Orlando Magic Rumors: Orlando Magic discussing contract with Isaiah Thomas

The Orlando Magic need a point guard and scoring punch. They appear to be looking to do that, reportedly discussing a deal with Isaiah Thomas.

The Orlando Magic are desperate for a bit of star power for their roster. Draft after draft has failed to deliver the team a player with clear star potential. And the team is in its longest drought without an All-Star in franchise history.

In fact, Orlando has not had a player on the roster that was even a former All-Star since Dwight Howard left in 2012. Victor Oladipo became an All-Star after he left Orlando making it to the showcase last year in his first year with the Indiana Pacers.

There were close calls — Arron Afflalo in 2013 and Nikola Vucevic in 2014. But the team was out of the Playoff race by the time the game came around and it is hard to put a player from such a poor team in the showcase exhibition game.

With Aaron Gordon seemingly on the cusp of stardom with his new contract and Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba still developing, it did not seem the Magic were quite ready to get onto the star stage. It seemed like the Magic might be content to rebuild, hoping someone bursts onto the scene. Playoff talk was more of an aspirational goal.

Those Playoff dreams could get a boost though if the Magic’s reported foray into free agency comes to pass. Orlando’s season may take on a wholly new outlook.

Keith Smith of RealGM reported the Magic were having contract negotiations with former All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas. Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype confirmed the mutual interest.

It seems like the question is how much of the mid-level exception the Magic will give to Thomas. Orlando will be over the cap after re-signing Aaron Gordon to a four-year, $84-million deal. That leaves them only the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to use to acquire new players. That totals at $8.6 million and they can use it on one player or split it among several players.

Orlando has a clear need at point guard with just D.J. Augustin on the roster to fill that position. While D.J. Augustin had a strong year last season, he is not considered a starting-caliber player.

Adding a player of Thomas’ caliber and potential would certainly seem to kick things up a notch for the Magic. But it is no sure home run or surefire path to the Playoffs for this struggling Magic franchise.

Thomas had a difficult 2018 season, averaging 15.2 points per game on a horrid 43.8 percent effective field goal percentage. He shot worse than 40 percent from the field overall. He averaged only 4.8 assists per game, his worst since his failed season with the Phoenix Suns.

Thomas was dealing with a hip injury that dated back to his breakout 2017 season with the Boston Celtics. He did not play until early January after the Boston Celtics traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He never really meshed with the Cavaliers and LeBron James there either as he tried to get himself healthy.

A trade to the Los Angeles Lakers before the trade deadline did not help matters too much, although he slowly found his footing. In 17 games in Los Angeles, he averaged 15.6 points per game and 5.0 assists per game while shooting a 45.6 percent effective field goal percentage.

The Lakers renounced Thomas’ free agency rights to chase after James.

Still, Thomas has the potential to get back to his All-Star form. In 2017, he averaged 28.9 points per game and a 54.6 percent effective field goal percentage. He was the driving force to the Celtics making the Eastern Conference Finals.

The 29-year-old, 5-foot-9 guard may have some questions about his durability moving forward. He is an older player than much of the Magic’s core. But he would undoubtedly give the team a scoring force the team has lacked.

Orlando does not have a primary driver or creator on the roster at the moment. Adding Thomas would bring another high-usage player to the team, but also someone who would create space for the other players on the roster and could space the floor as a reliable 3-point shooter.  He might well put players like Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon in roles where they could flourish even more.

And Thomas, as a primary creator, is someone who could close games and create offense when things break down. The Magic have lacked a perimeter player who could do that since at least Jameer Nelson in 2009 and maybe even dating back to Steve Francis in 2005. Orlando has not had a guard score more than 20 points per game since Francis.

It is a bit of a calculated risk to bring him into this group. But on a one-year deal — a prove-it year for Thomas to show the league he is healthy and able to star again — the risk is low for a team that is still looking to develop several young players. With length behind Isaiah Thomas in Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Mohamed Bamba, it is entirely possible they could cover for his defensive weaknesses too.

Next: Who should the Orlando Magic target with the MLE

At the moment, there are still finer points to the deal (salary most of all) to work out. But no one could claim the Magic are sitting free agency out and not looking for ways to improve the team in potentially dramatic ways.