Scouting Report: Meet the Orlando Magic’s new acquisitions

The past few months (and perhaps even years) of Orlando Magic news — both locally and nationally — has centered on trade rumors for many of the Magic’s core pieces.

The team had been competing or the playoffs with a group most believed was not good enough to win or compete for a title. Even if the team continued to progress a trade was always going to be necessary.

The question was whether the team would be trying to build up or starting over. Fans for a long time had hinted a full reset would be the way to go if winning a title was the goal — especially with the team sitting in 14th in the East and the fifth-worst record in the league in a loaded draft class.

All eyes were on the Orlando Magic Thursday at the trade deadline. Boy, did they make their opportunity count.

The Orlando Magic completely reshaped their roster in a flurry of deals at the NBA trade deadline. Who they got in return should impact the team now and beyond.

A historic roster overhaul saw some of the Magic’s core contributors and franchise staples in Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier exchanged in quick succession. These transactions netted the Magic a bevy of young players and draft assets not seen since the Dwight Howard trade in 2012, the last time the team restarted.

It is a completely new path and now a completely new roster for this season and beyond.

There will be much discussion among Magic fans as to whether this return was enough for the Magic’s most popular and productive players from the last half-decade. But one thing is for sure: The Magic now have a direction.

This direction will be a youth movement headlined by Johnathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz. Surrounding these two will be players such as Cole Anthony, Chuma Okeke and Mohamed Bamba who should see expanded roles and newfound opportunities to produce in the aftermath of yesterday’s trade bonanza.

How do the new player additions fit into this new age of Magic Basketball? Today, we will evaluate the players acquired in yesterday’s deal and examine their fits on the young Magic.

Wendell Carter

Age: 21
Position: PF
Measurables: 6-foot-10, 270 lbs.
2021 stats : 10.9 PPG , 7.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 25.4 MPG

The 2018 first-round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls was one of the centerpieces of the Nikola Vucevic trade. Wendell Carter has been inconsistent in his time in the league so far though but is still a player with immense promise.

In what was viewed as a potential third-year breakout under new head coach Billy Donovan, Wendell Carter had some struggles maintaining consistency. He has also dealt with a slew of injuries throughout his career (including one that kept him out for 12 games in January and February. He spent his last seven games with the Bulls coming off the bench, averaging 7.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 19.5 minutes per game.

With that being said, Carter is still an extremely young and talented big man who is able to be a jack-of-all-trades kind of player at a minimum if used appropriately.

Carter has had some moments of incredible production (see: the Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers games) in which Carter flashes some impressive skills.

He scored 23 points in that loss to the Lakers back in January. It was the high point of his season. He is a solid post-up player and is good at passing out of the low post as well as a great screener, ranking in the top-10 percentil of screen assists per 75 possessions the last two seasons, according to Basketball-Index.

While still in development, Carter Jr has the potential of being a presence in the frontcourt that is big enough to dominate smaller frontcourt players yet dynamic enough to beat slower players off the dribble.

During the draft process in 2018, NBADraft.net compared Wendell Carter to Al Horford due to Carter’s potential as a versatile chess piece that can be utilized for all sorts of lineups.

He is already a strong offensive rebounder at least and has shown flashes as an interior defender. But there is still a lot of work. Poor coaching early in his career is at least partially responsible for some of his struggles and offensive issues so far.

The hope is for Carter to make major strides in his game with increased opportunities and a change of scenery in a team that has a track record of developing big men.

Gary Harris

Age: 26
Position: SG
Measurables: 6-foot-4 , 210 lbs
2021 Stats: 9.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 30.6 MPG

Gary Harris was obtained in the Aaron Gordon trade via the Denver Nuggets. He was a fan favorite for the Denver Nuggets and looking at his playstyle it is easy to see why.

Gary Harris is a 3-and-D wing with a capital D. Harris gained a reputation as a defensive pest that was able to guard elite playmakers one on one.

Harris’s magnum opus came in last year’s Western Conference Playoffs, where his defensive intensity on Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was the catalyst for the Denver Nuggets overcoming a 3-1 deficit and advancing to the next round and on to the Western Conference Finals.

His offense has been inconsistent, and of note, his three-point percentage has dipped considerably since his early years in the league. How much of this is due to his own struggles or the fact Harris was often the fourth or fifth option on a very explosive Nuggets team is up for debate.

Injuries have also slowed him down. He has been out since mid-February with a thigh strain and has played more than 60 games just twice in his career. He went from the Nuggets’ second scoring option to their fourth or fifth option in the meantime with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s emergence.

The hope for the Magic is they can get him healthy again. But they are excited for his defensive potential with coach Steve Clifford singling that aspect out when discussing the team’s new acquisitions on Friday morning.

What we do know is Harris will make an impact from the moment he steps on the court as a defensive ace who is able to shut down premier offensive talents — a skill that is always valuable.

R.J. Hampton

Age: 20
Position: PG
Measurables: 6-foot-4 , 175 lbs
2021 Stats: 2.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.6 APG , 9.6 MPG

R.J. Hampton is perhaps the player Orlando Magic fans are the most excited for among the players they received Thursday.

Hampton is an explosive athlete who routinely made highlight tapes since his time in high school.

Hampton is a blur of a player who is able to outrun opponents in transition and is crafty enough to contort his body for layups. Hampton will be a player who many will be excited to see run off the court and jump out of the gym.

Hampton’s lack of playing time in the NBA was a casualty of the Nuggets’ depth. This should not be a problem in the Magic this season.

Hampton should have enough playing time this year to improve upon his weaknesses — particularly his affinity for playing recklessly and turning the ball over.

Hampton should get the green light this year — and it will sure be exciting to see.

Otto Porter

Age: 27
Position: SF
Measurables: 6-foot-8, 198 lbs
2021 stats: 9.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 21.6 MPG

The oldest of the players the Orlando Magic acquired, Otto Porter is a solid player who could conceivably fill a role that players like Jeff Green, Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker have filled in their careers. Porter profiles as a good, but not great role player who can do many things well but nothing particularly great.

While this may sound like a negative, having a player who can be good at many aspects of the game is critical for young teams that will be undisciplined and will be prone to errors. Porter will be a steadying presence for younger lineups.

This is, of course, assuming Porter will be here in the long term. Porter’s contract is expiring and while the Magic have his Bird Rights, his age relative to the rest of the roster makes him an odd man out.

Orlando certainly did this deal in part to clear some cap room and gain more financial flexibility. So it is hard to see the Magic bringing Porter back on anything more than a one-year deal.

There have been rumors that Porter may ask for a buyout, but until then, Porter is a solid addition for a team in flux at several positions.