Devising Orlando Magic’s offseason trade strategy
By Ryan Doyle
The Orlando Magic will likely focus on making trades to transform their roster into a winner. Hera is how the Magic should dive into the trade market.
The NBA offseason has officially begun with the NBA Lottery reveal this past Tuesday. The Orlando Magic will have the sixth pick and the selection will pave the way for how the front office will attack this summer.
Orlando sits with a tough situation in terms of the salary cap. The team will have to focus on internal development, bargain contracts and largely the trade market to revamp a team that finished with a 25-57 record last season. This after a 29-win season with largely the same group.
The Magic were not lucky enough to snag a top-three pick in the Lottery. But they landed with the sixth pick, the most likely scenario for the club. This will allow president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond to draft another foundational piece as they build toward their new vision.
Even with another top-10 pick, it will be a tough task for Weltmann to right the ship this offseason. If the Magic want to take more steps to return to the playoffs and flip over their roster, the trade market will be there best bet this bet.
The Magic do not have much cap room. Bismack Biyombo and Evan Fournier are taking a large chunk of the cap ($17 million each). Aaron Gordon is due big bucks as he enters restricted free agency (and has a $16 million cap hold until he does).
Orlando has a few assets that other organizations could see as valuable pieces to a playoff team. From veterans like Jonathon Simmons to reliable starters like Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, Orlando has pieces to make a deal work.
The Magic will mold their roster toward the new front office’s vision.
Last year’s team was largely players from general manager Rob Hennigan’s era, but that may change in 2018. Some players will be around for another season or two, but Weltman will get his guys now.
The 2018 season was an audition of sorts. Orlando’s roster was put to the test to see who is worth keeping around for the long run. And to see just how close, or far away this roster really is.
Still, the organization has to take baby steps. The team will likely bring back Aaron Gordon, and build around 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Isaac and the pick they make in June.
Those three will not equate to a playoff run in 2019, but Orlando can start to put pieces around the youth that work well. Or move on from players that don’t work with the plan.
With the trade market as a serious option for the rebuilding Magic, Weltman and company need a sound strategy to have a successful offseason.
The trade winds will be strong in Central Florida during the summer. Now entering their second offseason, the new Magic front office will be looking to make an impact. Reliable veterans and players who have spent nearly their entire careers in the lottery with Orlando may find themselves in a new city by October.
The start of this strategy will depend on Draft day.
Odds are the Magic will stay put and select a player with the sixth overall pick. The team does not have a star to trade and their future picks are too valuable to move up with their uncertain future and development timeline.
In terms of moving back, the Magic are not a piece or two away from contention. Teams offering fringe All-Stars should not entice Orlando. The team cannot repeat the Serge Ibaka disaster and give up a young asset for an established player. Unless a team is willing to give up a lottery pick and future picks, it does not make sense for Orlando to throw away a top ten pick.
So Orlando will have another top-tier rookie to go along with Aaron Gordon, and Jonathan Isaac. From there, the rest of the roster should be fair game. Veterans being paid over market value like Bismack Biyombo and D.J. Augustin will not get teams to bite, but affordable pieces might.
In particular, Nikola Vucevic. His name will be in the rumor mill all summer. A career 15-and-10 type player, Vucevic could bring a legitimate interior offensive presence for a contender.
Vucevic is on an expiring deal and has a team-friendly deal with a salary of $12.75 million coming his way.
In all likelihood, Orlando will not see the benefit from trading Vucevic next season. The Magic will have a tough time replacing his production, but moving on from him makes sense in the long term. His defensive inefficiencies are highlighted with a subpar Magic team.
In terms of what Orlando will get for a return, fans should not expect a massive haul. A future first-round pick might be the dream or a young player with potential who has not gotten the opportunity.
Orlando Magic
Orlando’s offseason could center around this move. It will indicate a transition from the failed rebuild, to the newest attempt.
Another name who will be a popular trade chip is Evan Fournier. The 25-year-old is locked in with the Magic until 2021. But the Magic could free up much-needed cap space or find a different fit by moving him.
Fournier would fit into a contender as a reliable scorer and outside shooting threat who can hold his own defensively. His contract may cause some capped out franchises to shy away. But if a team is willing, Fournier could be a premiere third option. Someone who can produce immediately and add benefit to a winning team in a smaller role than he has to play in Orlando.
For Orlando, it is imperative they continue to find pieces to build around their recent Draft picks. This season is not the time to add an All-Star like Isaiah Thomas or push in future assets for that near-All-Star player.
This is an offseason to surround Isaac and company with players that fit their skillsets. And begin building the future.
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Everyone senses the team will have to flip over its core and take a different path than the last six years. To do that, it will take some smart decisions and a careful survey of the trade market.