There are now less than three weeks before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5.
The Orlando Magic are on the cusp of contention. They hope they will be healthy enough to get a fair assessment of their roster to understand what they need to add to make a final playoff push.
But their trade deadline goal and what the team seems likely to do at the deadline have become more obvious by the day.
Orlando's primary goal at the trade deadline will be to get under the luxury tax line to avoid starting the team's repeater clock. That makes acquiring a player of value to boost the lineup much more difficult.
Despite the Magic needing to shore up their roster, they are essentially sellers at the trade deadline.
It seems equally clear which player the Magic will ultimately sell too.
Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line that the Magic have been surveying the league to see if they could salary dump Tyus Jones, receiving only a second round pick in return, in their efforts to get under the tax.
It is perhaps the most predictable and obvious move the Magic could make -- Sam Quinn of CBS Sports predicts the Washington Wizards will be the lucky team.
Jones has not worked out well for the Magic. He is an easy candidate to be moved.
Perhaps a too obvious answer for the Magic's tax problems considering how much in the shadows the Magic tend to work. There is nary a hint of who the Magic might be targeting with this desire to move Jones as the only tangible rumor on the rumor mill.
The closer the team seems to get to the deadline, the more obvious the trade they will make becomes.
The Magic are sure of only one thing at the deadline
The Orlando Magic are not sure about a lot of things about their team.
Even if they were not worried about their tax bill and working to straighten their books, figuring out what they would need to acquire at the trade deadline would be difficult.
Other than the obvious needs -- more shooting, perhaps another playmaker and maybe even some added defensive depth off the bench -- the Magic cannot pinpoint exactly what they need.
The Magic's opening night starting lineup has played only 117 minutes together in 11 games. There is still a lot we do not know about this Magic team. And that leaves precious little time to figure out what the team should be hunting for at the trade deadline.
Moe Wagner is back from a more than yearlong absence recovering from a torn ACL. Franz Wagner just returned from a five-week absence with a high ankle sprain. Jalen Suggs is supposedly not too far from returning from the MCL contusion that has kept him out for the last few weeks.
The team could get a few weeks to figure out what it has and make some quick assessments ahead of the deadline.
That is what the trade deadline should be about. It should be about trying to find the holes in the team and seeking ways to improve the roster.
But Orlando's primary goal for the deadline is abundantly clear. And it has little to do with filling needs to gear up for a Playoff push.
At roughly $5.6 million above the luxury tax line, the Magic have every motivation to dip under the tax and avoid starting their repeater clock with several big salaries about to become active starting next season.
That is why everything at the deadline has been about trying to get under the tax. It is about saving money before the team gets super expensive.
Clearing a tax bill is not the most exciting thing for a contending team to seek at the deadline.
Tyus Jones has not worked out
The Orlando Magic's options to clear salary appear to settle on Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze and Tyus Jones.
Only Isaac would likely net a player with a salary that could contribute to the team in the short term. But the Magic still need Isaac to contribute on defense. And he has been a drain on offense. It would be tough to see a team giving up anything of value for him.
Goga Bitadze is still vital as a backup big while Moe Wagner gets up and running. But he too could have a market. But he would only net a $3 million player in return with his salary to get the Magic under the cap.
The best answer for the Magic, it would appear would be to cut bait with the veteran backup point guard in Tyus Jones. He is the player the team could most afford to lose.
Quite simply, Jones has not worked out.
Jones is averaging a career-low 3.2 points per game. He is shooting a career-worst 28.6 percent from three.
Jones has remained a stabilizing force on offense, able to get the team into the offense and able to play with minimal mistakes. His 0.6 turnovers per 36 minutes is a career-low for a career noted for his low turnover rate.
But that is simply not enough. Jones has not provide the shooting and spacing the Magic hoped for along with his veteran know-how at point guard. As expected, he has struggled on defense too.
His backup, rookie Jase Richardson, has flourished in his limited minutes. Richardson has been itching for more playing time and has proven much more impactful as a scorer -- 5.9 points per game and 42.9 percent shooting in his limited minutes.
That is the perfect condition to clear the runway for a younger player. Orlando could also look to the buyout market to fill in with a veteran point guard. The team has an empty roster spot and would have the room under the tax to sign a new player.
And, as the Magic get healthier, it will be easier to shrink the rotation. Anthony Black's emergence -- and promise as a playmaker in recent games -- should help the Magic shrink to a nine-man rotation.
All the signs are pointing toward the Magic making a simple move like this -- trading Jones for a second-round pick to clear space and get under the tax.
It feels inevitable at this point.