The Orlando Magic have quietly become one of the more unique teams in the NBA this season. They aren't very good on paper, with their 21-32 record seeing them sit in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. But whereas other teams seem content to keep losing in an effort to get a high draft pick, the Magic are doing everything they can to win games.
Orlando is playing good basketball, even if their win total suggests otherwise. They have a strong young core that clearly enjoys playing together, and there is a lot of excitement surrounding this team that is building as the season goes on. The Magic could still technically contend for a spot in the Play-In Tournament, but don't expect them to act like a buyer once the deadline rolls around.
The Magic are going to be sellers, but they likely won't sell off many players from their team. Orlando is in the process of turning their future assets into wins, so trading away several members of their rotation wouldn't make much sense. Trading away one or two guys is fine, but it's clear heading into the deadline that Orlando would regret trading away this key veteran player on their squad.
Trade the Magic would regret: Moving Terrence Ross
As previously mentioned, the Magic have done a good job at assembling a solid core group of fairly young players that are beginning to find success in the league right now. They don't have a lot of veterans on their team, though, with one of their only players who fits that category being Terrence Ross.
Ross has been with the Magic since the 2016-17 season when he was traded there from the Toronto Raptors, and has become a decent secondary scorer off the bench throughout his career. His numbers are down this season as his role has become a bit smaller (8 PPG, 2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 43.1 FG%) and on the surface, it doesn't really seem like he has a ton of value for the Magic.
In a sense, that is correct, as the Magic would be better off giving his minutes to a younger player, while a playoff team could use his scoring capabilities off the bench. But even as Ross has been cut out of Orlando's rotation (despite the fact he's shooting 55.2 percent on his threes since the turn of the new year) he serves a purpose to this young Magic squad.
Having veterans on a young team is something that cannot really be overstated. We have seen how the Houston Rockets, who are in a similar spot as the Magic in terms of roster construction, have been the worst team in the league this season because their young players don't have a ton of guidance. They are going out and doing whatever they want on the court, because, well, they can.
Ross isn't necessarily going to tell the Magic what to do every time they take the floor, but he knows what it takes to find success in this league as a team. Having veteran players that the young guys can look to for advice is crucial in helping them take that next step forward, and in a sense, that's what Ross offers to the young folks on the Magic.
The team's handling of Ross is confusing, as they could look to build up his value a bit rather than just letting him sit at the bench. Beyond the initial argument, the Magic have set themselves up to get a rather minimal return for Ross despite the fact that he's played really since the new year began.
If Orlando does end up trading Ross, they likely aren't going to get anything substantial in return for him. And unsurprisingly, there are playoff contenders that are lurking as potential suitors for Ross if the Magic do decide to move him. It may be inevitable at this point, but it feels like a mistake for the Magic.
Ross obviously wouldn't be bringing back a huge return anyways, but the whole handling of this situation feels strange. Keeping him around just to sit on the bench doesn't make sense, but there's not a great reason as to why Ross isn't playing. He went from averaging 22.5 minutes per game to being completely cut out of the rotation.
Regardless, moving Ross at the deadline feels like a shortsighted move. There may not be any true need for him, but he's helped establish a strong culture in Orlando's locker room over the years, and his value will not be maximized if he ends up getting traded at the deadline. It seems likely he will get moved, but there's a decent chance this under-the-radar move could be one that the Magic later regret.
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