Orlando Magic: 3 thoughts on hypothetical Russell Westbrook trade
The Orlando Magic have tripled down on the present without adding a point guard. Trading for Russell Westbrook would improve them and fill plenty of needs. But at what cost?
Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency decision was supposed to put a cap on one of the wildest summers in NBA history. Teams added new players and there was plenty of player movement. Some, like the Orlando Magic, retained theirs. But the Leonard move was the power move waiting to happen.
When it happened, the rest of the league seemed to shake because of it.
The LA Clippers shifted the NBA landscape, finding a way to not just to sign Kawhi Leonard, but also to acquire Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a bevy of future first-round picks.
This trade has little to nothing to do with the Magic at first glance. But the deal almost certainly changes how the Thunder plan for their future.
Immediately everyone expected their point guard with a mega four-year contract to hit the trade market. That immediately vaults the Magic as a potential destination for Russell Westbrook, who is talking to the Thunder’s front office about what steps to take next, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Magic’s offseason saw them re-sign both Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross to four-year deals. They also brought back Michael Carter-Williams and used the mid-level exception on Al-Farouq Aminu.
This plan showed they are interested in the present and who got them there, showed they trust the continued development of their young players and showed they value making the postseason no matter the seed.
But the team needs more to get to that point.
Orlando still has not fully addressed the point guard position.
Westbrook, averaging a triple-double for three seasons running, would vastly improve the Magic next season if the team acquired him. And with his contract on the books for four years like Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, adding Russell Westbrook works within the construct of their win-now mindset.
There is at least a framework to find a deal if the Magic wanted to make this kind of a splash.
The hypothetical trade would see Russell Westbrook head to Orlando for Markelle Fultz, Mohamed Bamba, Evan Fournier and a protected 2021 first-round pick that becomes top-three protected in 2022.
Who knows if either team would actually pursue this deal or any deal with one another, but this works in ESPN’s trade machine and added three wins to the Magic 2020 projection.
Throwing in two first-round picks may be needed for Orlando to get it over the hump, but the tail-end of Westbrook’s contract and knee injury history lowers his value.
It is difficult to gauge what Oklahoma City would actually net.
Orlando gets a point guard fix, improves its immediate postseason hopes and maintains the team’s two young pillars while Oklahoma City gets Westbrook’s massive number off its books in an expected full team exodus, a first-round pick down the road, the Markelle Fultz reclamation project and Mohamed Bamba as the replacement for Steven Adams.
That is one of many different scenarios. The point is the Magic have avenues to get involved in this kind of a deal if they choose.
There are many angles to dive into with this hypothetical trade, but here are three thoughts about it on the Orlando Magic side of things.