The trade market is not quite open yet. But the Orlando Magic reportedly have expressed interest in second-year guard Frank Ntilikina.
The Orlando Magic are off to a surprising 10-12 start. But they are far from a finished product. Everyone knows that with this team. It is a young group growing and still learning to win but with clear and obvious flaws. The Magic are doing the best they can and continuing to grow.
It still does not take long for anyone to think about the big picture and what comes next for Orlando. This is largely a transition year as Jeff Weltman continues to bring his vision to light and the team lays the foundation with a new coach and several young players getting their first real exposure.
Fans are quick to point to the team’s shortcomings at point guard. D.J. Augustin has been fantastic, but still likely projects better as a reserve. And Jerian Grant has struggled to perform.
The trade market is set to open in December counting down to the February trade deadline and the Magic certainly have a lot to weigh when it comes to what their trade strategy will be. Certainly they will look to add pieces that will help them more for the long term. But they are not likely to sacrifice their Playoff chances to do so.
Orlando certainly will do its homework and fish around the league for opportunities. Most fans have pointed to the Philadelphia 76ers and begun speculating whether the team might chase after injured and struggling former top overall pick Markelle Fultz.
This might be a little bit more red meat.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports the Orlando Magic are among the teams that have inquired about second-year point guard Frank Ntilikina of the New York Knicks.
Despite Frank Ntilikina's difficulties lately there's interest in him NBA-wide. The Magic have shown interest in the 20-year-old, according to a league source, with a scout in Philadelphia last night watching him. “He’s intriguing,” a different scout said.https://t.co/FhjjCml8C7
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) November 29, 2018
As Vorkunov details, the Knicks are not just struggling on the court — 7-16 so far this season — but coach David Fizdale has been changing his rotations regularly. That includes benching several of the Knicks’ key young players early on in the season.
Ntilikina is averaging 5.9 points per game on a lowly 39.2 percent effective field goal percentage. He has started 14 games and averaged 23.1 minutes per game this season. But he has played fewer than 15 minutes in his last four games.
Ntilikina has long been seen as a key player for the Knicks future — along with rookie Kevin Knox and the injured Kristaps Porzingis. But the Knicks are not giving him a ton of free minutes. It is unclear what they think about him.
The wrap on Ntilikina entering the draft two years ago was that he was a physically imposing guard. Someone with a long wingspan and defensive instincts. He still needed to develop his offensive game and shooting. He showed some progress with that last year, but the young guard had a long way to go.
A lot of that assessment remains true. Consistency has certainly been lacking.
And, of course, the Magic’s general obsession with length and versatility would put Ntilikina in their crosshairs. He was likely a darkhorse selection in the draft two years ago if Jonathan Isaac were not otherwise available.
It still feels very unrealistic the Knicks would trade away such a talented player on a rookie contract at this stage of their development. It never feels like New York is in a full rebuild. But under Scott Perry, the team seems willing to show some patience.
Regardless of any of that, the appearance of this rumor likely suggests Orlando is going to fish around for point guards. The team will likely target young guards like Ntilikina — and, if he becomes available, possibly Fultz. This is the kind of deal the Magic want to pursue it feels — someone who will help the long-term future of the team.
The bigger question is what will the Magic be willing to give up? For a rookie contract like Frank Ntilikina, a non-guaranteed deal like Jonathon Simmons is probably a start. But New York might want to dump some long-term salary for another starter to move Ntilikina.
At this stage, it seems the Magic are merely inquiring. It does not seem like the Knicks have any serious interest in trading Ntilikina to begin with.
The trade market is not quite open yet — outside of players like Kyle Korver who had already requested trades. That will open up more on Dec. 15 when players who signed new contracts are eligible to get traded.
The Magic are likely to make actions like these and fish around for deals. If this report is true, they are at least doing their homework and keeping their eyes on the big picture rather than short-term glory.