"Hedo Turkoglu was having a ball, largely because it was in his hands. He threw the pass to J.J. Redick on the break. As J.J.'s jumper settled into the net, he grinned broadly.

The gleam is back in Turk's eye.

It wasn't just because he had tied up the loose ends on a triple-double Monday night.

It was because he did it here, in Orlando, with his old team, the Magic.

Money can't buy happiness, even NBA money.

Turk tried hard to make that deal. It just didn't work.

He wasn't good at being a mercenary.

An unhappy Turk is an unproductive, unmotivated Turk.

Toronto is beautiful, even if it's stuck in Canada, and Phoenix is a desert resort. But Hedo did not like working at either place, and it didn't take those franchises long to realize he wouldn't be employee of the month.

The Magic also feared what might happen if they gave him $50 million over five years. They shipped him to Canada with the loot in a sign-and-trade, and Hedo had to like the exchange rate if nothing else.

"The one thing that's better with Turk was he was out of shape for all the years he was here and now he's like 8 percent body fat, which is the lowest since he's been alive," Dwight Howard said.

"It's great. He's shooting the ball well, he's passing more and he's more dedicated than he was before he got traded, which is great to see."

The Magic are getting Turk back at the right price and at the right time."