My initial reaction is that the Magic did alright. Yes, I really thought they'd go after a big gun with Vince's expiring deal along with Gortat and Bass but I have a feeling that Orlando just didn't have enough to acquire anyone close to the 'Melo/CP3 level or even a Danny Granger-type. So they brought back Hedo to run the offense, replaced Vince Carter with Jason Richardson (which is a step up), and threw in two wild cards. Gilbert Arenas is the main one since he could be a weapon on the court or an utter distraction off of it. The other wild card is Earl Clark, a former lotto talent who has struggled mightily in Phoenix. It should be interesting to see if the new environment can help him get his career on track.

The major issues with the trade are defense and depth but I'm not sure the Magic really took a huge step back. Defensively, Pietrus is the main loss but he was always inconsistent and I'm really not sure if Q Richardson can't replace some, if not most, of what he offered. The Magic are in desperate need of a backup big (unless Daniel Orton is somehow going to be ready for legit NBA minutes.) Should they trade Jameer Nelson? Perhaps but Gortat averaged 16 minutes a game and are you really going to dump your starting PG for a bit player? They need to do something but I could see a smaller deal with Chris Duhon for a backup big as being more likely.

In the end though, this is a move that maintains Orlando's hold on the #3 team in the East and gives them a better chance at pulling an upset (since they won't have to rely on Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis, two guys who rarely, if ever, stepped up when it mattered) but they still are facing long odds to even make the conference championship, let alone make it back to the NBA Finals.