3 types of players the Orlando Magic should target approaching trade deadline
By Jacob Warfle
3 player types for the Orlando Magic to target
Shooting wing: Cam Reddish
We all know the Orlando Magic need more shooters.
In this league, you can never have enough shooting. But the Magic really do not have enough.
They currently are a bottom-five team in 3-point percentage and middle of the pack in 3-pointers made.
This deadline could be the time to address that issue and there are really two ways the Magic could go about it.
They could make a deal for a dependable, veteran shooter — the type of wing that you see throughout the league, think Eric Gordon or Wayne Ellington. There is nothing wrong with this type of move. The Magic would not need to give up much and would have a serviceable shooter to play alongside their young point guards.
The problem with this strategy is they already have this type of player in Terrence Ross and Gary Harris and even in the past with Evan Fournier.
What the Magic really need to do to address shooting is to attack it with youth and upside. This is where a player like Cam Reddish comes in.
Reddish is young — he is only 22-years-old in his third NBA season. He has playmaking upside, as shown in the playoffs last season and in spurts this year. And best of all, he is seemingly available.
It sounds like the Atlanta Hawks may be willing to trade Reddish in exchange for some players who are more readily available and ready to contribute to a winning team. The Hawks are going to be desperate to stay in the playoff race and make a late-season push as they did last year. A player like Harris would almost certainly fit that bill as would a player like Ross.
Reddish, for his part, is averaging 12.7 points per game and shooting 38.2-percent from beyond the arc this season. Reddish has one more year left on his rookie contract before becoming a restricted free agent in 2023.
In a move like this, the Magic would be banking on Reddish’s continuing development and two-way potential moving forward.
They would likely need to give up a little more than just a player or two, but it’s this type of high-risk, high-reward move that has helped shaped some of the contending teams you see around the league.