The Orlando Magic are still a young team with plenty of growth left to do. But concerns about contracts and roles may be at the root of the team’s struggles
Thursday is going to be a day of change throughout the NBA. The trade deadline always brings with it some sense of urgency to save seasons that may be derailing or bring in that last piece to get over the top.
There are obviously a lot of rumors going around and plenty of conversations that have taken place and gone nowhere. That is the nature of this time of year.
The Orlando Magic though are aggressively looking at their options this trade deadline and specifically looking for a veteran. There is a sense, some have reported, the Magic are looking to hit a home run.
How aggressive comes and goes, depending on who you talk to. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports from All-Star Weekend in Toronto that the number of players the Magic would actually trade is small unless something major came around:
For what its worth. Was told today that the number of players the Magic would likely trade is very small. Would have to be a major deal.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) February 13, 2016
They promised this year they would take a step forward and compete for a Playoff berth. And the team has largely done that. But not in the way they expected.
A 19-13 start to the season gave way to a 2-12 January and a number of questions started to come up about this roster and this roster’s makeup. The Magic have to start picking which players to build around and which players to move on from and cash in as what they have now does not seem sustainable.
It is both unsustainable from a player fit perspective — this is still a collection of talent and the next task in the rebuild was to build an actual team — and unsustainable in player motivation.
In fact, that player motivation factor may have already creeped in to the Magic roster and could have been a contributing factor to the Magic’s fall.
On the latest episode of the Basketball Insiders Podcast, Steve Kyler discussed some of the things he has learned from players regarding the Magic’s mindset. A lot of young players playing for their first big contract and worrying about roles has led to some of the slippage and buy out from the team.
The discussion occurs at about the 19:00 mark:
"Kind of the general message [from the players] was is in November and December, we were focused on the game plan, we were focused on the message. We weren’t worried about much. We were trying to learn it and we were doing it and were having some success with it. Then things changed. Victor Oladipo goes to the bench and Evan Fournier is playing and then contracts come up. All of a sudden what changed was guys were looking at the shot sheet, complaining about their roles, complaining about their minutes."
It is an interesting thought and one that certainly could carry some water.
The Magic are full of young players trying to make their way in the league. And roughly every player is about the same level. Scott Skiles has said on numerous occasions it takes three or four guys playing really well for this team to win. They do not have one player they can rely on heavily each night.
That inevitably might lead to guys looking to get theirs or have their turn rather than playing through the offense. It takes a mature and comfortable player sometimes to realize playing within the offense and winning will do more for their future marketability.
Still, it is hard not to blame guys for being worried and trying to make sure they look impressive.
Evan Fournier will be a restricted free agent this summer and is surely angling for a big contract. Victor Oladipo is eligible for a contract extension this summer. Their flip flopping through the starting lineup cannot make either player feel good about their financial future in some way.
The Magic have had a lot of things kind of snowball on them, as Kyler describes it, and the focus waned some. Injuries took their toll in addition to the contract concerns and jumbling roles as the team has made it through the season.
That is one theory for sure. And the Magic have then come to realize how important it is to have veterans who are secure with who they are as players and are not growing anymore. They can help guide the team without getting in the way, so to speak.
The Magic are just too young with too many guys trying too hard to prove themselves to be incredibly successful without complete buy in. There is a problem of more issue as some of these players are playing for contracts and looking for that next big payday — or even that first one.
These are not fatal problems. They may torpedo the season. But it is also natural for young players. There is no fault in seeing if these players can work together or if Victor Oladipo can be a star or so on and so forth. These guys are young enough that the team had to see what they could do.
But this is a problem the team could have foreseen, although maybe not to this extent. Rob Hennigan last month expressed a tinge of regret in the team still being so young. It is a problem the team recognized. There just is not the experience in the locker room to get the team over the top.
Finding this or finding that piece to click back in and realize the collective goals will help the individual achieve his goals will be part of the trick for the week before the trade deadline and the rest of the season.