3 Orlando Magic players who are expendable, 3 the team can't afford to trade
3 Orlando Magic players who are expendable, 3 the team can't afford to trade
Expendable: Gary Harris
The last thing the Orlando Magic should be thinking of getting rid of is shooting.
The team entered Friday's game ranked 30th in attempts per game and 25th in 3-point field goal percentage. Orlando has been able to get by and find ways to attack and score, but shooting remains the big bugaboo for the team and will surely come up in the Playoffs.
Any questions anyone has about any particular player on this roster usually come down to their shooting.
The Magic have made some strides in that area despite the overall numbers going down -- Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs especially have taken a huge step forward with their shooting.
So why put Gary Harris on this list? Why would he be expendable?
Some of it is contract timing. Harris is a veteran player (another big need for the Magic) with an expiring contract. If the Magic are going to be sniffing for something in this year's trade market at the deadline, it is likely to involve Harris and his $13 million expiring contract.
Harris has had his struggles this year too.
After shooting 43.1 percent from three last year and 38.4 percent the year before, Harris is down to 36.2 percent this year on 4.2 attempts per game. The percentage being down has hurt the Magic who rely on Harris to be that floor spacer and shooter.
It also does not help that Harris and the Magic's other shooters just do not shoot at volume. Trying to figure out how to get him and the Magic's other shooters more shots and open shots is going to be one of the bigger challenges for this Magic offense.
That is why Harris is so important. But it is also why there are some wondering eyes when it comes to him.
Orlando trusts him for a spot start. But it is also an area where they can clearly get an upgrade. The Magic absolutely need a player exactly like Harris. The question is whether they can find a better version of this specific player.
Harris though is both vitally important and potentially expendable at this point. And his struggles this year have only heightened the questions about him.