Five years ago, the Orlando Magic were caught in a bind. Forced to deal away Dwight Howard the team could either look to bring in a player that would keep them relevant or tear the whole thing down and go through a longer rebuild process. General manager Rob Hennigan chose the latter. The Magic, having tasted success in 2009, wanted their Finals runs to be regular and not just sporadic.
They would need some lottery luck again. In three straight years with top five picks, no star presented themselves. Hennigan had to shrewdly collect assets and hope things would congeal into a final product. The Magic improved year over year. They went from 20 to 23 to 25 to 35 wins in their four-year rebuild. But progress still felt elusive. Real progress. Playoff progress.
And so it was that the Magic made a big change beginning at last year’s deadline. Following their collapse in January they made the surprising move to trade Tobias Harris for cap space — in a summer when an unusual cap spike would give just about every team max cap room.
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That was only the beginning.
Orlando pushed their chips in further this summer trading Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka. They used that cap space to sign Bismack Biyombo, D.J. Augustin and Jeff Green. All with the hopes of adding some veteran leadership to a young group ready to make the playoffs. It was relatively clear the Magic believed after four years out of the playoffs, the longest drought in team history, it was time to make a move and show tangible progress.
The team was a mismatch from the beginning. Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo were both starter-caliber centers (or paid like it at least) and could not share the floor. Serge Ibaka’s presence on the roster pushed promising young forward Aaron Gordon to become a full-time small forward. And the team overall lacked an offensive push. They would rely heavily on their rim protection and defense.
The concerns about the offense proved true. The defense never came around.
The Magic’s season turned into an utter disaster. They are fading slowly out of the playoff race — more a product of the Eastern Conference weighing itself down. Orlando ranks in the bottom-10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
What needs the Orlando Magic have may very well be determined by what they can get in a Serge Ibaka deal. The safe bet is the Magic are going to be looking for a youngish player — likely a wing — and a draft pick in the latter half of the first round. Essentially, the Magic need to restock the cupboard and focus on bringing in promising, hungry players who can help the team move forward. And more importantly, the team needs to get players who fit together.
So perhaps the first thing the Magic need to do is figure out which players they truly want to build around. More likely than not, that is Aaron Gordon. And so the Magic must find ways to complement his skill set.
That likely means moving him back to power forward on offense.
The Magic’s need is then to find a starting small forward. Certainly, that player will have to be able to shoot considering the team’s poor shooting to this point this season — and general lack of shooters. It could also mean the Magic look for a true stretch-4 who can stay on the perimeter and allow Gordon to work in the paint offensively while staying on small forwards defensively.
Likely Orlando will try to take care of this need in their deal of Serge Ibaka. The Toronto Raptors are emerging as a favored landing spot and that could mean targeting Terrence Ross or even Patrick Patterson in a deal. The Magic could also give a call to the Washington Wizards and see if they can wiggle free one of Kelly Oubre, Jr. or Markieff Morris. Allen Crabbe or Al Farouq Aminu of the Portland Trail Blazers may also be options.
Generally, the Magic have to be thinking about their long-term future. If they can acquire future assets and shooters at this deadline, they will set themselves up to have a better growing season next year. Orlando is in line for a top-10 pick once again. In this draft, that will certainly net them a core piece for their future.
If the Magic can regain some future assets, shore up their shooting and add a starter-caliber small forward on a reasonable contract, they will have a better idea of their future and what direction they have to move this summer.
Virtually everyone is available for the right deal. Including Aaron Gordon.
What the Magic could offer at the deadline, though, is also very much in the air. They have several expiring deals they likely would like to move along and some players under contract that could net them assets in return to reshape their roster more fully.
The first place the Magic will start is trading Serge Ibaka. Considering all the Magic gave up for him, they have to recoup some value. And to reset their rebuild and add players back to the fold, the Magic have to move Ibaka and get some long-term return for him. What the Magic do with the rest of their trade deadline likely depends on what they can get in trading Ibaka. The rest of the focus for the team has to be on finding complementary pieces.
Orlando still has some valuable players to deal too.
With the Magic signing Bismack Biyombo to a four-year deal, it seems to make Nikola Vucevic expendable. Vucevic has two years left and can produce a double double even off the bench for less than $13 million per year. This could be another opportunity for the Magic to add some assets to restart themselves a bit.
The same could be said for the talented Elfrid Payton. Payton’s poor shooting has made it tough for him to hold down the starting point guard spot. But still on a rookie contract and with plenty of talent, the Magic could look to see what they can get for him. Especially considering the point guards that might be available to them in this year’s draft.
Orlando will also look to pawn off expiring contracts. Jeff Green is on a one-year, $15 million. Perhaps someone still believes in him and is willing to give up an asset for him. The Magic likely would have to take on a “bad” contract
Jeff Green is on a one-year, $15 million. Perhaps someone still believes in him and is willing to give up an asset for him. The Magic likely would have to take on a “bad” contract to do a deal. But there might be something there.
C.J. Watson also could become attractive. Frank Vogel has sung his veteran players’ defensive ability and his shooting has started coming around in the last few weeks. Watson has one year left on his contract that is non-guaranteed for $5 million. That contract could become attractive as a sweetener.
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There are clearly some players the Magic could move and shuffle their decks a little bit. Considering what the Magic must do with Ibaka and their long-term vision, it is clear the Magic will be very active ahead of the trade deadline.