ORLANDO, FL — The Orlando Magic have signed free agent guard Arron Afflalo and center Khem Birch, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals are not disclosed.
Afflalo (6’5”, 215, 10/15/85) played in 61 regular season games (45 starts) last season with Sacramento, averaging 8.4 ppg., 2.0 rpg. and 1.3 apg. in 25.9 minpg., while shooting .411 (62-151) from three-point range and .892 (83-93) from the free throw line. He scored in double figures 22 times last season, including a season-high 19 points on Jan. 3 @ Denver. Afflalo led the Kings in rebounding twice and in assists once.
“Arron (Afflalo) adds experience and depth to our backcourt,” said Weltman. “He is an excellent three-point shooter and a veteran that will help our young roster both on the court and in the locker room. We are excited to have Arron back in a Magic uniform.”
Originally selected in the first round (27th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft by Detroit, Afflalo has appeared in 709 career NBA regular season games (534 starts) during his 10-year career with Detroit, Denver, Orlando, Portland, New York and Sacramento, averaging 11.3 ppg., 3.0 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 28.4 minpg., while shooting .386 (825-2,135) from three-point range and .825 (1,358-1,647) from the free throw line. He has also played in 35 career postseason contests (19 starts), averaging 6.0 ppg., 1.7 rpg. and 1.2 apg. in 18.4 minpg.
This will be Afflalo’s second stint with the Magic. He played and started in 137 games during two seasons (2012-14) with Orlando, averaging 17.4 ppg., 3.7 rpg. and 3.3 apg., while shooting .370 (200-540) from three-point range and .832 (465-559) from the free throw line. Afflalo led the team in scoring in both 2012-13 (16.5 ppg.) and 2013-14 (career-high 18.2 ppg.).
Afflalo played three seasons collegiately at UCLA (2004-07), averaging 14.8 ppg., 3.5 rpg. and 1.9 apg. in 32.7 minpg. during 104 career games, while shooting .373 (209-560) from three-point range. He helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back NCAA Final Fours in 2006 and 2007, including the 2006 National Championship Game. Afflalo finished his career ranked second in UCLA history in three-point field goals made (209) and attempted (560) and 17th in scoring (1,540 points). He earned consensus First Team All-America honors, was a member of the Wooden All-America Team and was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year following his junior campaign (2006-07). Afflalo was also named First Team All-Pac 10 as both a sophomore (2005-06) and junior (2006-07).
Birch (6’9”, 220, 9/28/92) played in Greece last season, appearing in 37 games (21 starts) with Olympiacos, averaging 7.3 ppg. and 5.6 rpg. in 18.0 minpg., while shooting 62.4 percent from the field.
After playing collegiately at both the University of Pittsburgh and UNLV, Birch declared for the 2014 NBA Draft and spent the 2014-15 campaign with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League, where he averaged 11.1 ppg., 9.5 rpg., 1.2 apg. and 1.8 blkpg. in 52 contests. He was named to the Futures All-Star Team in 2015.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Birch has also played professionally in Turkey (2015-16) and is a member of the Canadian National Team.
