Basketball is often a game of fine margins. An offensive rebound won through traffic, a blocked shot, a tip-in from a missed attempt. These are the little things that can prove to be the difference between winning and losing.
This is why having players like Khem Birch on the roster is so crucial.
On the face of it, Birch’s limited offensive skillset and low production suggest he is nothing more than an end-of-rotation center. The 28-year-old is averaging 5.5 points per game off 47.2 percent shooting and is grabbing 5.3 rebounds across 20 minutes per game.
Hardly spectacular.
But watch him in action and the importance of the role he plays is clear to see. Birch plays with tremendous hustle and energy, putting his body on the line for the team and contributing significantly on the defensive end.
Birch is the type of player who can make all the difference on those margins for a winning team. He offers added rim protection, solid defense and he consistently crashes the boards offensively. He is currently averaging a career-high 2.5 offensive rebounds per game and is even showing signs of expanding his offensive game, shooting further away from the basket including from three-point range.
Birch is one of the best screeners in the league and is low usage rate shows he can make an impact without taking any shots or doing much with the ball in his hands.
Many of the teams looking to contend for the title could use someone like Birch off the bench. He is a really solid role player who helps better players around him to thrive. And with the center out of contract with Orlando at the end of this season, it would make sense for the Magic to try and extract some value from the big man before he enters free agency.
The Orlando Magic will have a lot to weigh as the trade deadline approaches. They will likely have to consider moving Khem Birch as a sweetener to help a winning team add that last piece.
Trading Birch and his $3-million per year salary on its own does not make a lot of sense. But with rumors around the futures of Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon swirling, adding the center to a deal could help the Magic get closer to what they are looking for.
This upcoming trade deadline is a big one for Orlando. With contracts of key players running down and the front office already committed to Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac, there is a change coming.
The Magic should be aggressive and doing nothing is simply not an option.
Birch has made a fine contribution to the team this season despite the team’s woeful record. But with his contract running out and coach Steve Clifford seemingly (and finally) wanting to see what Mohamed Bamba can do in his third season in the league, Birch has become a lot more moveable.
Packaging him with Fournier or Gordon could help the Magic strike a better deal, particularly with a team hopeful of making the playoffs or for contending for a title. Here are three hypothetical examples where Birch could play a key part in the trade.
There have long been questions over Aaron Gordon’s future and this trade deadline is no different.
Next season is the last of Gordon’s current deal before he enters free agency and reports suggest there is plenty of interest in the Magic forward.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Golden State Warriors have previously expressed an interest in Gordon dating back to the previous NBA draft.
A trade with the Warriors would be in the Magic’s interest. The team has a lot of young, exciting talent as well as some tradeable pieces and salaries to make a deal happen.
Kelly Oubre is on an expiring contract and his $14.4-million-per-year deal is close to Gordon’s $18.1 million to make salaries match. He makes sense as the basis of a deal in which Orlando does not take on long-term salary commitments.
But Birch’s role is important here. The Warriors still have high hopes of making a postseason run with Stephen Curry playing some of the best basketball of his career and Khem Birch can too provide a boost to their chances of doing so.
Golden State averages the eighth fewest rebounds per game in the league at 42.9. They are also the second-worst team when it comes to offensive rebounds per game at just 7.9.
This is an area where Steve Kerr’s team are being held back and Birch can help address that. Despite James Wiseman’s promise as a rookie, the center position remains the team’s weakest position and Birch’s ability to grab rebounds on both ends of the court could make all the difference.
He could also be a nice incentive for the Warriors to part with one of its talented youngsters, like Eric Paschall. The forward has performed above expectations since coming into the league after being picked 41st in the 2019 draft.
His minutes might have been reduced so far this year, but he is still averaging a respectable 9.5 points per game. He still has a lot of development to do on the defensive end and with his perimeter shooting but has certainly shown an ability to score in the NBA.
Evan Fournier is another player whose future has been questioned a great deal in recent weeks.
Fournier’s contract expires at the end of this season so it would make sense for the Orlando Magic to try and extract some value from him before he enters free agency in the summer.
The Charlotte Hornets are said to be keen on strengthening their playoff hopes further before the deadline and Fournier is reportedly someone that is being looked at. Despite enduring a frustrating season disrupted by injury, when he has played on the court Fournier has been really good.
But rather than letting him walk for free in the offseason, the Magic could instead package him up with another expiring contract in Birch to get something back.
The Hornets look a solid bet for the playoffs anyway but the addition of Birch with Fournier boosts these chances further. Charlotte is an extremely fun team to watch with the number of creative, flair players on the team.
But adding someone that is all about hustle and brings some added power in the paint off the bench can help this Hornets team. Someone that is there to react to missed shots and win back possession to hand the ball back to one of Charlotte’s many offensive talents is what this team needs more of.
It might also persuade the Hornets to part with Devonte’ Graham. The young guard enters restricted free agency this offseason and is firmly behind LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier in the rotation.
His inefficiency is alarming, shooting 35.8-percent from the floor this year, but he has plenty of time to improve that and has proven his ability to score in his three seasons with Charlotte. Orlando could try and keep him around past this season at a lower salary than Fournier while trying to develop him as a player.
Add in Cody Zeller’s expiring contract and a low second-round pick and the makings of a deal are there.
This deal would require a lot of sacrifice and understanding, but each team would be getting something that it can benefit from.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports the Houston Rockets are one of the teams interested in Aaron Gordon, but the addition of Khem Birch and another team in the Miami Heat make this deal a much more appealing one.
The Heat can trade Andre Iguodala to their rivals to replace Aaron Gordon’s contract, while Orlando would get a fantastic defensive prospect in Jae’Sean Tate as well as Portland’s protected first-round pick from the Rockets.
The Rockets would also be getting a young talent in Precious Achiuwa, who has looked really promising in the early stages of his career. Meanwhile, the Heat would be getting the big prize in Victor Oladipo. The guard’s contract might be expiring this season but he is said to be keen on a move to Miami so would likely stay for the long-term.
Birch plays a significant part in this deal. He gives Miami someone that can fill invaluable minutes while Bam Adebayo is off the floor and fits the team’s style of intense defense. It also means Birch does not have to relocate far and can play on a contending team.
This is a complex trade that would have many potential stumbling blocks, particularly when it comes to Achiuwa and Tate. But again, adding Birch into the mix makes sense from a Magic perspective.
The Orlando big man might not be the most eye-catching or exciting of players, but his game is important. It helps the better players around him to thrive and he can often make a valuable difference in key moments of the game.
With the deadline fast approaching, Birch’s importance to making a deal happen cannot be underestimated.