Filed under: Magic, NBA Preseason
ORLANDO - Either Vince Carter will arrive this season like a belated birthday card - better late than never - or this homecoming will be shorter than he ever thought.They still could stamp him "return to sender.''
Carter arrived in a trade last summer billed as the final piece to a championship team, then painfully became the package of damaged goods, leaving the Orlando Magic without the consistent perimeter star they needed for the playoffs.
He was thrilled to be back near his hometown of Daytona Beach, but he rarely played like it, looking more like a burden than a blessing when he wilted in the Eastern Conference finals against Boston, leading to an embarrassing end for a team with such high expectations.
"I expect him now to be Vince Carter, and last season he wasn't,'' said Magic general manager Otis Smith. "We expect more from him.''
Carter, 33, is facing a pivotal season, beginning the final guaranteed year ($17.3 million) of his contract. Unless Carter plays well early and the Magic look like serious contenders against Miami and Boston, they will try and unload his potentially expiring contract before the trade deadline in February. And if they can't, they already have decided not to pick up the team option on an extra year, leaving him on the open market next summer.
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