Orlando Magic Rumors: Tension between present and future may hamper a deal

The Orlando Magic need some work with their roster and a bit of an overhaul. The tension between the desire to win now and the future could slow a deal.

The NBA trade deadline is coming this Thursday. There is always a bit of tension surrounding this date, of course.

Players are a bit uncertain where they might end up and a team’s futures can get upended in a snap. The season will turn for several teams as they decide whether to sell off assets for future gain or try to bring in that last piece to make a Playoff push.

The deadline has already seen fireworks with Anthony Davis‘ public trade demand from the New Orleans Pelicans and Kristaps Porzingis heading from the New York Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks in a shocking and sudden move. Most deals feel sudden as most things happen behind closed doors.

The Orlando Magic’s trade position has been hard to figure for most.

The team is hovering just outside the Playoff race — four games behind the Miami Heat for the final Playoff spot at 21-31 — and there is a desperation to reach the postseason from a franchise that has been at the bottom of the standings for so long.

And that is exactly what the tension is for the Magic at this point of the season.

There is a desire for the team to make the Playoffs that is real and undeniable. It is an essential part of changing the Magic’s overall culture and making winning the norm. But there is also an overarching rebuild (relatively) new president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond are working on. That process is in year two.

The question then becomes just how much are the Magic willing to sacrifice to stick to that plan or how much are the Magic willing to sacrifice their plan to stick to the Playoff race? Both paths carry considerable risk — both for the current team and the future. That will make decisions at the trade deadline extremely difficult.

Zach Lowe of ESPN reports this tension does exist within the Magic. And teams still have a hard time pegging down what the Magic are trying to accomplish at this year’s deadline.

Coach Steve Clifford, of course, wants to see the team realize its Playoff potential and continue to push forward for wins. As do several executives and front office staff who predate the current management.

All the while, it remains unlikely the Magic’s main front office will do anything to sacrifice their future just to make the eighth seed. They are keeping the long-term vision for the team in mind.

They are walking a narrow path to make a deal — finding a deal that benefits the team in the short-term to help the team this year while also boosting the team’s long-term prospects. That is not an easy line to walk. As always, to get something valuable, you have to give up something valuable.

Still, as the trade deadline nears, the action and discussions are likely to heat up. Deadlines create pressure to move.

Terrence Ross is probably one of the hotter names on the market because of his ability to score points in a hurry and willingness to come off the bench. But the return is fairly uncertain at this point. Lowe projects the potential he could net Markelle Fultz and a lower-tier first round pick, but it is hard to imagine much else. And it is hard to imagine what the Philadelphia 76ers actually want for Fultz.

Nikola Vucevic, now a NBA All-Star, will not net much in return as a value proposition it seems. And with Mohamed Bamba still developing, the Magic may be more inclined to keep him past the deadline and perhaps re-sign him in the summer.

There are some suggestions his desire to stay in Orlando might help the team bring him back on a discount.

At some point, the Magic certainly have to make a move. But the urgency to make that move at this year’s trade deadline seems low despite the potential of losing two key players in unrestricted free agency this summer.

Orlando has fished around for some bigger deals.

Orlando Magic Daily can confirm the Magic discussed a deal involving former Mavericks guard Dennis Smith. There were some discussions that included Mohamed Bamba, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported on a podcast earlier this week. But those ultimately went nowhere and the Mavericks’ asking price for Smith was too high.

It seems like the Magic are not averse to discussing deals involving several of their biggest players, but they are not going to make a deal unless it is for a proven star that will make a clear and immediate impact on winning.

Those deals do not appear to be coming down the pike. Weltman and Hammond have stated repeatedly they will be patient and look for deals that will help the team’s long-term outlook. Doing a splashy “win-now” move would work counter to that.

There has been considerable buzz too it seems on trying to pry Aaron Gordon free from the Magic.

Aside from The Ringer’s speculative and hypothetical Aaron Gordon for CJ McCollum trade, there is some real thought the Magic could move on from Aaron Gordon sooner than later. The Portland Trail Blazers would never do that deal, but Gordon’s contract was designed to be traded at some point. And there is still little proof Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac can play together in the long term.

It all seems unlikely the Magic will make those major conclusions or decisions involving the team’s key players now. They are still in a rebuilding mindset even with the team’s moderate success. And there are certainly some difficult decisions ahead this summer to shape the franchise.

There is increasingly less time before the trade deadline now. It is time for front offices to get serious about their goals and desires and execute their plans to make them happen.

The Magic remains at a difficult spot. They are close enough to the Playoffs to be looking for ways to boost the team, but still cognizant of the bigger picture and not willing to give that up to get into the Playoffs.

How the Magic resolve that tension likely will determine what they do this week and how they set the table for what could be a busy summer.