ORLANDO, Fla. — While watching summer-league action at RDV Sportsplex, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard yelled at Marcin Gortat, joking, “Hey, get out of here. You don’t want to play for the Magic anymore.”

Gortat had just returned from a meeting with Magic General Manager Otis Smith and Gortat’s agent, Guy Zucker, to discuss the offer sheet he signed with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, the first day that NBA free agents can officially sign contracts with their new teams.
“Five years, $34 million,” Gortat said, so happy with the Mavs’ offer that he broke an unwritten rule among players who never divulge the count and the amount.
Gortat wasn’t the only player who is singing, “We’re In the Money.”
Among the transactions, the San Antonio Spurs agreed to a deal with free-agent forward Antonio McDyess, a player the Magic were thought to have interest in.
Guard Ben Gordon landed a 5-year, $55-million contract with the Detroit Pistons, who also signed forward Charlie Villanueva for five years, $35 million.
Forward Rasheed Wallace signed with the Boston Celtics for two years and roughly $12 million. Small forward Ron Artest became a Los Angeles Laker, agreeing to a five-year, $33 million deal.
Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd (three years, $25 million), Atlanta Hawks point guard Mike Bibby (three years, $18 million) and Denver Nuggets forward Chris Andersen (five years, $26 million) re-signed with their respective teams. The Houston Rockets — signaling that they might lose injured Yao Ming for the season — used an NBA injury exception to sign small forward Trevor Ariza to a multiyear contract starting at $5.7 million.
The Toronto Raptors could not announce that erstwhile Magic small forward Hedo Turkoglu had signed his reported five-year, $53-million contract. The Raptors, according to various reports, were still trying to work a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks — using the Memphis Grizzlies and maybe another team as facilitators — to clear enough room to pay Turkoglu.
The heart of the deal would send Raptors free-agent forward Shawn Marion to the Mavs.
Because Gortat is a restricted free agent, the Magic can match the Mavs’ mid-level offer and will have seven days to do so.
Smith has said he won’t pay that much to employ a backup center. He will wait and use Gortat’s deal as leverage with other free agents. The Magic could threaten to retain Gortat, whose contract would severely drain the small pool of luxury-taxed money they have available for players.
The Magic could match and trade Gortat to receive compensation this season. They would have to wait 90 days from the start of the season to deal him — hoping that he stays healthy until December — but that doesn’t appear to be on Smith’s agenda.
“It’s doable,” Smith said. “But right now I’m still thinking the other way (not to match).”
When the scenario was relayed to Zucker, the agent cracked, “I told (Marcin), ’Don’t buy a house.’ “
Gortat, who will return to his native Poland to conduct a youth camp, is uncertain whether his destination is Dallas or Orlando.
“Otis wasn’t mad. He just congratulated me on everything that I have right now,” Gortat said. “He said you deserve that. He said we’re going to work on it . . . in seven days you’re going to know the answer. At the end of the day, wherever I’m going to play, I’ll be happy.” Smith said he had not made an offer to any free agent, patiently waiting for players to fall to him.
The Magic like guards Matt Barnes, Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino and power forwards Drew Gooden, Brandon Bass, Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Channing Frye. But with another center coming off the board Wednesday — Zaza Pachulia re-signed with the Atlanta Hawks (four years, $26 million) — the Magic will be looking at pedestrian players to fill Gortat’s job.