Patience on the trade market still warranted for Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are going to be active on the trade market. But they do not need to make their move now. Some patience is still warranted and wise.

There is a lot of consternation and concern about the Orlando Magic as the calendar turns to January. The team is not far out of the Playoff race — just two games out — but there is not a lot of confidence about the team and its positioning.

The Magic have not played consistent at all. The defensive identity has not taken hold — at all. The offense is seemingly a work in progress at all times. Orlando seems always one step away from catastrophe on that end.

The Magic are 15-20 and hanging around. But like that offense, the blowout seems right around the corner. The chance to falter and fall out of the Playoff race is never too far behind. And January will be unforgiving. A six-game road trip is on the horizon and 11 of the 16 games (including Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers) are on the road.

Yet, here the Magic are. Through all the troubles, struggles, inconsistency and everything else, Orlando has kept its head near enough above water to be within striking distance.

Perhaps there is something that will take them over the top. Perhaps another road trip will bring the team together and give them the momentum to make their Playoff push. Maybe coach Frank Vogel’s optimism is founded. He has spent all of Christmas break saying he believes the team is headed in the right direction.

In some ways, they are. The offense has improved. And for those little flashes of strong defense, the Magic look really good.

This is not to say, Orlando still does not need a trade. There are obvious holes on the roster. But there is still time for things to round into form. And the Magic are not short on any of their goals.

In other words, this is not the time to make a panicked deal. And this is not the time to rush into an early-January trade before the trade market truly develops. Orlando still has the time and the ability to make their push for the Playoffs.

And this team still has the chance and ability to do so. They can at least keep things steady and stay in the race long enough for the Magic to be sure of their decisions.

Things change as the season goes on. Teams fall off and their needs and desires change. January is typically the time teams begin to separate themselves and make their pushes or fall off and focus on the lottery.

There simply are not enough teams ready to sell or make trades right now. Outside of a few rumors and a few teams seemingly already out of the Playoff race, there is not a fully developed trade market for the Magic to mine.

That is why patience is still prudent when it comes to the trade market.

Orlando is still just a big winning streak away from jumping back into the Playoffs — defeating the New York Knicks on Monday would be a big boost to their Playoff hopes or at least get them closer in the Playoff race.

The Magic are seemingly on the edge of that Playoff push or falling off completely. That would certainly be a reason to set in some panic. It is perhaps a bit of false hope to say that. Everyone seems one big win streak away from making that Playoff push.

But Orlando, for all its inconsistency and struggles this year, are still essentially a .500 team. The Magic finished 8-8 through all their troubles in December. There is hope they can continue to improve.

Admittedly, that hope is running low. Performances like Wednesday’s against the Charlotte Hornets and Sunday’s against the Indiana Pacers are all too often. A team cannot hope for long-term success when it looks lifeless frequently. Those bad performances always seem to outweigh the good ones.

And that is why a trade or some move seems inevitable for the Magic. The hope for Orlando is they do not let things get too far gone before they make that move.

There is virtue in patience. The Magic should know that lesson better than anyone.

They made an early December trade in 2010 during the 2011 season, shipping out Vince Carter, Marcin Gortat, Mickael Pietrus and Rashard Lewis in separate trades. They got back Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas. It was a deal that essentially shut the door on the Magic’s championship window.

In a month and a half, Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams were both dealt.

There is a bit of the risk and reward in judging what could become available. But the reason there is not a rush of deals before the deadline is a good one. Everyone is waiting to see what shakes out and what direction teams go. Including the Magic.

Orlando has things cooking. They are exploring trade options — and likely some big ones too.  But they are not in a hurry to make a deal. Not yet at least.

That time is coming, though. If there is a clearly good deal on the table, the Magic should not wait.

And, in all likelihood, the Magic will know what direction they need to go in and how quickly they need to make it after they complete their West Coast road trip. Until then, they are likely to hold the ship steady and keep waiting for the right opportunity.

Next: Waiting for a trade could prove costly for Orlando Magic

There is still time to see if things can come together and make the Magic’s needs a bit clearer.