The Orlando Magic have a roster stocked with a lot of young and exciting players.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are a killer combination at the two forward spots, Wendell Carter is an excellent modern center and Jalen Suggs and Markelle Fultz are two of the best backcourt defenders in the league.
Where the Magic have a weakness is in the offensive output of their guards.
Jalen Suggs averaged just 9.9 points per game in his sophomore season, shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 32.7 from deep. Markelle Fultz shot just 31 percent from deep on a low volume. To give Banchero and Wagner the space they need to operate, the Magic need to find guards this summer who can space the court.
Finding guards who can score at a high level is a top priority for the Orlando Magic this summer.
Enter the Golden State Warriors, who have a major financial crunch on their hands.
They are on track to be the most expensive team in league history, all while the new CBA is coming to handcuff their ability to improve on that roster. It is very likely they will need to move at least one key player to give them breathing room.
A top candidate to be traded then is Jordan Poole, who has had a down year and an even worse postseason. He is still young with plenty of scoring ability and upside, but he has also been a defensive sieve marginalized in the Warriors’ playoff rotation.
If the Warriors do shop Poole around the league, the Magic should pick up the phone and have a serious talk about Poole’s availability. That is something many executives believed they would do before Poole signed his four-year, $128-million extension this offseason.
That idea is probably not completely dead if it ever existed. And one popular NBA trade account proposed a deal between the two teams. Let’s look at the deal, and then see if we can tweak it and find a better trade for both sides.
Orlando Magic offseason: Reopening Jordan Poole discussions
The original trade proposal
Jordan Poole will make $28.7 million in the first season of his new contract extension next season. That is a big price tag to including a trade.
But the Orlando Magic will have cap space this summer so they are not obligated to fully match salary to make a deal work. They can send back less salary than Poole is making and absorb the difference into cap space.
It is important than to understand team goals. For the Magic it would be to add a shooter and offensive weapon in Poole. For the Golden State Warriors, it would be adding a player who can contribute to a championship-level team while also reducing their overall payroll — and thus their tax bill.
Here is the deal proposed by Fanspo:
That reality is one reason this proposed trade by Fanspo does not make much sense, as it adds $5.6 million to the Warriors’ luxury tax bill.
Other than the money, this deal immediately has another major problem.
Poole might be a starter, or he might be a high-end backup. Either way, the Magic love Markelle Fultz, and he has rounded into form as a solid starter, a great passer and defender even if his shot never fully develops.
The Magic want to keep Fultz, and the Warriors likely do not want him very much. Their system on offense is built around floor spacing, and with Draymond Green and Kevon Looney as rotation stalwarts, the Warriors would find it difficult to play Fultz heavy minutes. They would rather have a wing of some sort.
If the Magic want to keep Fultz, and the Warriors do not want Fultz but instead would love shooting and defense on the wing, perhaps we can tweak this deal a bit for both sides to be happier.
Orlando Magic offseason: Reopening Jordan Poole discussions
A new trade to bring Poole to the Magic
The Orlando Magic will likely want to hold onto as much of their young core as possible.
Chuma Okeke or Bol Bol could be included in a deal, but the best option available to fit what the Warriors would want is Gary Harris. He and Jonathan Isaac together do not hold a ton of value, but there is a way to make things balance out.
Here’s what such a trade would look like:
The Golden State Warriors probably like this trade a lot more. They shave a little money off of their luxury tax bill, and they get a player in Gary Harris who can step right into their rotation as a 3-and-D wing. Giving up Anthony Lamb hurts, as he was a true find by this front office and coaching staff, but it is worth it to get back the first-round pick, even if it’s likely to be a low one.
The true wild card here is Jonathan Isaac. He proved in the handful of games he played this past season that he is still a truly special talent, but he has played just 11 games in three seasons due to injury (and just 34 games the season before that). If healthy, he would be a dangerous weapon for Golden State, and likely worth his salary. If not, they can waive him next summer as his deal is non-guaranteed.
What about the Magic; would they make this trade?
Orlando Magic offseason: Reopening Jordan Poole discussions
Would the Magic make this trade for Poole?
The first point to get out of the way: Jordan Poole is a really good basketball player. Hot take city has taken over the internet in the wake of Poole’s shaky series against the Los Angeles Lakers, but dynamic on-ball shot creators with Poole’s range don’t grow on trees.
He is a better offensive guard than anyone on the Magic’s roster, full stop. There is a reason that he was connected to this team. And a reason that he seems like a player worth exploring, especially as the Magic seek upgrades to help them reach the postseason.
Yet the defensive issues are there. He is barely able to influence the game on that end, frequently floating out of position and lacking any strength to fight through contact or past screens. Add in that Poole is going to be paid like a low-end All-Star and his value is certainly not as high as the Warriors would have hoped.
Yet in this deal, the Magic are not giving up much.
Harris is a valued vet but he is nothing special, and he will likely be gone after next season, if not sooner. He might fetch them a first-round pick, but more likely a second. Isaac is a candidate to be cut because of his high salary and inability to get on the court.
It is not altogether that much to give up for a player with as much upside as Poole. He can explode for 30 points and six 3-pointers at seemingly any time. Playing on a Magic team with the defensive help to protect him on that end, his offensive firepower could be a huge asset to the team, and well worth buying low on this summer.
But this also illustrates the opportunity ahead of the Magic. They do not have to spend their cap room in free agency. Instead they can leverage players who might already be out the door to take on more salary and add a key starter to their growing core.
The trick will be picking the right player to make this investment on and push these chips in. That may not be something that happens this offseason. But the opportunity is there.
And Orlando will be a team that a team like the Warriors seek out to try to dump some salary. That is a chance for the Magic to get significantly better.