Five trade deadline targets for the Orlando Magic
Zach LaVine
Zach Lavine is an integral member to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ highly-touted young core. But Tom Thibodeau is rumored to not be ruling out letting one of his big three go in exchange for a veteran interior defender… like Serge Ibaka.
There are no indications other than speculation to suggest the Wolves will break up that young core. But if LaVine is indeed on the table, it will not be for cheap.
Ibaka is on an expiring contract so Thibodeau could very well want another asset, like a draft pick, thrown into the pot.
If Orlando can put together an enticing package, adding LaVine would work well for a number of reasons.
Off-screen shots, spot-ups, transition scores and the pick-and-roll are the biggest parts of the Magic offense, both as a percentage of their total plays and compared to how frequently other teams run them.
LaVine excels in each of these areas.
This season is LaVine’s first full season as a shooting guard instead of the point, so he actually has more ball-handling experience than some give him credit for. This season he has performed very well as the ball-handler on the pick-and-roll, which is more than can be said about the Magic backcourt.
Elfrid Payton, who runs the pick-and-roll more than any other Magic player, is one of the least efficient in the league at converting these plays into points.
In a hyopthetical Magic uniform, LaVine obviously would not be asked to play point guard or even to act as a primary ball handler very often, but to add a player who can take some of the ball-handling load off of Elfrid Payton would be huge.
The Magic take spot-up jumpers on around one-fifth of their total possessions, more frequently than any other play type tracked on NBA.com. Unfortunately, they are actually very mediocre at actually hitting these shots, scoring exactly 1.00 point per possession.
LaVine is near the top of the league at hitting spot up jumpers, scoring 1.19 points per possession. That sounds like a negligible difference, but in the course of 100 possessions, that .19 points turns into 19.
The Magic also dish to players coming off screens at the seventh-highest rate in the league, despite hitting those shots less than 40 percent of the time. Again, that is a very mediocre rate of efficiency for a shot the most teams and players can hit with relative ease.
It is not because they cannot get open shots either. The Magic love to run pin-down screens for shooters at the corners, sometimes to a dribble handoff from a center, and get very clean looks much of the time. They just do not convert those looks at the rate that more elite shooters do.
LaVine, on the other hand, sinks threes off screens at a rate many shooters would envy.
When the Magic played LaVine and the Wolves earlier this season, he gave Magic fans a peek at what can happen when he heats up, burning Orlando’s defense again and again off screens from Gorgui Dieng, Karl-Anthony Towns and whoever else would help him get an opening. He finished with 37 points on seven 3-pointers, and most importantly, his team left with the win.
Lastly, LaVine could help the Magic in transition. Orlando gets themselves no shortage of transition opportunities, whether it be from turnovers, blocked shots or rebounds. These opportunities are often squandered, though, as they are one of the worst teams in the league at finishing them.
No one who has watched either of the past two Slam Dunk Contests should be surprised to learn that LaVine is pretty damn good at finishing in transition.
Even when he first entered the league, at the combine he registered ridiculous numbers on his vertical and in speed drills. Of course, that athleticism is useless without actual basketball skills, but very few defenders can catch LaVine when he flies downcourt for an open dunk.
At the end of the day, LaVine is a blossoming offensive dynamo and it should be no wonder that he is giving the Wolves more than 20 points per game.
He has all the athletic talent to be an elite player. This season he is showing the NBA universe that he is developing basketball skills to match. Not to mention, based on what the Magic like to do and need to become more efficient at doing, LaVine would be an excellent fit offensively.
But whether he is actually available and for what cost is another question entirely. Theoretically, the Magic have pieces that could entice Thibodeau. LaVine is a Minnesota fan favorite for good reason.
And chasing after him seems like a dream more than a reality at this point.