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Orlando Magic Rumors: Orlando Magic may be a third party for a trade for Kawhi Leonard, Lonzo Ball

By Spencer R. Henderson

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 7: D.J. Augustin #14 of the Orlando Magic fakes a shot during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at STAPLES Center on March 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 7: D.J. Augustin #14 of the Orlando Magic fakes a shot during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at STAPLES Center on March 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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As trade talks heat up around the league, the Orlando Magic may have found another opportunity to gain attention and potentially gain the first piece to transform the roster into a winning roster.

The Orlando Magic find themselves in a peculiar situation.

While most fans in Central Florida are sick and tired of being on the outside of the Playoffs, some pundits think they have a chance to start back gaining credibility. That credibility starts and ends with who the Magic are willing to trade and what changes they are willing to make.

With teams around the league wheeling and dealing before free agency starts this weekend, the Magic could find a way to get involved.

That might include with one of the biggest deals out there.

It is no secret at this point San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is looking for a way out. And it is not so much a secret that he wants to end up with the Los Angeles Lakers. It is here where there is now some suggestion the Magic could play a role and extract a valuable asset too.

Fox Sports Radio talent, Jason McIntyre tweeted this morning the Magic may be a major player in the trade talks between the Spurs and Lakers for Leonard, helping facilitate the deal as a third team.

This may not quite explain why the Magic were listed with the third-best odds to acquire Leonard in a recent tweet from BetDSI. But it is the kind of thing the Magic could do to help get off some of their bad salaries to mix up their roster. Maybe they can add a key young player in the process.

Nikola Vucevic has been on the trade block ever since the Magic signed Bismack Biyombo to a 4-year, $72-million deal. Maybe even before that. But the organization kept him because of his continued growth as a player and his overall production for the team. Bismack Biyombo has not quite panned out and Nikola Vucevic remained one of the best players on the team.

But Vucevic seems to be on the decline (since the 2015 season when he averaged 19.2 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game) as a player ever since that acquisition. Maybe he just never quite felt comfortable with Biyombo’s presence.

At first glance one’s thought may be who would want any player on the Magic besides Jonathan Isaac or Aaron Gordon?

Those two expiring contracts from Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross do help the Magic theoretically. But do the Spurs or Lakers really want a declining Nikola Vucevic and a role player like Terrence Ross?

The reality might be simpler that the Lakers and Spurs need those players to make salaries match and make the trade package more attractive. Orlando might be in a position where they are willing to take on a bad, undesirable salary like Luol Deng (two years, $36.8 million remaining) or Pau Gasol (two years, $32 million remaining) to make the deal work.

If the magic could extract a player like Lonzo Ball as their reward for doing so? Then it might be worth it.

If they do that is clearly a win-win situation for Orlando. Adding Lonzo Ball (who is struggling to find his shot in the NBA) to a roster short of any shooters besides Evan Fournier may not be the best situation for a potential star’s growth at point guard, just ask Elfrid Payton. But Ball still has a ton of upside and can continue growing.

The Lakers did not take him second overall last year for nothing. And even though he averaged only 10.2 points per game on an icy 44.2 percent effective field goal percentage, Ball was still a capable playmaker with 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game.

The upside is there may not be one player on Orlando’s roster as good as Lonzo Ball. And at the very least, Ball would give the organization some attention and buzz. Even if some of it is generated from Lonzo’s father.

While most critics understand the Magic have not had a bona fide star since Dwight Howard, there seems to be an opportunity to gain a potential star entering his second year in the NBA if this is a deal on the table. It at least gives the Magic another interesting young player to add to their growing core. Not to mention another big and long point guard, even if Ball is not exactly known for his defense.

The Magic have a clear need at point guard. And they have struggled to find the right fit at that position for a very long time. The team has not had a guard average at least 7.0 assists per game since Jameer Nelson and he was in his ninth season. Lonzo Ball averaged that in his rookie year.

Some media members believe that if Lonzo Ball had a jumper — he shot just 30.5 percent on 3-pointers — then he could be as good as Anfernee Hardaway. And most people remember Hardaway as one of the best point guards of his era.

Next: Orlando Magic Rumors: Aaron Gordon hopes to stay in Orlando

As the Lakers and Spurs continue to negotiate this blockbuster trade — and the Lakers go all in on free agency to return to title contention — the Magic are clearly sniffing around for an opportunity to add a promising young player and make their future look a little bit brighter.