Terrence Ross has had a terrific run as a sixth man in his four-plus years with the Orlando Magic.
He had some high highs, particularly the 2019 season and playoffs. But it is not an arduous task to see he is having a down year, despite some recent surges including Friday’s 21-point, 7-for-11 shooting effort including four 3-pointers.
Ross is averaging 11.8 points per game, the worst mark since joining the team, and is hitting only 31.7-percent of his 3-pointers, the worst mark of his career. Ross had a difficult start to the season and has played a lot better of late.
But Terrence Ross has certainly had his struggles and his high-volume shooting may not work as well within coach Jamahl Mosley’s offense.
Compound that with the fact he is 30 years old and it is clear he may not fit Orlando’s timetable with its youth movement. Both sides may need a fresh start.
The Orlando Magic are certainly in the market to deal Terrence Ross at the trade deadline and there should be plenty of teams lining up to go for him.
Orlando needs to give its young bench players more playing time. Beyond that, the Magic need to get back some young players, a future draft pick or at least a cap space in terms of compensation.
Ross is also ripe for a trade. He has one more year left on his contract meaning the team acquiring him will get one full year with Ross before he hits free agency again in the summer of 2023.
Early reporting suggests the Magic are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Ross. But it is also abundantly clear there is a market for Ross to get dealt.
It seems like it will be sooner rather than later that a deal gets done. He likely will not be in pinstripes beyond the trade deadline. Here are some teams that make sense to trade him to.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics could use some more scoring off the bench with a perimeter player.
They have enough young players to consummate a trade to satisfy what the Magic are looking for too. Guys who need a change of scenery that Boston gave sufficient time to develop but no longer have the requisite patience for to wait any longer.
Two guys who make sense are Grant Williams and Aaron Nesmith.
The Magic may not be able to get a first for Ross, but getting a second draft opportunity with a player like Nesmith would make sense.
Nesmith would be able to help replace what the team loses in Ross off the bench. He was billed coming out of Vanderbilt as a strong shooter who could create his own shot a bit. He had an injury at Vanderbilt that slowed him down coming into the NBA and he has struggled to crack the Celtics’ rotation consistently.
Entering Saturday’s game, Nesmith was averaging 3.4 points per game in 34 appearances and 10.6 minutes per game. Nesmith is shooting just 31.3-percent overall from beyond the arc for his two-year career. He just has not clicked yet in the NBA.
Williams has had his run of play with the Celtics but has now fallen out of favor too.
He is averaging 7.1 points per game in 45 appearances. Grant Williams might be able to help the team if they opt to move Mo Bamba at the trade deadline too.
The question is whether these two young players are enough for the Magic. And the Celtics might have bigger things in the work — reportedly they are trying to move Dennis Schroder.
To make a deal work with the Celtics — and almost any team — it would take acquiring one higher-priced veteran along with the young player or draft pick the Magic are after.
If Aaron Nesmith or Grant Williams is the target (both make around $3 million this season), they likely would need to also take on Josh Richardson and his additional season at $11.6-million. It is not likely the Magic would want Schroder, even on an expiring contract, considering the team’s growing bottleneck at point guard.
But for a team likely trading Ross and not extending Bamba, they could use some wing depth off the bench and front-court help.
These two guys could help Orlando in both ways and Boston gets a nice piece in return.
The framework for a deal might be there, but it is tough to see this being the best offer the Magic can find –unless they really believe in young players like Nesmith or Williams.
More likely, the Magic would try to extract a more valuable first-round pick from the Celtics either for this season or sometime down the road. Boston would be in line for a pick right in the middle of the first round. That could be the greater prize for a team like the Magic.
Plus, the Celtics currently rank 28th in bench scoring as we speak. It does not hurt that both are former first-rounders who were drafted in the last two years and can play multiple positions as wing players.
Dallas Mavericks
This hopeful contender needs to make a move to move up from a borderline playoff team in the Western Conference to a potential contender.
They are currently 26th in terms of scoring, 19th in scoring efficiency and only 25th in 3-point shooting so far this season.
Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic have rarely been a good fit on the court together on the defensive end, especially this season. They need some Luka-friendly teammates.
The Mavericks have started playing a lot better though, having won seven of their last 10 games and have climbed to fifth in the Western Conference. Dallas is certainly going to be looking for something to cement that improvement.
Enter the Human Torch.
For starters, Terrence Ross has always been an adroit three-point shooter. Take that with the fact his perimeter defense against shooters and faculty to deflect passes makes him a much better defender than his defensive rating would indicate.
Ross is the exact kind of perimeter role player who Dallas should be trying to target in that sense. The Mavericks need someone who can space the floor and take attention away so Doncic can attack the basket more freely.
Ross would also benefit from this. He has not played with a perimeter creator and distributor like Doncic. He would surely see his 3-point percentage improve.
Dallas also has some solid front court role players like Dwight Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith. But the Mavericks lack many other young up-and-coming players that might entice the Magic. Orlando seems set at center, unless the team decides to move on from Bamba mid-season.
Finney-Smith is a good workhorse guard, but would hardly set the Magic up well to replace Ross. Let alone where he might fit in with the Magic loaded with big forwards already on the roster.
Finney-Smith would fit in as a defender with the kind of team the Magic are trying to build. If worse comes to worse, a future first-round pick is not a bad haul.
Even better, while it is implausible the Magic trade Bamba before the deadline, the fact he was not extended before the season started lends credence to the belief he likely will not be retained this offseason. So, adding a front-court piece like Powell or Finney-Smith makes a ton of sense.
Both players are not ensconced at one position. Powell can play the 4 or 5 while Finney-Smith can play the 3 or 4.
With the versatile front-court players who can play multiple positions like Jonathan Isaac, who will hopefully be returning sooner rather than later and Wendell Carter extended through 2026, this is an inherent trump card to deploy. The team can use each guy at two different positions. It is nice to mix and match, contingent upon the adversary and for in game situations.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are easily the best team of the three most likely destinations for Terrence Ross that make sense for both sides.
The other teams could miss the playoffs, though now much less likely with Dallas currently. The Jazz are a lock to make the Playoffs and going deep is a possibility, especially after having the best record in the league last season.
But they came up short in the playoffs last year and there is certainly pressure to make the Playoffs and go on a deep run. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have never gotten past the second round so far.
Another early exit and it is not inconceivable to see one or both halves of the duo asking for a trade. Those rumblings appear already underway.
Terrence Ross is likely an upgrade from wings like Joe Ingles and Eric Paschall. He could even be better than Royce O’Neale playing in Utah’s system. Plus, he is five years younger than Rudy Gay.
That extra year with Ross will also be valuable as the Jazz try to build multiple contending seasons.
The Jazz also play at a similar pace to what Ross is used to in Orlando so far this season. Playing at the 19th-fastest pace compared to Orlando’s 14th ranking in that regard.
One of those wings in return should make a deal work. Keep in mind that Rudy Gay for example is on a one year prove-it deal. He can mentor the younger guys while showcasing his skills to audition for prospective teams. Or the Magic could grant him a buyout and let him sign with another contending team.
Meanwhile, O’Neale and Paschall need more touches. Given Orlando’s dearth of wing depth, that should not be too difficult to find. It does not hurt the fact that Paschall is five years younger than Ross, while O’Neale is two years younger, respectively.
The Jazz also seem willing to trade Ingles, who has struggled some this year. But they likely want to try to retain Ingles because he is such an important cog to their locker room. Even as an expiring contract, Ingles feels like he is on his last legs.
Orlando may want one of the younger players than. Both O’Neale and Paschal are shooting better from the field and beyond the arc.
O’Neale also has been an exceptional defender throughout his career. This year is no anomaly. And Paschall is around the same caliber as a defender as Ross this season.
These younger players also coincide more with the Magic’s timeline more than with Ross. It is about developing the young players in the rebuilding mode to see what they have with each guy to see who fits in their long-term future.