Despite three surgeries in as many years, Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill isn't ready to call it a career just yet.

John Denton of the Florida Today reports: Today, Hill will have a fourth surgery on his troubled left ankle.

The operation will be performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Nunley of the Duke University Medical Center.

During the procedure, Hill will also have his left heel bone broken, his ankle realigned, and the original stress fracture on the inside of the joint addressed again.

Doctors believe that by breaking Hill's heel, they can alter the alignment of his ankle and take some of the pressure off the joint. They now believe that the improper alignment of Hill's ankle has been the reason for the repeated stress fractures.

The Magic hope that this surgery will be Hill's last.

"At this point, none of us are prepared to say that we have answers," Magic general manager John Gabriel said. "History hasn't shown us that or been kind to us in that regard. The doctors will go into it to do the best they can. This has turned into a significant procedure. Hoping for the best is all we can do."

"Obviously, you're hoping this is the surgery that works, but if it isn't, then that's not a good sign for his future," Magic head coach Doc Rivers said. "I talked to him Saturday and he was upbeat from the fact that he finally knew where he was going and what direction this was turning. Even though it's not the news you want to get, at least it gave him some closure as to where he was going with this. That was probably a good thing for him mentally."

"Personally, it's tough to see a guy put in 35 hours a week on rehabilitation only to have something not go as planned," said Magic physical therapist Vinnie Hudson, who has worked with Hill the past two years. "It's very difficult to see. Doing this just shows Grant's consistent professionalism toward basketball and his career. He just has this insistence to wanting to help the Magic.

"I know it's frustrating for him," Magic star Tracy McGrady said. "We don't know if he's going to come back and I don't think he knows if he's going to come back. We just don't know where his career is headed right now. But hopefully this will be his last surgery and everything will come up positive."

Hill has played in 47 of a possible 231 games with the Magic

After the surgery, their really is no timetable for when Hill could comeback. However, the Magic admitted Monday that he probably wouldn't be ready in time for training camp.

Still, the Magic are not ready to begin talks on a buyout of the remaining $60.4 million left on the final fours years of his contract. Hill originally signed a seven-year, $93 million free-agent deal with the Magic in August of 2000.

"I don't think we're at that point yet," Gabriel said, referring to the retirement talk. "We're at the point where we've done our research and we think this procedure is needed for us to have a chance of seeing him as a player again. We're all just hoping for the best now."