You know, they're pretty smart down there in Orlando. General manager John Gabriel likes to plan his NBA chess games a few moves at a time, like all the good ones, and it's hard to argue with his track record.

	Outlaw did all the hustle things in Orlando, but now he's a Sun.

Gabriel can dump salary with the best of them and he uses sunshine and palm trees and a brilliant young coach in Doc Rivers as the package that lures talent.

Goodbye, Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins, hello Grant Hill.

Can't grab Tim Duncan, hello Tracy McGrady.

Second thought on Tim Duncan. He can available again in two years. Gabriel won't want to miss him next time.

Like I said the guy is sharp. Looking that far ahead he dumps Bo Outlaw, who is making an awful lot of money for what he does and throws back a first-round draft pick so Phoenix will take him. No clutter on this roster. They're making room for Mr. Duncan.

The question here: what about this season and next? What about the ingredients an overachiever like Outlaw brings to the table? What about the dog days of the season when your team is nicked up and you're fighting for a spot at the top of the division? Can you use a Bo Outlaw then? I bet you can.

And so with only Philadelphia as a genuine threat in the Atlantic Division, I wonder why the Magic is taking a step back, giving the wounded 76ers breathing room. Surely, they don't think Jud Buechler is going to provide anything more than salary cap relief, lack the dynamic ingredients -- wild defensive energy, relentless rebounding -- that the Magic got from Outlaw.

Long term, you have to admire the Magic's willingness to swing for the fences. I've got to tell you I don't like the way Gabriel treated Brian Hill, setting him up in failed attempt to keep Shaq in Orlando, but there's little to argue with building a Tim Duncan room, furnishing it like you would for an honored guest and then waiting for him to knock on your door.

Gabriel did that when he moved Outlaw. And to relieve the obligation of a three-year contract for a first-round pick, he gave back a first-rounder Phoenix was going to pay for the Penny Hardaway sign-and-trade (and yes, wasn't that smart, getting rid of Penny)?

	Hardaway

	Duncan

In two years, Hill will be 31, still at the top of his game, and McGrady will be 24 and rated one of the top five players in the league. Duncan, who graduated Wake Forest at 20, will be 28 and in his prime, presumably eager to escape San Antonio in the wake of David Robinson's retirement and the Spurs' decision not re-sign an aging Steve Smith.

Gabriel isn't going to mention Duncan. That would be tampering. But he admits, "We've had some good planning and we'll be able to come with a base of great players." The agents of every talented player with an opt-out or an expired contract will be very aware of this.

There is a sense in the league that Mr. Amway, Rich DeVos, chairman of the Magic ownership group, wants to sell all or part of his interest in the team. Cutting payroll over the short term and giving the Magic major cap flexibility in two years might provide lures for new money.

On top of that, there is no guarantee the Magic will remain in Orlando. The Orlando Arena is not a suitable place if you are building a championship team and there is a much nicer building down the road in Tampa, where the Magic have a nice ticket base. If Orlando remains disinterested in helping the Magic to a new suite-filled arena, the Tampa arena, home of the NHL Lightning and owned by the Pistons' Bill Davidson, remains a very real possibility.

So, they've got it all figured out.

But again, I wonder...

In five seasons with Orlando, Outlaw never averaged double figures in any category. But he made do with hustle and marginal talent, producing 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks in 1997-98, his best year, 7.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks last season. He energized the placid crowds at home, left opponents flat-footed with incredible bursts of energy.

He was a member of the 1999-2000 "Heart & Hustle" team that Rivers coached in his first season with the Magic. Wallace and Atkins were part of that team, winning 41 games, creating an aura about this team. With Outlaw out of the picture, a little fun disappears.

It says here they are going to miss Bo Outlaw and his awkward style of shooting. They are going to miss the fire in his eyes and the reckless style of play that made him the most popular hoopster in town.

If he was overpaid, who in the NBA isn't? And nobody held a gun to Gabriel's head when he signed the contract last season.

The point is that Outlaw was about winning and his numbers -- 3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds -- were cut in half this season as were his minutes. They went to Horace Grant.

Gabriel appeared sincere when he said, "Basketball aside, this was one of the toughest decisions we all had to make. I've been here since 1987. No one has to tell me the importance of chemistry and closeness with the community. Bo had all that. But this is what's best for this team. The key is to win."

And Rivers, who admires fierce competitors, said, "It was probably the most difficult thing I've had to do as a coach. Bo gave me everything he had."

By their own words, the Magic, at least for the short term, gave up a lot.

Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.