What the Victor Oladipo trade says about Evan Fournier

The Orlando Magic were willing to part ways with Victor Oladipo. This move displays confidence in Evan Fournier. It seems the Magic view him as a key piece.

The Orlando Magic made a blockbuster trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night. Victor Oladipo is gone and Serge Ibaka is arriving in Orlando for his introductory press conference Thursday.

Magic fans have known for a long time re-signing Evan Fournier was going to be the number one priority on general manager Rob Hennigan’s list. With this trade, it makes it even more important.

The Orlando Magic had a plethora of young talent on their team at the start of the 2016 season. They began moving those pieces around when Tobias Harris was sent to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova. More recently, it was Oladipo who was sent packing.

Slowly, Orlando has decided who their core players are going to be moving forward. As of now, it is Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. Nikola Vucevic will be added to this list if he makes it through this offseason, that feels like a big “if”. As well as any major free agents the Magic could potentially bring in.

Regardless of what may happen in the coming weeks, all signs point to Fournier being the Magic’s “guy,” at least at shooting guard. With Victor Oladipo slated to make big bucks after the 2017 season, the Magic decided Fournier was the better investment.

This offseason is a big one for the Magic. They need to make the right moves to get this team moving finally into the playoffs. They are prepared to make Fournier a big part of it. Fournier will be demanding a big pay day that could hover around $20 million.

Fournier’s decision could make or break Orlando’s offseason. There is a good chance the Magic swing and miss on all of the big-name free agents. Yes, they have a young core, they have a proven coach, but they do not have a championship roster. They do not even have a Playoff roster. Someone will take a chance on them, essentially.

It is important to note that teams will be going after Fournier, including the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has reported if the Mavericks fail to bring back Chandler Parsons, Evan Fournier is on their short list to replace him. Orlando will have the right to match any contract, but they will need to get him on board quickly (yet remain unsigned) so they can use their cap room to bring in talent rather than to retain Fournier.

Last season, Evan Fournier improved in almost every facet of his game.

As Fournier was taking his big step and emerging as one of the best players in Orlando last season, he was consistent. Typically, when a young player is asked to step into a bigger role, they are not productive day in and day out. Oladipo was unable to do this as some games he simply disappeared. That did not happen as often with Fournier.

Fournier’s second season in Orlando was a great one. He improved his scoring totals but was also more efficient. Shooting better percentages inside and out.

Defensively, Fournier did struggle against stronger defenders, but there were signs of improvement. With the new addition of Serge Ibaka and Aaron Gordon sharing the floor with him, he may find easier matchups.

With all the talent the Magic have, some of the pieces just did not seem to fit. That played a major part of the inconsistency from Oladipo. For example, Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo could not be effective on the floor together because of their lack of perimeter shooting. That has been a big problem for the Magic the last few seasons.

On the contrary, Fournier has that ability to play next to Payton who is still trying to develop some sort of jump shot.

His versatility on offense allows him to play next to Elfrid Payton effectively. Again, this was a problem for Oladipo, but Fournier has a different skill set.

According to NBAWowy, the Magic were relatively even with Fournier and Payton on the floor together without Oladipo than with Oladipo and Payton together without Fournier.

With Oladipo and Payton paired together without Fournier, the Magic posted 112.6 points per 100 possessions with a 49.7 percent effective field goal percentage. With Fournier and Payton paired together without Oladipo, the Magic posted 104.9 points per 100 possessions, but shot a 50.5 percent effective field goal percentage.

The Magic were slightly better offensively with the Oladipo/Payton pairing. But they were much more efficient shooting with the Fournier lineup. It is hard to measure and it depends on who else was on the floor.

It was clearly a difficult decision figuring out which of these two shooting guards to pick to move forward.

Hennigan seems to have made the decision Payton is not expendable at the moment. Fournier seems to be the better fit with that logic.

The Orlando Magic believe in Evan Fournier. They think he is going to be a major piece of the puzzle moving forward and there is plenty of evidence to support this claim.

Next: Criticized Serge Ibaka trade moves Orlando Magic forward

His future on the team hinges on how free agency plays out. If the Magic retain him, Fournier will be one of the most important players on this team in the coming seasons.