Grading a mock trade that would see Magic give up on prized free agent signing already 

The Magic are still not at full force, playing without starters Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., but they are winning again. After some initial struggles without Banchero, Orlando turned things around and climbed back into the top three of the Eastern Conference. 

The Magic are winning again and excelling defensively, posting the second-best defensive rating in the league. Other aspects of the game are still not looking great, though. The Magic still rank 25th in offensive rating and last in 3-point percentage despite taking the 11th most threes per game in the league. Offensive production, particularly from three, was a concern for the Magic even before the season started. 

In 2023-24, the Magic did not take or make enough threes. Now, they are taking more threes but still not making them. No player in the Magic’s regular rotation is shooting better than 36 percent from three. Even Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was supposed to change the Magic’s 3-point shooting for the better, is only shooting 23.4 percent for the season so far. 

Due to those offensive struggles, it still seems that the Magic need to make a trade to reach the next level for good. They are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference already but a big part of that is also that several other teams are struggling. The Magic have the assets to make a significant move and improve offensively to get closer to where they need to be to compete with the Boston Celtics and the other championship contenders. 

Mock trades have been proposed to bring LaMelo Ball, Coby White, Zach LaVine, or Collin Sexton to Orlando. Preferred trade targets for the Magic are usually young, offensive-minded players, and the proposed deals include some combination of Cole Anthony, Jett Howard, and draft assets. 

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz went in a different direction. 

Proposed mock trade has Magic swap guards with Pelicans 

Swartz came up with the following trade between the Magic and Pelicans: 

Magic receive: CJ McCollum 

Pelicans receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Goga Bitadze, 2025 second-round pick

He reasons that Caldwell-Pope has not lived up to expectations in Orlando so far offensively, and McCollum could provide shooting, high-level scoring, and offensive creation. None of that is wrong—the Magic still need better spacing and creation on the offensive end—but there are still several issues with this trade from the Magic’s point of view. 

One is that they would have to give up Goga Bitadze. The Magic simply cannot rely on Wendell Carter Jr. and Jonathan Isaac to both stay healthy consistently. Bitadze provides crucial depth, rim protection, and a big inside presence the Magic desperately need. How would the team have looked in Carter Jr.’s absence without Bitadze there ready to step into the starting lineup? 

Moreover, McCollum does not fit the Magic’s timeline. If the team makes a big trade, it seems more likely that they will go after someone who could be with the team for a while and grow together with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. He has also been dealing with injuries in recent years. This season, McCollum has only played four games. 

Also, can the Magic really give up on their big offseason signing already? The Magic put a lot of effort into finding someone who can fit the team’s defensive identity over the summer. Even if he is struggling offensively at the moment, it does not seem like the Magic would trade Caldwell-Pope this early into his stint with the team and at least give him a chance to go to the playoffs first.

Caldwell-Pope has been a consistent 3-point shooter for most of his career, and that is not something that just disappears. Once Banchero returns and defenses have to focus on both him and Wagner, Caldwell-Pope will get better looks and hopefully rediscover his shot. 

The Magic should be able to find better options if they want to trade for an offensive-minded guard. McCollum would not be a bad fit in Orlando at all, and the Magic should definitely keep an eye on his situation, but giving up Caldwell-Pope and Bitadze just does not seem like the right move at the moment—the trade could be executed starting December 15. For now, this trade proposal will get a C from the Magic’s point of view but by the trade deadline in February, things may look different.