This is the week.
All the rumors. All the conversations. All the potential. All the hand-wringing. It is all supposed to end this week.
Everyone around the NBA has been sucked into the gravitational pull of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions as the first domino to fall in this offseason. The Bucks seemingly want to get the deal done before Tuesday's first round of the Draft to amass as much draft capital as possible to kick-start their rebuild.
All signs and reporting continue to point toward the Miami Heat as having the strongest offer. But a deal has not been struck. And teams are seemingly still circling trying to see what they can get.
Until then, it seems like anyone with the gumption could jump in and make something happen. Nobody is being released from its orbit.
The Orlando Magic have been closer to the eye of this storm at various points during this saga.
Pundits have tried to bring Antetokounmpo to the Magic all offseason. There have been various reports trying to tie the Magic to Antetokounmpo -- and still are, even as "dark horses." And the hiring of Sean Sweeney only seemed to put chum in the waters for the sharks to circle.
The chances of the Magic going for the big fish in this year's offseason always seemed a bit far-fetched.
Throughout the offseason, even in the immediate aftermath of the Magic's Game 7 loss, Jeff Weltman stood by his roster and said he believed in his team. He repeated that during Sweeney's introductory press conference on Thursday.
"We are having a lot of discussions at different levels," Weltman said during Sweeney's introductory press conference. "At the end of the day, we are bullish on this group. We like the team. We are eager to see how they look as coached by Sean. We'll see what comes along between now and the Draft."
That only echoed what he said during an interview with 96.9 The Game's Game On where he spoke about other teams liking the Magic's individual players. And he reiterated that point with Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel when he said the rumors only confirm the Magic have desired players they want to trade for.
All public indications from Weltman are that he wants to keep his starting lineup intact.
This week, everyone will see if that is a promise he will follow through on or public negotiating posture.
It should feel clearer the Magic are not doing some massive restructuring. They are not going for the big fish. They are avoiding the unrealistic storm.
But still, its pull is clear. And the Magic are not satisfied with their place in the Eastern Conference. Even if a big deal is unlikely, they seem to believe they could pursue something if they want.
And so, everyone waits.
The Magic are not content
Of course, this is a time of year where everyone is throwing up smoke screens.
Even though Jeff Weltman does not typically negotiate through the media, he is not immune to trying to throw teams off the scent or not being too available. Part of his posture of saying he likes his team is almost certainly some negotiating tactic.
The Magic are not happy about a third straight first-round exit. Changing coaches is a sure sign of that.
The question is what can the Magic do about it this summer? What are they willing to do about it?
"I don't want to say we're content ever. I don't want to use that word. We have the 46th pick, and we like our team a lot," Jeff Weltman said during Sean Sweeney's introductory press conference. "I don't know what that's going to mean. We're having a lot of conversations with teams. This is our job. We have to explore opportunities and figure out where we can get better. I have spoken to you guys often about the financial compression that we're facing. We are working on margins here on ways to improve the team."
The Magic are likely working on the margins. The only free agent tool they have is the taxpayer mid-level exception. That means trades are the only way this team drastically improves the roster.
Even if the Magic are not fishing for something big, something big may still find them. And they need to be ready.
Other teams are certainly circling even if the Magic have mostly stayed out of the reported rumor mill. Orlando certainly believes it has players teams around the league might want.
Our friends at Dunking With Wolves have been eyeing Jalen Suggs as a solid pivot if the big trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo falls through. A trade centered on Suggs and involving Rudy Gobert is possible.
They are not the only Wolves blog interested in Suggs. And surely not the only team interested in him, considering his impact for the Magic.
He is likely not the only player garnering some interest. The question is whether the Magic believe that is worth the cost. And whether the Magic are giving up too much with their limited resources to remain competitive.
That is always what held the Magic back from being a legitimate partner with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Giannis storm is pulling others into its orbit
While the Orlando Magic are not likely looking to do anything major to their roster, every move in the NBA's offseason seems to be in suspended animation, waiting for the Milwaukee Bucks to move Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The potential for that trade to be a sprawling multi-team trade has put everyone in traction. It is hard for anything to get done with how vital this move could be to tipping the scales throughout the league.
That the Miami Heat, long believed to be Antetokounmpo's favored destination, have been unable to get a deal done suggests the Bucks are holding out for more. Indeed,
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that other teams are still calling the Bucks' asking price "unrealistic" as they check in and try to get in -- the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves have both reportedly been in touch, but nobody is moving the heaven and earth the Bucks are looking for.
There have even been some reports that the Bucks will take this past the Draft and into July. That feels like a threat as the Bucks seem eager to extract draft capital to jumpstart their rebuild.
This is why the league seems stuck right now. And anything the Magic want to do is left waiting. Even if it is something small.
Soon the offseason begins. And everyone will find out what the league has planned.
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