Orlando Magic could gain from being third team in a bigger deal

The Orlando Magic should use the Anthony Davis trade demand as a way to acquire a point guard as a third team in the deal.

The Orlando Magic started off the season strong but now sit at 22-32 with only a few days before the trade deadline. If the Magic want to make something of this season and build for the future, they have to do something.

Is this team still a Playoff team? The team is just four games back of the final Playoff spot but the team has not made any major moves to climb back into the race.

If this is not a Playoff team then how do the Magic build for the future?

Running the same team back next year or locking into long-term contracts is not likely to change the team’s future or outcome. There are young players the Magic surely want to filter in and president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman surely wants to put his imprint on the team.

No matter how well the team might be playing this year, it is clear it still needs changes.

If so, a potential deal headlined with Nikola Vucevic, Orlando’s best trade chip, has been on the minds of the Magic’s executives for quite some time. Could this be an opportunity to cash in?

If the Magic do cash in, do they get their point guard of the future they have been desperately looking for since Jameer Nelson? What kind of future would the Magic set up with that move?

If the Magic opt to stay in the Playoff race and push forward with the team as currently constructed, how can the Magic get better? Finding that point guard has clearly been a top priority for the team. Orlando has been connected by rumors to almost every major guard that has entered the market.

The Magic will need to answer these and many more questions as the trade deadline is closer than ever. Will the Magic deal Nikola Vucevic or Terrence Ross before Feb. 7? Do they have something else in mind?

The Magic have improved this year but has never made the Playoffs with Vucevic as their number one option on the offensive side of the ball.

To make the team better, the Magic certainly will have to get creative.

If the Magic decide to keep this roster largely intact, they will have to be smart finding ways to improve it and give it a good shot at making the Playoffs while still setting things up for their future.

There is plenty else going on around the league though and there are plenty of opportunities for the Magic to try to find that necessary piece.

When it comes to the trade deadline, the league’s obsessions has centered on New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis and his recent trade demand. Davis has reportedly told the New Orleans Pelicans he would only sign long-term with the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks. Davis is trying to limit where New Orleans trades him.

The Lakers have been at the center of most of the trade discussions so far with lots of media reporting about their offers to the Pelicans and the Pelicans’ reluctance to deal Davis without receiving a treasure trove of assets. The two teams appear to have reached an impasse as the Pelicans try to extract as much value as they can.

Many pundits believe Davis will eventually become a Laker. But getting him there might very well require a third team.

That third team could be the Magic.

The Magic could definitely benefit from being the third team in a potential trade for Davis. It could be their way to get a quality young player while providing another team the instantaneous boost a team like the Lakers is unwilling to bring.

It might cost the Magic something — like taking on a big contract like Pelicans forward Solomon Hill — but they would surely get compensated for that trouble with a promising young player or a first-round pick.

Orlando is in a position as a rebuilding team (essentially) to give young players a second chance.

Someone like Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball or Knicks guard Frank Ntilikina certainly could use a change of scenery, a new voice and a new opportunity.

Ball has had his struggled and has not lived up to the much-talked-about hype he had entering the draft. But he is still a solid and intriguing young player. Ball is averaging 9.9 points per game and 5.4 assists per game, all down from last year. But he is shooting just 40.6 percent from the floor and 32.9 percent from beyond the arc. All this while shooting worse than 50 percent from the floor.

The Magic may not be willing to give up a ton to get him. But Ball’s development would track with the Magic’s other young assets. Orlando is not in a position to play free agency quite yet, so the team might be willing to take on that big contract in Hill if they acquired a young player like Ball.

Ntilikina too has struggled to get consistent playing time with the Knicks. He is averaging just 5.3 points per game and 2.8 assists per game in a little more than 21 minutes per game. He has struggled to take a step forward with his game, matching a jumper to his incredible length and defensive potential.

This is where they must be opportunistic and creative to serve their dual purposes of remaining competitive while adding a key piece to their future at this trade deadline. There is no doubt the Magic could use a point guard upgrade and a young player that fits the team’s timeline would certainly be a strong acquisition, depending on what the team might have to give up.

There is nothing at this point to connect the Magic to any three-team scenarios. There is merely an opportunity to try to help get a deal done while netting some valuable assets.

There is still time for the Magic organization to make a move for their point guard for the future, but the odds are against them that they will find them before Feb. 7.