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Orlando Magic Trade Value Column 2020

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Evan Fournier could not get the Orlando Magic offense moving in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
Evan Fournier could not get the Orlando Magic offense moving in a loss to the Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic
Evan Fournier has had a breakout season just in time for a free agent push in 2020. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Evan Fournier (2 years, $34.3 million, player option for 2021)

The biggest conundrum the Orlando Magic have to make at the trade deadline regards Evan Fournier.

Fournier is having a career season, averaging 18.6 points per game with a career-best 55.0 percent effective field goal percentage (his rookie year was technically better, but he played significantly fewer minutes). When the Magic were without Nikola Vucevic in November, it was Evan Fournier who kept the team alive.

But the Magic have big questions about their roster. This team is a clear Playoff team in this Eastern Conference but does not seem to be much more than the 7-seed. Magic fans — and surely the front office — are feeling the pressure to push this team to do more.

And that inevitably means change. Especially after the Magic spent a summer keeping everything virtually the same.

How can the team make changes to push this team forward and shift more responsibility to the young players they want to grow if they keep bringing back the same players?

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Bleacher Report's star trade idea finally rids Knicks of Evan Fournier
Bleacher Report's star trade idea finally rids Knicks of Evan Fournier /

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    • Orlando could get away with bringing back Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross last year to build off the playoff year. Both of those contracts are structured to move.

    It would be more difficult to justify bringing Fournier back for another long-term deal. The Magic have to start making decisions. And bigger contracts are on the horizon for Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz in the summer of 2021.

    The Magic cannot pay everyone. Certainly not for a team that tops off as a 7-seed.

    Fournier, personally, should be looking to get one more big contract. This is a weak free-agent class and Fournier would enter it as one of the best players available on the market (especially if the Magic are not super interested in bringing him back.

    Fournier should have some value on the trade market. He is a productive player who can spread the floor and work as a secondary playmaker. As the third option on a team, he could help a playoff team take the next step.

    The question is just what the Magic want in return. They likely want a player they can plug into the starting lineup on a reasonable deal. The Magic still want to compete this year.

    That likely complicates their pursuit of a trade.