The Orlando Magic figure to be in the center of several trade talks as trade deadline discussions heat up with two weeks to go.
They are almost certainly sellers on the market as they continue their rebuild and figure out their next steps. There may not be a truly splashy move — certainly nothing to the extent they saw last year at the deadline — but the team is going to be active.
In all likelihood, the Magic will trade one if not both of their veteran wings in Gary Harris and Terrence Ross by the Feb. 10 deadline. That would just make good business sense to try to maximize those assets while the team is still rebuilding and winning is not the main focus.
Orlando will have to have its future in mind as the team considers what to do. The Magic are one of the few teams with cap room and should have north of $20 million to spend or use if they should choose this offseason.
It is not a good summer for spending with precious few free agents — restricted free agents Miles Bridges and Deandre Ayton are among the players in the pool, but it would be hard not to see their teams match offers and Zach LaVine is likely staying in Chicago now.
Do not ask about James Harden either. It is not happening.
The Magic also currently have nine players under contract for the 2022 season. That does not include Mo Bamba — a potential trade option at this year’s deadline and an uncertain re-sign in restricted free agency — and the team’s upcoming first-round draft pick.
Orlando could well be a landing spot for bad contracts as the team uses cap room to help facilitate trades and get other assets in return. That could be something the team tries to do even at this year’s deadline, opting to use up that cap space now to obtain some asset.
The Magic have one more tool in their quiver the next few weeks that they can use — a massive $17.2-million trade exception acquired in the Evan Fournier trade last March. Orlando has to use this trade exception at the trade deadline or it will lapse.
It is still not clear whether the Magic will use this. Being a selling team, they likely would use this as a tool to acquire a high-priced veteran to help some team get under the luxury tax or clear some cap room for the offseason. They would get compensated with a draft pick for this service.
And trade exceptions can only be used in non-simultaneous trades — meaning it can only be used on one player. That means if Orlando is looking to use this exception it is likely looking for draft compensation and not multiple players to make the deal worth their time.
The Magic may not be in a good spot to use this exception unless the sweetener is too good to pass up or they have some feeling or assurance the player they are acquiring will help them with their rebuild. Orlando should not be looking to use this tool just because it is about to lapse.
But there are a few intriguing options for the Magic to consider pursuing as teams make their final moves before the trade deadline.
At the very least, this kind of list will give you a good idea of what is out there as the Magic consider how to use this trade exception.
5 targets for the Orlando Magic’s trade exception
Serge Ibaka, Los Angeles Clippers
The last time the Orlando Magic traded for Serge Ibaka, it did not work out well. And that might be an understatement.
With patience running thin from management and Rob Hennigan trying to save his job, he pushed all his chips into the massive free agent spike summer of 2016 and then traded perhaps his best young player in Victor Oladipo for the expiring contract of Serge Ibaka in hopes of solidifying the team’s defense and rim protection (ignore the Bismack Biyombo storm clouds on the horizon).
Ibaka saw through how unserious the team was about winning pretty quickly. And while he had a solid individual run of 15.1 points per game with a 54.7-percent effective field goal percentage and a game-winner in his first game back against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he checked out pretty quickly.
The Orlando Magic traded him to the Toronto Raptors before the season ended, grabbing Terrence Ross and a first-round pick the Magic ended up giving away.
Ibaka went on to play well for the Raptors, helping them win the title in 2019. But he has faced a pretty steep decline since then. The 32-year-old has seen his role decrease since signing with the LA Clippers. This year, he is averaging 6.0 points per game in 14.7 minutes per game.
The Clippers are still in playoff positioning and do not seem that interested in jeopardizing that. But it is also looking more and more like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are not coming back this year either.
With the hopes of a title gone, the Clippers seem ripe to focus on lowering their tax bill.
LA currently has $168.5 million committed in salary, putting them $31.9 million over the tax threshold. Their bill thanks to the multipliers on the tax is expected to be $93.9 million.
Even shedding Ibaka’s $9.7-million salary would help the Clippers save $40.8 million in luxury tax payments. The Clippers are likely eager to get off this salary.
Even if the Magic ultimately buy out Ibaka’s expiring contract, they could — and should — grab extra draft compensation (even if it is just a lottery-protected first in the draft of their choice or a second-round pick) to take on Ibaka’s salary.
Still, Ibaka could prove to be a solid backup big for the rest of the year. Especially if the Magic end up moving Mo Bamba.
Then again, this is just a salary dump. So if that is the case, the Magic should almost certainly ask for a first-round pick for the trouble of parking his salary and buying him out.
5 targets for the Orlando Magic’s trade exception
Larry Nance Jr., Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are in a tricky spot.
They probably feel like they can still be a competitive team very quickly so long as Damian Lillard is on their team. They are the team this year that is having the injury season that sends them down the standings. At the very least, Portland is looking at the soft reset.
The Blazers have some good players — besides Damian Lillard, guards CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons are extremely positive. They just rely a ton on Lillard and have botched some free agent signings to give them the cushion they need to take their next steps.
At 20-28, the Blazers are still in the Play-In Tournament. They are not completely in a spot to pack it in this season. But the Blazers should be looking toward the future. And planning how they might be able to make some moves.
It might help to shed some salary, grab a trade exception and get under the luxury tax line.
The Blazers currently are $3.0 million over the tax line. The best bet they would have to acquire a big-time player in the future would likely be a trade exception. And so shedding the salary of a player like Larry Nance Jr., while also acquiring a second-round pick and a trade exception for his salary might prove valuable as they try to retool around Lillard.
The Magic likely are not looking for long-term pieces or to take on much long-term money. But a decent-sized swing at one would not be completely crazy.
Nance is struggling in his first year with the Blazers as he has dealt with several knee injuries throughout the year.
He is averaging 6.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 23.2 minutes per game. That has been slightly below his averages from his days with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Nance has an additional year left on his contract at $9.7 million. So the Magic would be taking some of their cap room for next summer to spend on this kind of a flyer. But it could prove to be an interesting experiment to add some athleticism and versatility to the backup center or forward spot.
Especially if Nance can get healthy again.
The chances of this are pretty low. Nance may not be the right guy to take that kind of a risk on — especially with another financial decision to make in the summer of 2023. It would have to occur in tandem with some other moves.
But spending a second-round pick — something the Magic rarely use anyway — and grabbing a pretty solid reserve player even just for next year would not be the worst thing in the world either.
This would be an aggressive move. But maybe the Magic need to think more aggressively to improve their roster in the short term.
5 targets for the Orlando Magic’s trade exception
Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards
It is no secret the Orlando Magic need shooting. Desperately need shooting.
The Magic have long lacked a shooting specialist and someone who is there just to be a floor space and occupy the defense’s attention just by standing at the 3-point line. Even if he never takes a shot.
Finding one of those players, and getting them to stay, is one of the trickier things to find. Especially for a rebuilding team.
That was at least the attraction of signing Davis Bertans when he joined the Washington Wizards as a free agent in the summer of 2019. He had a breakout season in 2020 averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting 42.4-percent from deep.
Bertans has struggled with injury since then and has seen his 3-point shooting decline. He is slowly getting phased out of the Wizards’ rotation now after averaging 6.0 points per game and shooting 32.4-percent from deep.
It is not 100-percent clear where that shooting went.
It is clear that Washington’s season has quickly gone off the rails. The Wizards have cooled from their hot start and are now 23-25, 10th in the Eastern Conference. They should not be in full sale mode, but their time is running out.
The Wizards are under the tax line, but could certainly benefit from shedding some unwanted salary. Getting a trade exception would enable them to still make a move to help Bradley Beal if needed too.
The only issue from the Magic’s perspective is Bertans’ salary.
Bertans is owed $16-million this year. And then has three more years and $49-million left on his deal. That is likely far too onerous for the Magic to take on at this stage of the rebuild. Especially with the league unsure if Bertans can regain his shooting ability.
The Wizards would have to throw in a lightly protected first to make it worth the Magic’s while. And nobody should be that desperate to move.
5 targets for the Orlando Magic’s trade exception
Dario Saric, Phoenix Suns
The last thing Orlando Magic fans likely want to hear is about another player recovering from a torn ACL.
Fans have been frustrated with the lack of transparency with recoveries for both Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz. With this January homestand nearly over and no sign of Fultz returning despite practicing full-time with the team for the past month, it looks like he may not even be back until the All-Star Break.
Orlando always has some PTSD of acquiring players who are on crutches and dealing with injuries anyway. So this might not be a realistic option.
But if the Magic are seeking versatility and some playmaking from the 4 or 5 position, they could be a team willing to take the risk and help a player like Dario Saric return to the court.
Saric tore his ACL during the NBA Finals for the Suns. He averaged 8.7 points per game during the season and 4.5 points per game during the playoffs as his playing time got cut.
The Suns might be amenable to trading Saric and his $10-million salary that expires at the end of next season.
Phoenix will have to make some room in their payroll for Deandre Ayton’s new contract next season. So the Suns would benefit a ton from having a trade exception at their disposal.
The question will be whether the Magic want to handle the recovery of yet another player with a torn ACL. When healthy, Saric is a solid shooter and good playmaker from the center position. He would be a quality reserve to bring in and maintain a lot of the Magic’s versatility and skill level.
But players always need a year to recover from torn ACLs. And while the Suns would surely include some drat compensation to take Saric off their hands, would that be enough to give Saric his recovery year in Orlando? Would the Magic have a clear use for him moving forward?
It is just an idea for now.
5 targets for the Orlando Magic’s trade exception
Tristan Thompson, Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings seem set to go into firesale mode yet again.
Their blowout loss to the Boston Celtics earlier this week spoke to deeper troubles with the team. Even though they are still on the outskirts of the playoff race — three games out of the play-in tournament — the Kings seem to be sinking fast.
They are clearly looking to shop a few players.
Reportedly Tristan Thompson is available for the smallest of costs. Sacramento would probably prefer a second-round pick of a trade exception. And unless the Magic are already planning to move off of Mo Bamba and probably even Robin Lopez this offseason.
That might be premature to do in February. The Magic do not want to over-extend themselves in that way.
Thompson has had a rough season. He is averaging 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 15.2 minutes per game in 30 appearances for the Kings this year. He has not given the Kings the veteran presence they hoped for.
Thompson will become a free agent at the end of the season. So he becomes an immediate buyout candidate and nothing more.
The Magic need to have bigger ambitions with this trade exception. Anyone who is simply a buyout candidate without getting anything more, is not going to be worth the team.
The Kings are clearly looking for something of value in return, even if it is just a second-round pick. For the Magic to take on someone like Thompson and buy him out, they would need to get something for their trouble.
There probably is not a deal here. Even if Orlando is desperate to find a veteran somewhere to help keep the roster stable.
The reality for the Magic may well be that there are not good options to use this trade exception. It may be a tool Orlando lets lapse after the trade deadline. But crazier things have happened.