Subscribe
Follow Us
On Wednesday night, Jusuf Nurkic made his debut for the Charlotte Hornets following his move from the Phoenix Suns prior to the trade deadline. Nurkic put up nine points and eight rebounds in only 16 minutes of play in what ended up being a 102-86 loss for Charlotte against the Orlando Magic. After the game, the Bosnian Beast had some high praise for the Magic, although he singled out a former teammate of his as a potential missing piece for the young, up-and-coming squad.
Speaking to reporters following the Hornets' loss, Nurkic subtly suggested that the Magic trade for his former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Anfernee Simons so they could reach the next level in their contending timeline.
“I think they are a really good young team and they are doing a really good job. They have a really good coaching staff, but I think they are missing one player. I can't name it, but that's my little fella from Portland, but I love my Portland people … but I think they are waiting and missing one player to be a really good team,” Nurkic said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Magic have fallen off the East standings in recent weeks even with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner returning to action. Offense continues to be a sore spot for Orlando, as they don't exactly have the best crew of floor-spacers.
Simons, on paper, looks like a good fit alongside Jalen Suggs in the backcourt. But with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope holding it down for the Magic at the two, it's not quite clear what concession Orlando will make in the event that they trade for Simons for some additional scoring punch.
Anfernee Simons and the Blazers are starting to figure it out, which might make a Magic trade difficult
Over the past month or so, a switch seems to have been flipped for the Blazers. They may be in the middle of a three-game losing streak at present, but prior to that, they have been playing some competitive basketball, with Anfernee Simons playing a central role in this rise.
Nevertheless, with the trade deadline having come and gone, the earliest the Magic can explore a trade for Simons is the offseason. Perhaps a trade package centered around Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, and Jett Howard could get a deal done, although there aren't any concrete indications at the moment that this is something Orlando would want to explore.