As the February 23 NBA trade deadline approaches, the Orlando Magic are looking to be serious players as many teams seek wing help and consistency.
The moves the Orlando Magic front office made this past offseason, giving up young talent and serious money for established veterans, made it clear the Magic front office is all-in to win in 2017. But so far, the team simply has not been consistent enough.
Do not expect that to discourage them from tinkering further to make the 2017 Playoffs.
While the Magic have not exactly been firing on all cylinders so far, they are still only a couple of games out of the eighth seed. The Eastern Conference is overflowing with teams hovering around .500 and it would take a very considerable losing streak to really put that out of reach.
In the meantime, expect the front office to do everything it can to put the team over the hump. Whether that can be enough is a different discussion. But tanking is pretty much out of the question for any team who has invested what the Magic have in its offseason acquisitions.
If the Magic want a playoff spot, they need a stable scoring punch from outside. If Aaron Gordon is going to continue playing the 3, the Magic need to acquire a forward who can complement his strengths and cover up his weaknesses.
In return, the Magic will be quick to offer a piece from their teeming frontcourt, perhaps with Mario Hezonja as a deal-sweetener for a team that can afford to let him develop and make mistakes on the court. Gordon has also been mentioned by some writers and bloggers as a possible trade piece, but considering his status as the franchise star and cornerstone, he will probably stay in Orlando.
Most of the scenarios explored in this slideshow are more speculative than they are substantiated, based on rumors from around the NBA blogosphere rather than from concrete evidence, but here are a few players the Magic could potentially make in their playoff push as the trade deadline creeps nearer.