unguaranteed contract with the Orlando Magic. The plan, should Siva make the roster, would be for him to spend most of his time developing his game at the Magic's D-League affiliate the Erie Bayhawks.
But making the roster won't be easy for Siva as he'll be fighting another player, 7-foot project Dewayne Dedmon for the final roster spot.
Siva played just 224 minutes with per 36 averages of 8.7 points and 5.5 assists to 2.9 turnovers on 34.4 percent shooting from the field and 73.3 percent from the line. He did, however, show signs of growth when he got extended playing time in the D-League. While manning point for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants he averaged 12.9 points and 4.6 assists while showing the early signs of a legitimate 3-point shot.
Dedmon, whose contract is also unguaranteed, played 390 minutes, averaging 12.6 minutes per game last season for the Magic, Warriors and 76ers. Per 36, he averaged 9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2 blocks while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 65.6 percent from the line. But Dedmon was a D-League all star last year in 15 games, averaging 15.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 33.7 minutes per game.
Siva wouldn't have signed if he didn't think the Magic offered him at least a somewhat reasonable shot at making the club this year, and everyone at Detroit Bad Boys wishes him the best.