Orlando Magic Waived Quentin Richardson

Needing to whittle their roster down before the season starts, the Orlando Magic cut three players—Quentin Richardson, Justin Harper and Chris Johnson. The Orlando Sentinel has the report: “The Orlando Magic made three moves Saturday that enabled them to keep their most athletic player. By waiving wing Quentin Richardson, combo forward Justin Harper and wing Chris Johnson, the team created a space for undrafted rookie DeQuan Jones, an explosive wing who offers potential as a defender. The roster moves took on a symbolic significance, too. In cutting Richardson and Harper, the new-look Magic front office severed yet more vestiges of the Otis Smith era — but not without a lingering cost. The franchise still will owe Richardson $2.6 million this season and $2.8 million next season unless another team takes the unexpected step of claiming him off waivers within 48 hours. ‘When we started the transition period over the summer, we said to ourselves we want to evaluate everything, and we want to make sure that we judge our players based on the work they put in and the merit that comes with that,’ new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said.”