It is no secret the Orlando Magic are a team on the rise in the league. It is also no secret the Magic have some major flaws.
While Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's absence predictably exposed flaws within the team as losing the top two players on any team would, it also made clear what the team is missing to support them.
The lack of outside shooting is an easy one as the Magic are last in the league in 3-point field goal percentage. But a lot of that comes to from the lack of downhill playmakers and creators. That has been painfully obvious as the quality fo the Magic's shooting decreases.
Banchero's imminent return and Wagner's likely return in February will alleviate some of those concerns. The Magic are playing with one hand tied behind their back.
But they exist nonetheless. So it is no surprise the Magic will be connected to the best playmaker expected to hit the trade market in the next month.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported the Magic are "known to be contemplating" a pursuit of All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox as the Sacramento Kings' situation continues to devolve after the firing of coach Mike Brown last week. It is the first concrete rumor linking the Magic to the star player after idle speculation had seemingly connected the two.
And it makes sense. The Magic need a point guard, a downhill attacker and someone who can push the pace. Fox would transform the Magic's offense and give them someone who can score in his own right and create easier looks for their two star players.
It would be silly for the Magic not to kick the tires on Fox and explore the idea—even if they end up sitting out this round of superstar trade roulette.
This will not be the last time the Magic are involved with rumors. But with five weeks before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Magic have to begin contemplating what their team needs to improve and whether they should make a deal mid-season.
Orlando is kind of in an in-between space. And that leaves their trade deadline goals difficult to decipher.
Are the Magic interested in improving their roster in the short term to improve their playoff standing? Are the Magic more content to let the team grow and develop naturally and wait to add to the team or do so slowly?
It is hard to get a sense of what the Magic’s goals are. Are they a team willing to sell out to supplement the roster before the playoffs? Or are they willing to stick it out with a young roster and let things grow naturally?
A new position, same considerations
The Orlando Magic are new to being buyers on the market. The team is winning and competing for homecourt advantage. Orlando hopes to leap into title contention in the next few years—and when their two stars are finally healthy.
The Magic though are in a unique position. They are threading a very fine needle.
The Magic are on the cusp of contention, sitting at fourth in the Eastern Conference after their breakthrough playoff showing last year. But they are still a young team. Orlando wants to give Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner plenty of room to grow and expand their games. That goes for Jalen Suggs and his experiment at point guard or Anthony Black.
It is clear the Magic likely need an injection of shooting and playmaking to take the leap to contender status. But Orlando has no reason to force that injection. They can still depend on internal development.
That will not last forever. They know it. Everyone on the roster knows it. The question then is what are the Magic's goals for this trade deadline? What are the Magic's goals for their next phase?
Orlando is a winning team. It would make sense the team would be trying to push to get better. The team should have ambitions to advance out of the first round and win a playoff series. To do that, the Magic must find better playmaking and more 3-point shooting. Those are obvious needs.
But the Magic are also a developing team. They remain one of the youngest teams in the league.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has preached the team’s continuity. It does not seem like he is set to break things apart or throw a variable into the mix midseason. But he surely must also understand this is not a title-contending team yet. Even if they are moving in that direction.
Opportunistic dealing
Where does that leave the Orlando Magic at this year’s trade deadline then?
That probably leaves them still looking to be opportunistic.
They are probably looking for ways to improve, but they are not going all-out to do so. The Magic want to win, but they are not all-out on winning this year. They know they are building for a title in the future, not for one this year. This is still a development season.
The trade deadline is typically used to set up the postseason—whether that is preparing for the playoffs or clearing the books for the offseason. Orlando's goals for this year's playoffs are not clear. And the Magic are not desperate to do anything.
The fact they have stayed afloat without Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner seemingly makes a trade less likely. Orlando keeps telling itself the team has enough.
The Magic have positioned themselves to make that big move soon too. That is part of what they did in re-signing players this offseason. The Magic are loaded with movable deals on a winning team to make that next big move.
The question will be about timing.
It is probably too early to tell exactly what the Magic will do.
After all, they have seen only five games with Paolo Banchero. They have not seen what this team can do at full strength with the new version of Franz Wagner. And part of what Orlando has to do as it approaches February’s trade deadline is what this team looks like at full strength.
Wagner could return in early February. But that will not give the Magic enough time to see the whole picture.
That points to the Magic waiting to see how the team plays out this season and how they react to the playoffs again before making final decisions on the roster and how to continue building with it. They may make a move on the margins to boost their depth and bench shooting. But even there, they have young players they want to remain invested in.
Orlando ultimately can sit back and wait too because the team is making the progress the team wanted to see. It has been a successful season to this point. Orlando is on track to achieve its goal of getting homecourt advantage—even with Banchero on the shelf.
Still, a lot can happen in the next five weeks. Things change quickly in the league. The Magic are not about to become sellers and shed everyone on the roster. They are looking to make the roster better.
It is just a matter of time—at the deadline or not.