Orlando Sentinel staff writer Jerry Brewer reports: By committing to Patrick Ewing last week, the Magic might have hurt their chances of getting free-agent forward Horace Grant.

The Magic, hoping to add the aging veterans by having them split the $4.5 million salary-cap exception, reached an agreement in principle with Ewing last week. But the Magic have "put themselves in a box" by doing so, according to a source, meaning that if another team wanted to pay more than $2.25 million for Grant, that team could win at the end.

Meanwhile, the Magic met the July deadline to tender offers and retain the rights to their three top rookies -- 7-footers Steven Hunter and Brendan Haywood and guard Jeryl Sasser -- as General Manager John Gabriel had promised.