Orlando Magic Trade Value Column 2022: Preparing for the next steps
Orlando Magic Trade Value Column 2022
Category III — We’ll take the call
12. R.J. Hampton ($8.9 million, 3 years, Team option in 2023)
With so many young players on the roster and only so much playing time to hand out in a 48-minute game, it was inevitable some young player was going to get squeezed out.
Even with the injuries the Orlando Magic have faced, no player on the roster has faced the same kind of pressure for his playing time and role quite like R.J. Hampton.
This was all pretty predictable, unfortunately for Hampton.
His skills were the most ill-defined and he lost a rookie season to COVID and the fact he was a raw prospect playing on a team with championship aspirations. His breakout after the Denver Nuggets traded him to the Orlando Magic was needed and showed off his potential.
There have only been flashes of that potential this season as Hampton has often played out of control and struggled to balance the good moments with excessive turnovers.
The only thing that is certain at this point is that Hampton is not a point guard or decisionmaker. Not yet at least.
The game still needs to slow down for Hampton. And slowly his potential will need to meet his actual production. The Magic probably should not give up on him, but there are only so many minutes to go around with so many young players on the roster and more draft picks coming up on the horizon.
A consolidation trade for the Magic, if it happens, would likely need to include Hampton.
11. Robin Lopez (1 year, $5 million)
Typically the veteran bench warmer would not be ahead of the young, promising player. And Robin Lopez has been really comfortable living the life in Orlando, playing games with STUFF and occasionally dropping a few hook shots over unsuspecting defenders.
Lopez has been surprisingly very good this year for the Magic when they have called on him, averaging 8.2 points per game in 17.8 minutes per game. That is far more than anyone expected when the team signed him and he has embraced being the team’s relief pitcher, sprinkled in whenever Jamahl Mosley has needed him.
He is a veteran big though. And those are in short supply. And Lopez has played well enough that there at least seems to be passing interest around the league in adding him. According to Marc Stein (subscription required), at least, says there are a few teams registering interest in him.
That is pretty impressive for him to move from also-ran on the bench to someone that has created some demand.
10. Chuma Okeke (3 years, $12 million, Team Option in 2023)
Last Year: 9th
Everyone is still trying to get an idea of who or what Chuma Okeke is.
The story of his career to this point has been more about his injuries and when he has not been on the floor. The torn ACL that cost him his first year after the draft. The knee and ankle injuries that slowed him throughout his rookie year. And now the hip bruise that cost him a lot of early-season rhythm and training in his second season.
There are moments where Okeke looks like everything the Magic could hope for. He hits 3-pointers and defends at a really high level. He was instrumental in keeping Luka Doncic from getting a game-winning shot in their win over the Dallas Mavericks. His good moments are fantastic.
But there have been long stretches where his shot will not go down at all. And he has at times felt like an odd fit for the Magic’s more read-and-react offense. The Magic have only recently started setting him up for his favored corner 3s and his strong post-game from last year has been almost non-existent.
What Okeke needs is a healthy offseason and a full training camp to get himself acclimated quicker. He is still really valuable for his defense at the very least. There is still a lot of areas where Okeke can grow.
But like Hampton, there are only so many minutes for young players. And Okeke is going to have to fight for his place in the team’s rotation beyond this season.