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2024 Orlando Magic Trade Value Column: From sellers to buyers

The Orlando Magic's posture entering this year's trade deadline has changed. For the first time, they are going out on the market looking for ways to improve their team. That starts with a careful evaluation of what they have and what they are willing to give up.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

A lot of focus for the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline is on the future at point guard and what the team does with Markelle Fultz.
A lot of focus for the Orlando Magic at the trade deadline is on the future at point guard and what the team does with Markelle Fultz. / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
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2024 Orlando Magic Trade Value Column

Category I - Vibe Checks

18. Admiral Schofield (Two-Way Contract) - Last Year: 17th

At this point, Admiral Schofield is on the roster just for the vibes. He has appeared in only 12 games this season and has logged zero minutes in the G-League with the Osceola Magic. That is peculiar for a player on a two-way contract.

Schofield is in his final year of eligibility for that two-way contract. Everyone knows it. And the Magic will not likely spend a roster spot on him next year.

But Schofield is one of the most beloved players in the locker room. There is a reason they want to keep him around.

It is not for the basketball. Schofield is there purely for the vibes. That is fine. Everyone needs a vibes guy. But Schofield, while proving he is versatile, has not established a sure spot in the NBA.

17. Kevon Harris (Two-Way Contract) - Last Year: 16th

Kevon Harris had a strong season last year. He looked like a gritty, change-of-pace guard who could defend and play bigger than his size. He looked like someone who could scratch the back end of a roster. It was going to be hard to replace his energy or ignore it.

It felt like Harris was one of the highest-level two-way players in the league. Harris looked like a real find.

This year has been a struggle, though. He appeared in only three minutes of one game on the main roster and 13 games with the Osceola Magic (averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent from beyond the arc).

Harris had a knee injury in training camp that kept him out early in the season. That has slowed things down for Harris in his second two-way season.

He is showing he can still make an impact at the G-League level. But his opportunities with the main roster have become few and far between.

16. Chuma Okeke (1-year, $5.3 million) - Last Year: 14th

There were such high hopes for Chuma Okeke.

Even with the Orlando Magic waiting a gap year for him to recover from a torn ACL, Okeke was the kind of versatile defender and wing shooter the Magic felt they would need. He seemed like someone who could support the 2019 core as the team grew and maintained the size Jeff Weltman sought.

Injuries after returning from the ACL slowed him down a ton. The pandemic may have slowed down the end of his recovery from his college injury. So many things seemed to pile on Okeke and keep him from realizing his full potential.

Slowly, much of his defensive value got wilted away. His shot was inconsistent at best. And the Magic almost ran no plays for him in the post and inside of the 3-point line after Jamahl Mosley took over for Steve Clifford.

Okeke got lost in the shuffle and quickly fell out of the rotation as the Magic entered a new era.

The Magic would probably love to find a team that wants to believe in Okeke enough to retain his restricted free-agent rights or give him a second draft chance.

But players are kind of what they are at the end of their rookie contracts. Okeke has a lot of potential that has gone unrealized both for things in and out of his control.

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