3 possible trade targets to accelerate the Orlando Magic’s rebuild

3 players to speed up the Orlando Magic’s rebuild

Cam Reddish

Cam Reddish has endured a frustrating first few years in the NBA. He played just 26 games last season due to injury problems and has not nailed down a place in the Atlanta Hawks’ starting five due to competition on the roster.

But when he plays, the promise he showed coming out of high school as one of the best players in his year has been evident. This year Reddish is averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 40-percent from the field across an average of 22.5 minutes per game — down from 28.8 last season.

Reddish is incredibly talented and holds enormous potential as a two-way wing. His 3-point shot has improved since last year and he has also proven himself to be a solid wing defender thanks to his size and versatility.

It is no surprise then the swingman is attracting a lot of interest, with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting that Atlana wants a first-round pick back in any deal involving Reddish.

Reddish still has a lot of developing to do and comes with inconsistencies in his game. But he can already make an impact on both ends of the court. Something the Magic lack is depth on the wing, and when starting forwards Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter are not on the court Orlando looks significantly worse.

Getting a two-way wing with high potential would not only ensure the team has greater depth in the short term. But he gives the Magic another young talent and potential future star to try and develop. In the right situation and with more opportunity, Reddish still has the opportunity to be special.

Atlanta would clearly want a healthy return on a player with such high potential but, given the amount of depth on the roster, they have to make some tough roster choices as to who will be the focus as the team looks to continue last season’s success. They simply cannot hand out extensions to everyone.

And while Reddish is one of Atlanta’s better defenders, the team has still struggled massively on the defensive end which has contributed to the team underperforming. The Hawks rank 25th for defensive rating, giving up 111 points per 100 possessions.

Something the Magic can offer is defensive help and picks. A veteran like Gary Harris would fill in perfectly on a playoff team like Atlanta.

Whether it is enough though is another matter.

The ultimate question is how quickly do the Magic want to progress, how much do they want to spend to pick things up and what is their ultimate strategy this season?

Orlando will face all these questions as the trade deadline nears.