1 move every NBA team needs to make to beat the Warriors
By Brad Rowland
Orlando Magic: Throw money at the problem
There is real talent on this roster. With that said, the Serge Ibaka deal was… puzzling.
Yes, Ibaka is a better basketball player in 2016-2017 than Victor Oladipo, and Orlando just might be better in the short term. However, the Magic acquired a player with some age concerns that is under team control for only one season before he was surely demand a monstrous contract as an unrestricted free agent. The only reason Orlando would do such a thing is if the franchise decided that it wanted to win now.
Hello, cap space. Goodbye, cap space.
The Magic have monstrous room under the salary cap even after acquiring Ibaka (by nature of including Ersan Ilyasova in the deal), and Orlando has big plans in free agency. The team will pitch the likes of Al Horford, Chandler Parsons and, presumably, others while also keeping tabs on Evan Fournier, who is a restricted free agent.
It seems very unlikely that any combination of two players (even at the high end) the team could add in free agency would be enough to be superior to the Warriors, but Orlando could be very good if they hit a grand slam in early July. If not, the wise move would probably be to market Ibaka at the trade deadline in search of future assets and run it back again.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers