One trade every NBA team needs to make
By Tom West
Orlando Magic
The Magic started this season strong and have since fallen thanks to dismal offense and little rim protection. From January 1, 27th in the NBA in points per game (94.7), 24th in opponent field goal percentage within five feet of the basket (60.5), and 28th in net rating (-9.8, per NBA.com).
They have a talented offensive center in Nikola Vucevic who averages 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game with relative ease, but the Magic can’t hold their own too well in the paint. As for scoring, well, they’ve had little of that from most positions on the roster.
One blockbuster trade that could land them more rim protection than they have in Vucevic while boosting their offense is a deal to land them both Al Horford and Jeff Teague.
The Hawks have reportedly been shopping Teague (due to both his regression and the growth of Dennis Schroder) and are listening to offers for Horford as they don’t want to lose him for nothing in free agency this summer (per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports).
In exchange for the 2014-15 Hawks All-Stars, the Magic can try sending Vucevic and Victor Oladipo to Atlanta. If necessary, depending on how much the Hawks are asking for, another young player like Mario Hezonja may be needed as well.
This gives the Hawks a top-tier offensive center in Vucevic who is still under contract for three more years at fairly cheap average of around $12 million per season (even more reasonable with the rising cap limit). In Oladipo and possibly Hezonja, they get even more young perimeter talent and depth.
As for the Magic, this is an ideal trade for them to pursue. It could significantly boost their 25th ranked offense and give them a better interior defender at center, not to mention a point guard upgrade, as Teague is still capable of creating his own offense off drives, he’s shooting 40 percent from three, and just last season he averaged seven assists per game.
This could be great for the Magic, but it really depends on how interested the Hawks are in moving Horford and Teague and whether or not they receive better offers. Orlando may not have enough to make this happen.
Next: Washington Wizards