The trade deadline is approaching and the Orlando Magic appear to have continued their interest in pursuing a point guard on the market.
It is no secret around the league the Orlando Magic need a point guard.
As admirable as D.J. Augustin has played, not even the Magic could probably admit to themselves he is a long-term solution to the team’s point guard problems. It is no surprise that much of the Magic’s trade deadline focus — whether they are buying or selling — has centered on the point guard position.
From the moment rumors started circulating, the Magic have been connected to various point guards from Frank Ntilikina, D’Angelo Russell, Terry Rozier and Dennis Smith. Last week’s rumors stating the Magic had some discussions with the Dallas Mavericks over Smith seemed to increase the intensity of the Orlando Magic’s search overall.
So too does the team’s slip down the standings and to the fringes of the Eastern Conference Playoff race.
There is some urgency to make a trade. But it seems the Magic are only focused on finding their point guard of the future. They are not going to sacrifice their future it seems for a veteran to stabilize the current team.
And that seems to be the case looking at the latest round of point guards the Magic are connected to.
The biggest name the Magic have been connected to is Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier.
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns have “chased” Rozier as he prepares to enter restricted free agency. That is no surprise.
Terry Rozier is seen as one of the more gettable players in restricted free agency with Kyrie Irving likely to re-sign. Although he will surely come with a big price tag.
Rozier has struggled this year returning to a bench role after thriving in the Playoffs last year. He is averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists per game. But in the five games that he has started this year, he is averaging 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. That certainly suggests he thrives better in a starting role.
Rozier will be a restricted free agent this summer giving whoever holds his rights at the end of the season the ability to match any offer he receives in free agency. It certainly is a dilemma for any team trying to acquire him. They will have to understand how much they want to spend before making a move.
Rozier is hardly the only option, although he might be the most promising available.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports the Magic and Suns have also both put inquiries in Ntilkina, confirming reports from earlier in the season. More interestingly, it seems the New York Knicks are shopping Ntilikina around.
"Despite the Knicks’ clear lack of confidence in Ntilikina, teams have inquired about the 20-year-old, with the Magic and Suns expressing interest, according to a source. And this is where it gets interesting. There seems to be a debate within the Knicks on whether to deal Ntilikina. He was drafted by Mills and has supporters in the front office. But, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, Perry, who took the job after Ntilikina was drafted, recently approached the Atlanta Hawks to gauge whether the team was interested in dealing for the guard (Hawks have Trae Young and weren’t interested)."
Ntilkina is in one of the more frustrating and intriguing positions in the league.
The second-year player showed a lot of promise last year when he was able to get playing time, averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. He struggled with his shot, but his defensive length and potential were clear to see.
He has not gotten any increase in minutes and has found himself bouncing in and out of the rotation. Ntilkina has certainly lost some confidence and his numbers have suffered for it — 6.0 points per game, 2.6 assists per game and a 40.7 percent effective field goal percentage.
Ntilkina is a realistic buy-low candidate for the magic to grow and develop. He certainly seems to fit the Magic’s preferred physical profile with his length and defensive acumen and potential.
The Magic will be connected to plenty of other names too. There are still two and a half weeks before the trade deadline. And the Magic are surely still formulating which direction they want to go.
Their search for a point guard is clear. And they seem only to be interested in bringing in players that will help their long-term vision at the position.