It is pretty well agreed upon at this point among Orlando Magic fans that the team needs to make an injection of offense.
The team is 29th in the league in offensive rating, ahead of only the woeful Washington Wizards, and is posting the worst 3-point field goal percentage the league has seen in more than a decade.
Orlando's defense has finally seemed to collapse under the weight of the team's poor offense and injuries. Not even Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's return from injury has provided much relief.
As the trade deadline approaches Thursday, the Magic must ask themselves some hard truths about this season and beyond it.
With about one-third of the season remaining, Orlando does not appear likely to meet either last year's win total or their seeding goals. It certainly does not feel like the team will be a sure thing to get out of the first round.
Even if you excuse the injuries, the Magic likely stagnated as a team in the 4/5 series with a coin flip to advance but not among the contending teams in the Eastern Conference. Orlando needs to improve the roster to get where they want to go.
But the Magic are not making a move just to make a move. The move the Magic want to make is not something that is designed to save this season. Orlando is thinking about its future too. A future the team hopes leads it to championship contention.
It is easy when going shopping in the trade market to let your eyes get big and get enamored by big names. With Saturday night's wild trade of Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, anything seems possible.
What the Magic do not want to do is make a panic trade and box themselves in. They do not want to go after a big name just to fill the marquee who may not live up to the billing.
Not all trades are created equal. And just because you win the headlines on trade deadline day does no mean you actualy win the trade in the long run.
Orlando must make a trade but the team has to act with caution and precision. And chasing these players at the deadline might make some sense, but could be disastrous for the team.
3. Bradley Beal
On paper, the idea of trading for a player like Bradley Beal would be a coup.
Beal is one of the best shooters in the league, hitting 40.0 percent of his threes this year and 37.6 percent for his career. He can create off the dribble and has been a playmaker in the past. He can score at all three levels, although at 31 he is not driving nearly as much.
Beal is still a dynamic scorer, hitting a high of 28 points twice this year. He is still averaging 17.0 points per game even playing in a lineup with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
But, Beal is still starting to slow down. He was taken out of the starting lineup in early January—he is averaging a very solid 15.5 points per game and 42.2 percent shooting from three. That has preserved him to some extent. But he is not the same player he was when he led the Washington Wizards. His defense has certainly regressed and he was never much of a defender.
Still, Beal would be a good basketball fit for his shooting. He would fit in around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as a good outlet for them to dish to.
But Beal has a long history of injuries. He has already missed 12 games this year and that has been a bright spot for him in his career. He has played in 60 games just once in the last five seasons.
And that does not get to the peculiarities of his contract.
Beal has two more years on his contract at $53.7 million in 2026 and a player option at $57.1 million in 2027. He is owed $50.2 million. Getting to his salary number for a trade is difficult on its own.
Beyond that salary, Beal is one of the few players with a no-trade clause. And that would carry over with him to his new team. That remains one of the impediments to the Suns trading him.
If a deal with Beal does not work out, he would have control over whether he leaves. And that is assuming Beal wants to come to Orlando too.
There are at least some rumored conversations between the Magic and the Suns—Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm wrote the Magic had conversations over Grayson Allen (11.1 points per game and a 43.5 percent 3-point shooter) and Jusuf Nurkic (a bruising big man who has fallen out of the Suns' rotation).
Beal feels like a stretch with Beal wanting to play for a clear title contender, which the Magic are not. For now, it is probably an option the Magic should avoid even if there is some basketball sense.
2. Zach LaVine
If there is one former All-Star the Orlando Magic could target at the trade deadline, it feels like Zach LaVine is the one.
The Chicago Bulls, sitting in 10th in the Eastern Conference, seem to be going nowhere and even with the possibility of the postseason yet again, they seem ready to hit the reset button at long last.
They picked a good time because despite the team's middling record and position in the standings, their two stars are playing well. So well that some Magic fans are wistful about a Nikola Vucevic reunion.
That is not in the cards.
But the prospect of adding Zach LaVine has been on Magic fans' minds for several years. And it feels as close as ever now.
LaVine would be a brilliant fit for the team. He could come in and be an elite spot-up shooter—43.5 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers according to Second Spectrum, and no one on the Magic is shooting better than 36.5 percent (and that is Moe Wagner).
He could also be the dynamic third scorer and offensive player to create shots and ease the offensive burden on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. He has some playmaking and point guard experience too and could help with the team's creation.
LaVine has had something of a renaissance this year.
He is averaging 24.0 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent from three. He may not have the same gaudy scoring bursts, but he is very capable of them still. Especially if he is surrounded by other offensive creators who can ease his usage and scoring burden.
LaVine would elevate the Magic's offense. In a vacuum, this is the exact kind of star the Magic should consider attacking.
But that is not how this works. There are a lot of other considerations.
LaVine has been healthy this season, playing in 42 of Chicago's 49 games (he has missed the last two for the birth of his child). But he played in only 25 games last season due to a knee injury. He has cleared 70 games just once in nine seasons. He hit 60 games four times in the last nine years.
There are health concerns. And that only compounds when looking at his contract.
LaVine is owed $43.0 million this season, $46.0 million in 2026 and a player option for $49.0 million in 2027. That is a lot of money and puts the Magic well over the apron when Paolo Banchero's anticipated extension kicks in.
Maybe that is the team the Magic want to ride to title contention. if they believe in that group that much, Orlando might be worth putting the offer in. But it kills all their future flexibility to make adjustments to the roster.
1. De'Aaron Fox
In one respect, De'Aaron Fox checks the most key box for the Orlando Magic. He is one of the best point guards in the league and would give the team a proven, All-Star-level attacker and passer who can get downhill the way the Magic like and be the elite passer. More than that, he would force the Magic to play faster and with more possessions.
Fox is still an All-Star-level player averaging 25.1 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. He is shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and posts a 28.9 percent usage rate.
Fox has long stretches in the season where he takes games over completely and wins games by himself. The Magic have been victims of Fox's clutch shooting throughout his career.
Fox would be a solid addition to the team and the Magic would be able to adjust to having a true point guard on the roster.
But there should also be some concerns.
Fox is shooting 32.1 percent from three this year and is a career 33.3 percent 3-point shooter. He is shooting 31.9 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
Fox then has two demerits working against him: He does not solve the Magic's shooting problems at all, even if he would improve the team's attacking options and playmaking. He might make the shooting worse considering what the Magic would likely have to give up.
The second is he takes the ball out of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's hands in a significant way.
Perhaps Banchero and Wagner need fewer playmaking and point guard possessions. But Fox needs the ball in his hands a lot, and not just because he is a point guard. His poor 3-point shooting and spacing mean the offense has to center on his movement and his touches.
That is not what the Magic want, unless they no longer believe Banchero and Wagner can carry that load. That seems unlikely.
That does not even get into the contract the Magic would have to sign Fox to. They would have to commit to his long-term future. The Kings are looking to move Fox because the two sides could not come to a contract agreement. This would have to be the long-term play for Orlando if this is the path the team pursues.
So while the prospect of adding a player of Fox's pedigree seems like a good one and he checks off a few boxes, he does not check off the big one and is a player the Magic probably should not be ready to go all-in on.