Terrence Ross is at the center of Orlando Magic’s trade deadline quandary

The Orlando Magic have a lot to weigh as the trade deadline approaches. One of those will surely be the copious amount of offers coming for Terrence Ross.

The Orlando Magic have been one of the quiet surprises in the NBA this year. Quiet only because the Eastern Conference sometimes feels like a race to the bottom.

Take last night, for example, the San Antonio Spurs waxed the Orlando Magic by 39 points and are sitting two games above .500, but are eighth in the Western Conference. The Magic, by comparison, are two games under .500 and also eighth in the Eastern Conference.

That dichotomy also should show the precarious position the Magic are in.

Orlando by the standings is in the Playoff hunt. And fully in it. They are sitting in the pole position even as the Brooklyn Nets come charging hard behind them.

By the statistics, the Magic are 24th in the league in net rating. It would be hard to make the Playoffs with a net rating so low. Especially with the offense ranking in the bottom five of the league.

They have a lot to be satisfied with through 30 games, even if there is still a lot to improve upon. For a middling and growing team trying to make the Playoffs for the first time in six years, being in the hunt is a minor victory.

Not a whole victory. The Magic want to be in things for the long haul. And there is still a very long way to go.

But they will do this all the while trying to keep an eye on their long-term future. The Magic are still a developing team with young players and have an odd balance to make the Playoffs while keeping that future in focus.

That will put the team squarely in the crosshairs as the Feb. 7 trade deadline approaches. The team is not likely to hurt its Playoff positioning in a trade, but it also has to consider what it will do with and how much they will pay for players like Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross.

Nikola Vucevic is having a breakout season and could be in line for an All-Star berth. He is probably the best player on the team so far and integral to its success. It would cost a lot for any team to acquire him in a trade. Especially if the Magic remain in the Playoff hunt.

And with Mohamed Bamba looking like he will need plenty more time, there is a better-than-expected chance the Magic will look to re-sign Nikola Vucevic this summer. For how long and to what amount is the question.

Terrence Ross? He seems like another matter.

Ross has bounced back strong from missing almost the entire season last year. He is putting up career numbers off the bench for the Magic, averaging 13.9 points per game on a 54.5 percent effective field goal percentage. Both are career highs.

His play off the bench has been vital to the team’s success this year and he is a fan favorite. Ross has a ton of value with his quick shotmaking ability and work off the glass, not to mention his defensive savvy and selfless play on the floor.

He has a manageable salary and probably will not get much more in the market this offseason. Finding quality role players like Ross is a boon for any team.

And it appears he is one of the players that teams will chase after most as this trade market develops. What the Magic end up doing at the trade market likely depends on what they choose to do with Ross.

Marc Stein of The New York Times writes from the G-League Showcase in Las Vegas that Ross is the player generating the most interest within the Magic. But the Magic would prefer to trade Jonathon Simmons instead.

Indeed, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports the Los Angeles Lakers have expressed some interest already. The Lakers are likely looking for more reliable shooting to surround LeBron James and company. Outside of asking for Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball (their salaries do not match Terrence Ross’), it is hard to see a deal coming together without that kind of young, long-term asset who can already contribute something this year.

Again, the Magic would only make a deal here if it helps both the long-term outlook for the team and the short-term Playoff hunt. Trading away a key player like Ross or Vucevic does not accomplish that goal.

And that is why it makes more sense the Magic are shopping around Jonathon Simmons instead.

Simmons has had some struggles this year, averaging 7.3 points per game on a 39.8 percent effective field goal percentage. He has upped his defense after struggling a bit in his larger role last year. But undoubtedly, the Magic have not gotten everything they have wanted from Simmons.

Simmons comes with an added benefit to some teams too. He has one year left on his deal, but only $1 million of the $6 million he is owed is guaranteed. He is not an expiring contract (like Ross is), but he can easily get cut and give a team a little more cap room next summer. Maybe that is not so valuable in a summer where just about every team will have loads of cap room.

Orlando Magic

Simmons at least has shown enough promise and skill to be a main-level rotation player, even if his shot still has not quite come around.

It is easy to see why teams might have more interest in Ross than Simmons. And whether the Magic will budge on Ross likely determines the kind of return they will get. Their motivation to deal likely depends on their record and where they might sit in the Playoff race.

At this stage of the season, it is still far too early to look at the trade market too deeply. Teams likely are still exploring what is out there and evaluating their needs. Things in the league can change quickly and no team is going to disrupt what might be considered moderate success to search for greener pastures.

Certainly not the Magic.

As Stein notes in his newsletter, 14 of the 15 teams in the Western Conference still believe they can make the Playoffs — four games separate No. 3 from No. 14 in the standings. There are a lot of buyers on the market right now. The Magic certainly know that feeling in the midst of their own Playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference, where 4.5 games separate sixth from 11th.

And so the market is still developing. The Magic, most of all, are likely still considering what they want and how they want to set themselves up for this offseason. That almost certainly includes some discussion of what they will do with Vucevic when he hits free agency. And also Ross.

There is a lot to consider. And how the Magic play from now until the Feb. 7 trade deadline will certainly move the needle in one direction or another.

For now, the Magic clearly know there is a market for several of their players. And the discussions will undoubtedly continue for the next month and a half as the games go on.

And undoubtedly this is not the last we will hear of Ross in those trade discussions.