The Orlando Magic likely want to put everything in stasis when they think about their place in the Eastern Conference pecking order.
For the immediate future, the team they put on the court is not the one they envisioned and it is certainly not the one they will finish the season with (they hope). It probably will not be the one they finish the calendar year with considering Paolo Banchero anticipates a return around Christmas.
Whatever issues the Magic might have for the next few weeks are not likely the things they will be concerned with as the season gets to its stretch run. Just like many of the problems the Magic experienced since Paolo Banchero's injury with Franz Wagner as the lead player are a product of missing such a critical player.
Orlando got only a five-game look at its lineup with both Banchero and Wagner. The team probably does not have a full idea of what they look like at their fullest power and more importantly what they need to achieve their goals or inch closer to winning a title.
That is reason enough to believe a trade is not coming immediately even with the team dealing with these absences.
Orlando has been threading a very narrow needle too trying to give their young players like Franz Wagner, Paolo Banhero, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black room to make mistakes and grow while still trying to win and compete for a top seed in the East.
They are a team looking for short-term success but still preparing for a long-term outlook. The Magic are not selling out on this season and not looking for short-term fixes.
But. . . even without seeing their full roster play together for an extended period, it is clear where there are shortcomings.
While the Magic have one of the best defenses in the league, their offense leaves a lot to be desired. They are still last in the league in 3-point field goal percentage and 23rd in offensive rating overall. The Magic still could use an improvement on offense.
Fans have emphasized the need for more playmaking and creation, something that has become evident with how reliant on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner the offense has become (they are the only two players averaging more than 10.0 drives per game). And the team needs more dependable shooting. They always need more dependable shooting.
Trade season in the NBA officially opens on Sunday when most contracts signed in the offseason are available to be traded. Few teams will take this starting gun as a sign to start wheeling and dealing before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. But it does mean we are deep enough into the season to start thinking about improving each team and planning for the Playoffs and the offseason.
The Magic will have to consider what they are willing to part with when the trade deadline comes up—Gary Harris and Cole Anthony seem to be the favored targets along with one of the Magic's two first-round picks for the highly anticipated 2025 NBA Draft. They could also part with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after his poor start to the season on offense even with how vital he has become defensively.
But more importantly, the Magic have to know what to pursue. And who might be available on the market.
The Magic are probably not in a great position to answer that question yet. No team probably is even at this stage of the season, although the contours of their season have become clearer. The market is taking shape as the trade winds begin to pick up in earnest.
Everyone can at least speculate (as we just did above) who is available.
Orlando should be buyers at this deadline. They should be relative buyers for the near future—even with the potential to be over the tax next year. The Magic seem eager to push the team forward.
The question is when does that move come and who will they look to add to this team? Here are some early candidates for the Magic to pursue at the deadline:
5. Dennis Schröder, Brooklyn Nets
From the beginning of the season, this seems like the player Orlando Magic fans have been circling the most. They have become fans of Schröder because of his play for the national team playing alongside Franz and Moe Wagner.
It has been hard not to be impressed with how Schröder has evolved and matured. He is a solid veteran who knows how to control the tempo of a game and hunt his own shot. He is an underrated player in almost every facet.
Schröder has been essential to the Brooklyn Nets, who have surprised everyone with a 10-14 record placing them in the Play-In conversation. Schröder is averaging 18.6 points and 6.5 assists per game and shooting 38.5 percent from three, able to space the floor as effectively as he creates. He would add a lot to the Magic.
His veteran composure has been vital to the Nets too. They have a -11.8 net rating when Schröder is off the floor, scoring only 103.9 points per 100 possessions.
For Magic fans who want a point guard stabilizer who can add another creator to the mix, Schröder seems like a perfect mid-season fit, especially because he already has playing relationships with Franz and Moe Wagner.
Everyone anticipates Brooklyn will begin selling soon too, sticking to a long-term rebuild plan. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report the Nets are looking for at least one first-round pick in any deal involving him. It appears he could be had in February.
Schröder is a quick fix though. He becomes a free agent next summer. The team that acquires him would not gain his Bird Rights, making it tough for a potential tax team like the Magic to re-sign him.
4. Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
The Orlando Magic seem to have a specific type they are looking to add to their team. They are still in the talent-gather and culture-shaping phase of their rebuild. Orlando likely passed on several players in free agency because they did not fit the team's desire to have five defensive players and help them build this elite defense.
For Orlando, finding a playmaker or point guard was secondary. Doubling down on the defense was king. That is why Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seemed to be the primary target from the beginning.
But it is becoming clearer, the Magic could use another player who could attack. So where could the Magic find another attacker who can work off the ball and add to the team's defense?
Perhaps the top target on the Magic's secret trade deadline wishlist should be Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton.
Sexton is averaging 16.8 points per game and 3.2 assists per game, but he has averaged nearly 5.0 assists per game at various times in his career. He is shooting 43.2 percent from three this year and is at 38.7 percent for his career.
Sexton earned a reputation for his fiery competitiveness dating back to his days at Alabama in college.
He has found his footing with the Jazz. And this year on a bad defensive team, Utah has a 116.9 defensive rating with Sexton on the floor (2.1 points per 100 possessions better than the team's overall average). The Jazz have a -17.2 net rating with Sexton off the floor (102.3/119.5 split), the worst mark for Utah.
Veterans matter for young teams as Dennis Schröder proved with the Brooklyn Nets too.
Sexton has a reasonable contract too—$18.4 million this year and $19.2 million next year before he hits free agency. If Orlando feels like it needs to make a play to improve the roster this year to make a deeper push, Sexton would be a good place to put their money, especially with the Jazz as clear sellers at this deadline.
3. Cameron Johnson, Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are expected to be active at the trade deadline as they navtigate the deep rebuild they are trying to execute. Their problem is that their veteran players are playing well and winning games. The Nets have established a solid identity.
The front office may not let that last as they want to add to a treasure trove of picks and go younger to reset the franchise.
A lot of teams will start then with forward Cameron Johnson.
Johnson is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game and hitting 43.4 percent of his threes. He is making 43.2 percent of his 5.4 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game, according to data from Second Spectrum.
That shooting ability is enticing for a Magic team that is still last in the league in 3-point shooting. And with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner likely back and up and running by the time the deadline rolls around, they should figure to be able to create more spot-up opportunities that a player like Johnson can thrive on.
Johnson's size too would fit with the Magic's overall philosophy. And he has proven himself to be a willing defender from his time with the Phoenix Suns.
There is at least some reporting suggesting the Magic are linked to Johnson dating back to the offseason. If that is true, it would not be surprising if they are still at least somewhat interested in him.
The question would be about fit. The Magic's two forward spots are already filled. Unless the plan is to slide one to play shooting guard, Johnson would become a super sixth man. That is asking a lot for a player with two more years left at more than $20 million per year unless he becomes a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
2. Kevin Huerter, Sacramento Kings
There are a lot of obvious names on the market. We have hit many of them here. But the obvious players are the ones that will cost a lot to bring in. They are the ones everyone is going after.
And if there is one thing we know about the Orlando Magic, they rarely do the obvious thing. The Magic usually work in the background and sneak up on people. The front office is notoriously leak-proof and their moves have snuck up on a lot of people.
This is to say, do not believe any leaks purporting to know what the Magic are doing. Or at least look at them with some skepticism (we will still report them and weigh what we think of them).
A lot of Magic fans have looked at every name on this list in some capacity already (except for this one). So who is a dark-horse trade target for the Magic? I would look at Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Huerter as a potential Gary Harris replacement.
The Kings are struggling this year and seem eager to make a deal to try to rescue this season after getting out to a 12-13 start and sitting outside the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference. They are struggling to stay up.
Huerter's struggles are at least part of the reason why. The guard is scoring 10.0 points per game (down from 10.2 last year) but shooting only 32.3 percent from three on 5.8 attempts per game this year.
Right now Huerter is a shooter who is struggling to shoot. But it could be a situation where he needs a change of scenery. And the Magic could use another volume 3-point shooter whom defenses have to respect.
Huerter would be a reasonable financial risk too—$16.8 million this year and $18.0 million next year. So if the Magic feel his shooting can turn around and could fit in with the Magic he might be a risk worth taking. And he may not cost a lot to get him.
But Orlando has to be wary of the tax for the next few years. Huerter may not be the right guy to dip into the tax for.
Orlando could be looking to free up time for Jett Howard to get more looks. That might be more what would make them move Gary Harris and his $7.5 million salary or move on from Cole Anthony and his $12.9 million salary to a Kings team that might need more playmaking.
Huerter would be trading on reputation more than production right now. But the Kings need to make a move and could be desperate for some help.
1. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
When fans talk about trades, they tend to talk about the big moves. They want the star players that grab headlines and make the nation talk. They rarely talk about swapping role players or finding the right player to support the team's stars. Everyone wants the headlines.
It is usually the latter kind of deal that becomes more consequential rather than the former. The teams that push all their chips in for a star at the trade deadline especially rarely come out looking good at the end of the season. And then they find themselves scrambling to fill in their rotations—look at the Philadelphia 76ers or even the Phoenix Suns right now.
The Orlando Magic, especially preparing to hand Paolo Banchero a max deal after all the other contracts they have handed out, do not seem likely to pursue a star of Zach LaVine's caliber—or LaMelo Ball or any other near-max-level players.
That has not stopped plenty of speculation for the Magic to chase after LaVine, even with his contract (two more years after this one for nearly $95 million) and injury history, fills a lot of needs Magic fans feel they need.
LaVine is a scorer, averaging 22.1 points per game this year. He can go on long scoring binges, scoring 30 or 40 in any game. He can do that because he is a great 3-point shooter—43.2 percent this year with 43.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes according to Second Spectrum and 43.2 percent shooting on 4.2 pull-up 3-point shooting attempts per game.
As far as stars go, LaVine in theory would be someone who could fit in well to what the Magic need with his versatility to create off the dribble as a playmaker and scorer and spread the floor as a shooter.
Now is not the right time to push those chips in, especially with his inconsistent defensive record. Orlando is not looking to flirt with any of the aprons for the time being. But that pathway is there and there is at least fan interest to consider it.