The unofficial trade market opened December 15. The Orlando Magic may look to make a move for a point guard before the February 7 deadline.
The Orlando Magic are off to a better-than-expected start to their 2019 season.
Despite having a slightly losing record at 14-15, the Orlando Magic currently sit in a tie for seventh with the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference. For a team that featured a lot of the same cast that won just 25 games last year, it is quite the leap forward.
And, according to ESPN, the Magic have played the 10th hardest schedule in the league so far. All things considered, Orlando is right where it wants to be with the chance to continue improving and growing with a run of home games to end December.
First-year coach Steve Clifford has instilled a work ethic and drive in this group of players that previous coaches have failed to do. The Magic have reason to believe they can take advantage of this stretch of the schedule.
While Orlando seems much improved under Clifford’s tutelage, their season has had its ups and downs. Orlando lost six of its first eight, won seven of its next nine and then lost seven of the next 10. That gets the team to its current win streak. It feels like the Magic have seen feast or famine.
As the season draws on, the Magic will be looking for more consistency to make a push for the playoffs.
December 15 marked the unofficial opening of the NBA trade season as players signed during the offseason were now trade eligible. All of a sudden, the Magic find themselves in a position to make a move to improve the team more immediately.
Either way, they could focus on the point guard position as a means to improving their short- and long-term outlook.
While D.J. Augustin has been outstanding this year, some argue he may still be better suited as a backup.
Entering the open trading season the Magic should not necessarily look for an immediate replacement for D.J. Augustin. Rather, they should look to shoring up the position’s depth.
The experiment with current backup Jerian Grant has not panned out as the front office had hoped. Orlando should look to target a young player Augustin could mentor as his backup, but also perhaps as a one-day point guard of the future.
There should be plenty of point guard options available to them if they fish through the market.
Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia 76ers
Markelle Fultz‘s name has seemed to always be in the news since he became the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
It has been a wild ride for the 20-year-old guard. But he recently found some closure after being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. The only other players in NBA history to have been diagnosed with the syndrome are Ben Uzoh and Landry Fields, whose careers fell off preemptively.
But those players were a bit older than Fultz. And none of those players have the potential within Fultz.
The early identification of the syndrome could bode well for Fultz’s future.
While his on the court numbers have not been outstanding — 8.2 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game in just 19 games — Fultz has shown flashes of his superstar potential.
In fact, in the final game of the Philadelphia 76ers 2018 season, he recorded a triple-double against the Milwaukee Bucks with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Dave Early of Liberty Ballers reported earlier this week the Magic have expressed interest in the trouble point guard. The 76ers are likely still seeking a pretty steep price to acquire him. There remains hope he can fulfill his potential in Philadelphia.
But the Magic and Fultz just may be a perfect fit for one another.
Fultz would get a fresh start with a small market yet play with a competitive team. He also would not be expected to contribute immediately. Orlando would get a young point guard with tremendous potential that could initially serve as a backup who can grow into a starter.
Frank Ntilikina, New York Knicks
Similar to Markelle Fultz, Frank Ntilikina has struggled in his first two years as a pro. His struggles are far less documented, and more play-focused than anything.
In the 2018 season, the 20-year-old averaged a mere 5.9 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. But the New York Knicks point guard still has some massive upside. It feels like Ntilikina just has not had the opportunity to show what he can truly do as a pro in New York.
The Knicks seem to be messing around a bit with his minutes. Ntilikina has averaged 22.4 minutes per game this year but has seen games where he played 30-plus minutes as likely as he has played fewer than 15.
Standing at 6-feet-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he definitely fits the mold of an ideal Jeff Weltman–John Hammond point guard. Ntilikina has defensive potential unmatched by any other young guard in the league. His size and quickness allows him to be an effective multiple-position defender.
Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported back in late November that the Magic had also expressed interest in trading for Ntilikina. Orlando certainly seems to be fishing for a point guard somewhere in their early trade discussions.
The Knicks may be willing to part ways with the young guard for expiring contracts so they can make a push for a superstar like Kevin Durant in next year’s free agency. But it is not clear what New York is trying to do.
Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics
Unlike the two previous point guards, Terry Rozier would be ready to play right away and likely would demand a starter’s role.
The 24-year-old showed the world what he is capable of during last year’s playoff run with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 16.5 points per game and 5.7 assists per game during that Playoff run, shooting a 50.2 percent effective field goal percentage.
But since Kyrie Irving‘s return this year, Terry Rozier has been relegated to a backup role. His minutes are down from 25.9 per game last year (and 36.6 per game in the Playoffs) to 23.3 per game this year.
Rozier does not seem too happy as just a backup anymore after his brief dance with starting last year. And his restricted free agency looms large for a Celtics team that has to re-sign Kyrie Irving and Al Horford while keeping the rest of its young roster intact.
Someone will get left out of the rotation.
It was speculated earlier in the year that Rozier had demanded a trade from the Celtics to a team where he could find himself in a starting role. If this demand was true, and the Celtics were willing to part ways with him, Orlando could make sense as a destination.
Rozier would quickly assert himself as the starting point guard on a team in playoff contention. What he brings to the table would put the Magic in an excellent position to make some noise in the playoffs immediately.
The downfall to a Rozier to Orlando trade is his impending free agency. He would become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, meaning there is no guarantee he would stay in Orlando, or if he did stay he may also be asking for a big payday.
Dennis Smith, Jr., Dallas Mavericks
Dennis Smith, Jr. was talked about as being the Orlando Magic’s potential draft pick in 2017.
As we all know, the Magic took Jonathan Isaac instead. It feels like the Magic are happy with the pick, but plenty of fans saw what Smith did his rookie year and can do and wished they still had the chance to take the scoring guard.
Smith had a very solid rookie year with the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 15.2 points per game, 5.2 assists per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. Those are some strong numbers and Smith took advantage of the playing time Dallas was able to give him.
Despite his performance last year, there are already questions rising about Smith and his ability to play alongside Luka Doncic. His slow start to this year — both with injury and his scoring down to 13.0 points per game despite improved shooting percentages. Smith has seen his assists drop and turnovers rise while he continues to struggle on defense.
With Doncic being the clear future of the Mavericks franchise, Dallas might want to clear the backcourt blockage by moving Smith. It still feels a bit too early for this despite Dallas’ playoff ambitions. The Mavericks are one of the surprising teams in the league and have plenty of youth to develop.
There is no knowing what Dallas’s asking price for Smith will be, but the Magic could come away with a steal if he is on the table.
Orlando will surely have its eyes on other guards too as the trade market develops. For now, it feels like the team is looking to buy and not looking to move off its expiring contracts — like Nikola Vucevic or Terrence Ross.
At least while the team is still in the Playoff hunt.