The Gilbert Arenas era in Washington may soon be over.
We've been hearing for months that the Orlando Magic are interested in the Wizards' guard and former leader, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is now reporting that talks between the two teams have grown even more serious.
Arenas has privately told people for days that he believes a deal will soon send him to Orlando, where he’ll be reunited with Magic general manager Otis Smith, a friend and mentor from Arenas’ days with the Golden State Warriors. Sources said Orlando has escalated its pursuit of a deal in recent days.
Arenas has four years remaining on his large contract with Washington and the Wizards seem very interested in ridding themselves of that commitment so the team can continue rebuilding around John Wall. Wojnarowski is reporting that Vince Carter, whose contract expires after this season, could be involved in the deal, or the Magic could force the Wizards to take on longer-term contracts like that of Marcin Gortat. The Wizards are also hoping to receive a first round pick as part of the trade.
SB Nation's Magic blog Orlando Pinstriped Post reported two weeks ago that Orlando was initiating these trade talks, and a deal now seems imminent.