Orlando Magic stand pat at the NBA Trade Deadline
The Orlando Magic let the trade deadline pass without making any additional moves following their big trade last week for Terrence Ross.
The Orlando Magic opted to stand pat at the trade deadline, not completing any deals ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
Rob Hennigan and the Magic promised they would be active in the trade market looking for ways to improve their team. They hoped it would be to bring in the last piece needed to make the Playoffs. Instead, the team’s disastrous season had them postured as seller at the trade deadline.
The Magic made their biggest, and most important, move last week when they traded Serge Ibaka to the Toronto Raptors for Terrence Ross and a 2017 first round pick (likely the LA Clippers’ pick in the late 20s). The Magic’s bet to acquire Serge Ibaka in his contract year fell on its face as the team struggled defensively. Orlando cut bait and recouped an asset in Ross.
The team remained seeking trades and evaluating the market for their players in the week remaining.
The Magic had expiring contracts in Jeff Green and Jodie Meeks to explore and C.J. Watson (owed only $1 million of his $5 million salary next year) to deal too. The Magic also appeared to be shopping Elfrid Payton (still on his rookie deal) and D.J. Augustin (in the first year of a four-year deal).
But nothing materialized. Through all the rumors about the Magic fishing for a point guard, nothing clearly enticed the Magic to make a deal and they stood pat with their roster. There were no opportunities to improve the team.
That does not mean the Magic are done making moves or deciding about their future for 2018 and beyond. They just will not address those needs today.
Orlando Magic
The team may not have made any moves at the trade deadline, but Orlando will still have plenty of opportunity to tweak the roster at and beyond the draft.
The same players the Magic were discussing in deals for long-term contracts, like that reported Reggie Jackson interest, will still be on the team and on the table. Negotiations do not stop at the trade deadline.
Nikola Vucevic will have one year remaining on his contract and should remain attractive. Elfrid Payton will be entering a contract year. C.J. Watson will still have a non-guaranteed deal.
The players the Magic were shopping around will still be on the roster. As Orlando determines what fits and what does not in the final 24 games this season, likely many of the same conversations the team was having entering the trade deadline will resume once trading becomes active again in June.
The Magic likely will still aggressively pursue ways to improve their team when trading opens again in June. For the trade deadline, they did not find anything worth pursuing.
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And, in the NBA, most of the times no deal is better than a bad deal.