Early in November, the Orlando Magic turned some heads after back-to-back wins over the Mavs and the Suns. Since then, however, the Magic have slid and slumped. In fact, they have lost five of their last six games. As such, they now sit in last place in the Southeast Division and 14th place overall in the Eastern Conference. For a while there, it seemed like maybe the Magic would be on an uptrend, but it's clear now that they're very much among the tanking teams of the season. Looking ahead, even if they won't make the playoffs, it might make sense for the Magic to still be active before the trade deadline and maximize their draft assets for 2023 and beyond. Here we will look at how the Magic' most realistic trade target after the first month of the 2022-23 season
Right now, the Magic are a solid rebounding and shot-blocking team. They are ninth overall in rebounds (45.2 rebounds per game) and blocks (5.6 blocks per game). However, they do need help in the backcourt. They are currently 29th overall in playmaking (21.2 assists per game), 27th in turnovers (16.6 turnovers per game), and 29th in steals (5.9 steals per game). Right now, Jalen Suggs is not really a terrible point guard, but he won't take this team to the next level. If they want to maximize the talents of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. (when he returns), then an upgrade from Suggs is needed.
The Magic can do that in two ways. On one hand, they can find a guard right now and hope he gives the Magic a lift for the remainder of the season. That might not seem too practical, though, given how deep the Eastern Conference currently is and how the Magic are in a pretty good position to land a high draft pick in 2023. On the other hand, they can also trade one or two of their players for a few more draft assets in 2023 and 2024. That means they will still be in rebuilding mode for two years, but by year three, they should be pretty stacked with Banchero, Wagner, and maybe a Victor Wembanyama or even a Scoot Henderson leading the charge.
class of '21 đ€§@jalensuggs » @franzboogie pic.twitter.com/xttRt3EOIu
â Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) November 26, 2022
Here we will look at how the Magic's most realistic trade target after the first month of the season.
Future Draft Pick from the Los Angeles Lakers
One interesting team that could do a trade deadline dance with the Orlando Magic is the Los Angeles Lakers. Right now, the Lakers are nowhere near playoff relevance in the Western Conference. They're also likely to open to field calls about one or two of their players along with maybe one or two of their future picks.
Remember Russell Westbrook? Yep, he's still with the Lakers. Is he doing better this season compared to 2021-22? Not really. He's averaging fewer points and rebounds this season while also shooting a bit worse from the field. He has mainly come off the bench, which has produced mixed results for Los Angeles.
Why do we bring him up? Well, because any trade involving the Lakers would most certainly also involve Westbrook. He's not the main prize in this kind of deal, but he's a necessary component.
The main dish in any trade between Orlando and the Lakers would revolve around future picks. Keep in mind that even when the Lakers have a full complement of players, it's unlikely they will make much noise in terms of the 2023 playoff race. The West is just too stacked, and the Lakers are too old. This means that the Lakers' draft position could be interesting in 2023.
Right now, they own two picks for the 2023 NBA Draft. The Lakers have their own second-round pick and a first-round pick owned by the New Orleans Pelicans. Interestingly enough, the Pelicans can opt to swap picks with the Lakers next year. Either way, though, an additional first-rounder should not hurt the Magic's chances of landing a potentially tantalizing rookie in 2023.
That is the whole point, right? Get a couple of young guys who can either push Jalen Suggs to dramatically improve or replace him altogether. The aforementioned Henderson is the consensus top rookie point guard next year, but we should also look at Amen Thompson, Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black, and Cason Wallace to name a few. If the Magic can get even one of those guys, that'd be great for their backcourt depth and rotation.
So, we might look at a trade where the Magic will receive a 2023 first-round draft pick and Russell Westbrook from the Lakers. On the flip side, who can the Lakers get?
Well, it all starts and ends with two guys on the Magic. These are Terrence Ross and Gary Harris.
Take note that after starting Orlandoâs first eight games of the season, Ross has moved to a reserve role. His numbers are down from last season. Consequently, it sure feels like the Magic are ready to move on from him. They will focus on the development of both Wagner and Bancero instead. The same goes for veteran guard Gary Harris. He is also a trade candidate to watch, given how his $13 million salary for next season is non-guaranteed. This effectively makes him an expiring contract for Orlando to dangle.
So can this work? The contracts of Ross and Harris won't perfectly balance out Westbrook's, so a third player needs to be added. We can see maybe big man Jonathan Isaac as the best possible third player here. The Magic can also add the 2023 first-round pick they got from the Bulls to really make this happen.
This potential deal gives the Magic a solid point guard for this season while also giving them additional flexibility for 2023. The Lakers get their own first-round pick courtesy of the Bulls while getting more players to shore up their roster in case more injuries happen.
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