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Report: Magic shopping Andrew Nicholson ahead of deadline

Richard Mackson / USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic are a promising but amorphous team, stuffed to the gills with unconventional, multi-positional tweeners who lack polish, if not raw skill. 

One such player is third-year forward Andrew Nicholson, a former first-round pick who has cratered after a productive rookie season and been buried at the end of the team's bench. 

The Magic's glut of young forwards has made Nicholson superfluous, and they're now looking to move him ahead of the Feb. 19 trade deadline, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.  

Nicholson has played just 18 games and 160 total minutes this season - during which the Magic have been outscored by nearly 10 points per 100 possessions - averaging 3.1 points and 1.3 rebounds. 

Over his three NBA campaigns, he's seen his shooting percentage dip from 52.7 to 42.9 to 35.8, and his PER from 15.1 to 9.9 to 6.6. 

That's obviously disconcerting, but it isn't necessarily a death knell. Nicholson has flashed enough potential to warrant another look elsewhere, and it helps that he's broadened his game some by adding a functional 3-point shot. 

The Magic exercised their fourth-year option on Nicholson before the season began, so he's due to make about $2.4 million next season. That isn't an insane price to pay to see if Nicholson might be closer to the player he was in his rookie year than the one he's been since. 

Sometimes, a change of scenery is all it takes.

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