ORLANDO, Fla. — Marcin Gortat walked into the Orlando Magic’s gym at RDV Sportsplex on Monday wearing a piece of clothing that perfectly summed up his current situation. The front of his Sean John T-shirt featured the unfinished pyramid that’s found on the back of a one-dollar bill.

Gortat insisted that he didn’t wear the shirt to make a statement, but even he acknowledged the unintended irony. On Wednesday, the first day players can sign contracts with new teams, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to ink the 6-foot-11 post player to an offer sheet so lucrative — worth so many of those dollar bills — that the Magic won’t dare match it.
“Either way, Dallas or Orlando, I’m going to be a happy man,” Gortat said, a smile on his face.
He spent part of late Monday afternoon sitting in the Sportsplex bleachers, watching a handful of first-round draft picks and a larger group of NBA wannabes begin play in the weeklong 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League.
Just last year and the three years before that, Gortat was an NBA summer-league player himself, trying to prove he belonged.
This summer, however, the affable 25-year-old from Poland is one of the NBA’s most coveted free-agent centers. After earning $770,000 last season, he likely will become a multi-millionaire within days. The Mavericks could offer him the full mid-level exception, beginning at $5.6 million per season.
Because Gortat is a restricted free agent, the Magic would have seven days to match any offer sheet that Gortat signs. But Orlando General Manager Otis Smith has said the Magic won’t match a deal worth more than $5 million per season for a backup to Dwight Howard.
Smith apparently hasn’t budged. He said Monday that he doesn’t feel any more pressure to keep Gortat just because Eastern Conference rival Boston reportedly has reached an agreement with power forward Rasheed Wallace.
“I have to round out the roster; that goes without saying,” Smith said. “But I’m not so sure that you feel any more pressure to (re-sign Gortat). I mean, he’s still playing behind my best player. I’d like to have him back at a number that’s reasonable.”
Still, there’s no denying Gortat’s value to the Magic.
He provided a rebounding boost and defensive presence off the bench during the team’s run to the NBA Finals. He came up big in Game 6 of Orlando’s first-round series against Philadelphia; with Howard serving a one-game suspension, Gortat scored 11 points and collected 15 rebounds as the Magic beat the 76ers in Philly and clinched the series.
The Houston Rockets, in need of a post player to replace injured star Yao Ming, campaigned hard to lure Gortat. Houston General Manager Daryl Morey posted a message on Twitter saying he was about to meet with Gortat; he also asked Rockets fans to send e-mail messages to a special account and urge Gortat to sign with the team.
But in the end, the “Polish Hammer” chose Dallas, a place where he would be the top candidate to start at center.
“I just think that Dallas was a better fit for me,” Gortat said. “They have Jason Kidd, and he’s a great point guard. They’ve got Dirk Nowitzki, who is the best power forward in the league. They just pushed more. They just pushed more. It’s up to the people. Who wants me more? I’m going to go over to who wants me.”
And, right now, it looks like the Mavericks want him more.