Orlando Magic: Future outlook for every acquired asset at NBA trade deadline

The Forwards

The Orlando Magic may face a surplus of guards at the moment, but it seemed like yesterday that Orlando had too many forwards.

Heading into the 2019 season, Orlando already had both Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon at the power forward position. But then the team added Al-Farouq Aminu in free agency and drafted Chuma Okeke 16th overall.

The positional overload switched in a matter of hours when the team dealt Gordon and Aminu at the trade deadline with Isaac still being out with his torn ACL.

Chuma Okeke was the only power forward left standing, with James Ennis as the small forward.

Over the course of the year, Orlando has seen a lot of positive growth from Okeke. He has shown a lot of promise with his defensive ability and three-point shooting and has been gradually improving as the season nears its end. Chuma Okeke has also surprised many with his sweet turnaround mid-range that is reminiscent of Kawhi Leonard.

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Okeke’s path is unclear for next year, however. Even with basketball becoming a more and more positionless sport, with Isaac set to return, the Magic will once again face the question of who will play the 3 and who will play the 4 — a question that plagued Gordon for years.

It may be an easier subject to tackle this time around once Isaac returns, though, as Okeke looks like he could easily slot into the 3, maybe even better than as a power forward.

That is if Isaac can stay healthy — he has only played in 136 games out of a possible 338 during his first four years. When Isaac is healthy, Orlando knows he can be a defensive player of the year candidate for the foreseeable future.

Missing all this time, however, could have quelled the offensive growth Orlando was beginning to see before his injury.

The Magic also recently added Moritz Wagner, who is just 24, for the remainder of the season. To his credit he has played well when given the opportunity, even posting 24 points in a win against Memphis earlier this week.

It is unclear if Orlando will try to keep him into the next season, but he could be a formidable backup for Isaac upon his return.