The Orlando Magic are looking to shake things up within the organization and one of their immediate priorities is evaluating their roster assets.
According to a report by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the team is looking to trade center Nikola Vucevic and is reportedly “down” on recently relegated point guard Elfrid Payton at the moment, which means he could be yet another tradable asset.
Vucevic and Payton have moved to the bench since last month and have found themselves expendable.
The 26-year-old big man lost his starting job to offseason acquisition Bismack Biyombo, giving the Magic two frontcourt shot-blockers in him and Serge Ibaka. Vucevic has averaged a near double-double despite coming off the bench with 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds over his last 10 games.
Payton, 22, struggled to find his rhythm through the start of the season with very inconsistent performances, where he's been known to go from showing flashes of brilliance to a complete lack of engagement within the game. He's made a case to stay with the team within his last eight games, putting up 15.3 points on 51.6 percent shooting, 6.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds.
With D.J. Augustin starting for head coach Frank Vogel, the Magic have been able to improve on their three-point shooting (ranked 25th in the league) and have found some balance between offense and defense with Biyombo's help at center.
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