The rest of the league knows the Orlando Magic are a team to reckon with.
They know when they face the Magic they are facing a physical defensive team with two bruising playmaking forwards. This season may feel like a step back because of the injuries the team has faced, but the Magic's upward trajectory is not completely halted or interrupted.
Everyone recognizes the challenges that come from handling Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner along with this team's defense.
But the Magic have some deep-seated and obvious issues.
The team's shooting remains a huge question mark. The team is still poor on offense. Even in Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic struggled to find their footing on offense. A 109.5 offensive rating is not inspiring anyone—the team won with a 131.8 offensive rating in the second half.
Everyone knows the Magic need some scoring and shooting help. Especially their opponents.
When visiting teams roll through Orlando, it is common for local media to ask the opposing team for their thoughts on the Magic. When someone asked former Portland Trail Blazers and current Charlotte Hornets center Jusuf Nurkic about the Magic's two young stars, his mind went elsewhere. It went to where many Magic fans' minds have been for a while.
Nurkic has his eyes on a specific trade target for the Magic
"I think they are a really good young team and they are doing a really good job," Nurkic said after Wednesday's game in Orlando. "They have a really good coaching staff but I think they are missing one player. I can't name it, but that's my little fella from Portland. But I love my Portland people. But I think they are waiting and missing one player to be a really good team."
Magic fans likely agree and believe the Magic are missing one key player. And Magic fans probably agree with Nurkic on the player he is thinking about.
Altamonte Springs-native and Trail Blazers' sparkplug Anfernee Simons has long been on the target list and was among the players Magic fans wanted the most at the trade deadline.
Simons is averaging 18.6 points per game and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 37.4 percent this season. He is a career 38.4 percent 3-point shooter. His mix of shooting and playmaking seemed like a perfect fit.
Perhaps it still will be.
None of the targets many Magic fans were looking at for the trade deadline got dealt. It could be the Magic were not willing to pay the price at the deadline for them—Jeff Weltman intimated this publicly saying teams were trying to "squeeze" them with the team in such a rut. Those negotiations and interests may reopen in the offseason.
Orlando should still be in a position to make a trade this offseason. The team will be a tax team next year with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs' extension kicking in. The Magic will have to deal with the first apron once Paolo Banchero's extension begins in the 2027 season.
Fitting in Anfernee Simons and his expiring $27.7 million salary for next year without any sense of what he wants in an extension could be part of the reason the Magic were hesitant to deal for him—or any of the team's main targets.
Still, everyone recognizes the Magic must bite the bullet on somebody and must be aggressive with somebody this offseason. Orlando starts to lose flexibility with its spending beyond next season.
The frustration coming out of the deadline is centered on the team not taking that step now when the team so clearly needs an injection of offense. Everyone can see it. Clearly opponents see the team needing a big piece too.
Nurkic might be the only person with the freedom to say the quiet part out loud.
Maybe Simons is that guy. Fans certainly still believe so.
And now they have a former teammate of Simons endorsing that move too.
The Magic will wait to see what wriggles free in the offseason. The Magic will have to do something this offseason. And maybe this option is still on the table (if it ever was).