The Orlando Magic are in a tricky and interesting spot as they begin to plan their future ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline in February. We break it down.
The trade season is officially open. And the whole league is t-minus five weeks now until the February 6 trade deadline.
Things will inevitably heat up as this date draws nearer. Everyone is going to be looking to accomplish at least some of their goals at the deadline. And everyone procrastinates, deadlines create urgency and movement.
This will be the first moment new president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman will have a decision to make with his roster.
After declaring he would spend this year evaluating the roster and figuring out exactly what the team has, he will soon have half a season of evaluation under his belt. That is surely enough to begin understanding the direction he should take his team.
And surely Weltman has his own ideas too.
Already, there are reports the Orlando Magic will be among the most active teams at the trade deadline. And after their 8-4 start, their collapse would suggest they might be ready to move on from some of their big-name players and almost certainly they would like to cut some salary and regain financial flexibility.
.@ChrisMannixYS says he's been told by league execs that Celtics have been one of the most active teams out there. Says to keep an eye on Clippers, Grizzlies & Magic for potential buyouts and/or moves.
— Max Lederman (@Max_Lederman) December 24, 2017
Take that for what you will. It is unclear still what direction the Magic will go. But after five years without much direction or results, it does seem change is eventually going to come. It is yet unclear whether that will come at the trade deadline.
Watching how the Magic dig themselves out of this hole will be one of the fascinating stories at the trade deadline. If the Magic even make a move then. They could always wait until the offseason to begin reshaping the roster after giving this core a second year to come together under coach Frank Vogel.
The team is constantly making its evaluations still. And there is a long way to go until the trade deadline.
This fascinating question is something Andrew Bernucca of The Step Back tried to tackle last week. It is a question that does not have a particularly clear answer either. The Magic’s future is hard to map out cleanly.
I invited Andrew onto the Orlando Magic Daily Podcast to discuss what he learned in trying to construct reasonable trades for the Magic and what the future holds for the team:
On This Episode:
- Why trades are the route for the Orlando Magic to change the team
- Who are the keepers for the Orlando Magic? What trade assets do the Orlando Magic have?
- What kind of deals did Andrew construct? Who might the Orlando Magic target?
- When will the Orlando Magic get financial flexibility again?
- How do the Orlando Magic balance trying to win now with building a core for the long term with the moves in front of them?
- What is Jeff Weltman’s goal for this season?
- Could the Orlando Magic trade Aaron Gordon now? What are the risks of blindly matching his restricted free agent rights?
- Why the Magic can afford to wait out this trade deadline.
- Could the Orlando Magic turn to another long-term rebuild?
- Financial flexibility as the goal for this team.
Be sure to follow Andrew Bernucca on Twitter @abernucca and follow The Step Back for more great NBA content.
Next: Orlando Magic play for each other and get rewarded
Also, subscribe to Orlando Magic Daily’s daily podcast, Locked On Magic, on Panoply, iTunes, Stitcher and TuneIn.