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Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Deadline day

By Philip Rossman-Reich

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 18: Elfrid Payton #2 of the Orlando Magic lays one in against Jeff Green #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 18, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 18: Elfrid Payton #2 of the Orlando Magic lays one in against Jeff Green #32 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 18, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic
Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic /

What kind of team should Jeff Weltman and John Hammond be looking to build considering their assets and the offers that might be available to them?

Palmer: I am not really sure how to answer this question to be honest. Orlando’s core right now is probably Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Wesley Iwundu? Seems like a bunch of guys who are athletic and play defense. So I guess if you wanted to complement those guys, you would need to add some scoring. I honestly do not see many interesting trade pieces that are reported to be available right now. People have asked me about Rodney Hood but that does not do much for me and I do not know how it helps the Magic considering he is worse than Evan Fournier and you would have to pay him about the same. I guess if I am the Magic, I would attempt to acquire a point guard that can compete to start next year and see where things go from there in the draft. A lot of how this team plays and will be built is going to be determined in the upcoming draft.

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Flynn: Considering the only players that most people view as “untouchable” on the Magic right now are Isaac and Gordon, it is tough to say exactly what type of team they should be looking to build. Right now, the Magic are still in asset-collection mode and should be looking to add young, athletic players that can provide versatility in the rotation. If the Magic re-sign Aaron Gordon this summer they will have a clearer picture on how to approach the building of this team with Gordon, Isaac and their lottery pick as the cornerstones going forward.

Treadway: Well it has pretty well been stated that Gordon and Isaac are off the market meaning they are the future going forward. I believe Wesley Iwundu and Khem Birch have shown/done enough this year between G-League and NBA play to also be part of the picture moving forward. With that in mind, the biggest need still for the Magic is a pure scorer. No one in my mind that has been hinted as “available” in trades really fits that mold so ideally they will be waiting for the draft to pick up that person. Some help on the interior defense would be a plus for the Magic as well. It will be easier to see the direction of the team after the draft and free agency this offseason.

Rossman-Reich: Echoing what others have said, I think that question is really hard to answer (which is a cop out, since I wrote all these questions). There is really not the contours of a defined identity with this group yet. If I could guess, just based on Jonathon Simmons and Jonathan Isaac, the team wants versatile defenders to anchor the team. They want to be something like the Milwaukee Bucks who can switch and trap everywhere on the floor. The versatility works on offense too. But you can only see the outlines of that team right now. Everything is still really blurry.

Next: Rumors: Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja on the block

What do you think about the NBA trade deadline? Give us your answers to our questions and join the roundtable in the comments below.