The pattern that’s emerged through D.J. Augustin’s long and peripatetic NBA career is that he’s either a really good backup PG who fans are thrilled to have…or he’s a mediocre starter who is just good enough not to destroy the team’s winning chances, but not good enough to get excited about. He’s constantly getting traded to situations where he easily outplays whatever developing PG’s are on the roster, becoming the de facto starter even though he’ll only ever be a 12/6 kind of guy at this point in his career.
I’m sure the Magic wish they had somebody with potential who they could start in place of Augustin. But all they have at the position are Jerian Grant (excuse me while I look at his college stats and cry) and Isaiah Briscoe, who was apparently a good high school prospect but wasn’t even drafted. You can see why they need to start Augustin. Either of those other guys would annihilate the meager amount of funness that the Magic have and even fewer people would bother attending the games.
Elfrid Payton could have been that “potential” guy but the Magic gave up on him without having a successor in place. How about this: the Bucks trade Matthew Dellavedova (he has potential I bet) and Thon Maker (definite potential for sure) for Jonathon Simmons.
In conclusion, D.J. Augustin is a symptom of the fact that the Magic have lacked direction for a decade and have constantly drafted busts while being stuck in a never-ending cycle of half-baked rebuilds.