NBA Trade Deadline: Five players Orlando Magic could pursue

Kenneth Faried

The Orlando Magic are still in need of rim protection and rebounding from the 4-spot. Who better to bring aboard than Kenneth Faried?

Faried is somewhat inconsistent but when he is playing his best basketball, he can be dominant.

The Magic would likely have to surrender Tobias Harris in this trade, which makes sense for Denver on a number of levels. The Nuggets would simply slot Harris into Faried’s vacancy and boost their scoring potential while creating some versatility. With Wilson Chandler out for the year, Harris would give the Nuggets a healthy scoring threat for years to come.

It might be hard to part with Harris, but this move would make Orlando a better team. The Magic have enough scoring options to add a guy like Faried.

Faried is making $11.2 million this season and is owed $50 million in the next four years as he starts a four-year extension. There would be some long-term savings in acquiring Faried and giving up Harris, but the Magic would sacrifice some flexibility with Faried’s deal being frontloaded. Making this kind of a deal would potentially mean the Magic want to strike in free agency sooner.

This trade is even enough that it likely would not require the addition of draft picks, and it is doubtful Rob Hennigan would acquiesce if Denver were to insist on it.

The Magic know how teams value Harris. He is a valuable cog in today’s NBA. Faried would be attainable if the Magic wanted to shore up their power forward position with this kind of player.

What Faried brings is a high-energy player who does not need the ball and can help protect the rim, supplementing Vucevic in that category as a power forward.

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