The Orlando Magic are said to be “open for business” ahead of this year’s trade deadline in February. But, the front office is in no mood for hasty deals.
The Orlando Magic are open to trades — but only those that benefit the team, it has been reported.
Per Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Magic front office are “open for business” in the lead-up to February’s trade deadline, but will be very selective in the deals they make.
"However you’d like to characterize it, the Orlando Magic are open for business.Sources close to the situation said recently that the team had heard interest on virtually every player on the roster, including their injured guys.The Magic’s new front office isn’t eager to dump anything, so anything the Magic do will have to be meaningful."
This sounds exactly how many thought Orlando would approach the trade deadline. Although the team has struggled on the court and been plagued by injuries off it, there is no pressure on the front office to make a deal. At least, not at the deadline.
At the same time, they are listening to offers for almost everyone on the roster, with Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac likely the only exceptions. Aaron Gordon is widely seen as the franchise’s future star. As Kyler noted, it would take the offer of a proven All-Star for Orlando even to consider moving their own star asset.
Jonathan Isaac, meanwhile, is valued highly by the Magic for his length, athleticism and staggeringly high defensive potential. As the first draft pick of the Jeff Weltman management group, they are obviously very high on him and his potential for growth.
Yet outside this core pairing, Weltman appears willing to move anyone — but only for the right price.
One name repeatedly mentioned in trade rumors has been Evan Fournier. He was reported to have been the subject of discussions with the Detroit Pistons, which would have seen Reggie Jackson coming to Orlando. But the offer of Jackson — and potentially rookie Luke Kennard — would not have been enough to entice the Magic.
And herein lies an issue for the team.
Kyler reports the Magic would like to move Fournier — and his big contract where he is owed $17 million for each of the next three seasons — but they are not going to give him away. Orlando wants value in return. They have not been offered anything worth doing.
So the team might be open for business, but there are no deals present to make. There is still a month to go before the trade deadline, so that will likely change.
This reveals a lot about the Magic’s current position. They are willing trade partners and have a host of team-friendly contracts including Nikola Vucevic and Jonathon Simmons. But there is no impetus to move anyone except for the right price. And, right now, the market has little to offer the team right now.
As a result, it would not be a surprise if Orlando only made small moves at the deadline. Instead, waiting until the summer for any major deals. Going into next season, Nikola Vucevic will be on an expiring, good-value deal, while Jonathon Simmons will be in a similar position.
Although fans may be calling for major changes, the front office is not under any illusions about the current state of the market. Nor do they feel the need to rush into a deal they would only later regret.
Orlando appears like the team wants to bring back players in return. The Magic are not particularly interested in draft picks and having too many young players, according to Kyler.
One interesting development is that the team is not interested in draft pick-based offers. This is a departure from previous years and comes ahead of a strong 2018 draft class. Unless the deal brings back a high-value pick, the Magic seem like they would prefer to find veterans to support their young players.
But after a long and painful rebuild, it appears the front office wants to use the current group of assets — whether by keeping or trading them — to return the Magic to relevancy sooner rather than later.
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Things change quickly though. There is still a month to go before the deadline.