The NBA trade deadline is officially less than month away.
For the Orlando Magic, they are projecting to be buyers for the first time in a good while. With the young core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs trending upwards more than many believed before the start of the season, the front office has the ability for a few moves this deadline to kick up the success a notch.
Before the fans and Reddit threads go wild with superstar trades and packages full of future draft capital, the team is not likely to make those kinds of major moves or splashes.
The team will likely look first at the long-term development of their squad rather than try to add a quick fix to this team. Orlando currently has the fourth-youngest roster in the league. Two of those on their way to their first All-Star nods all the while.
With just one game currently separating the fourth seed (New York Knicks, 22-15) and the eighth spot (Orlando Magic, 21-16), each week needs to come out positive for the Magic as they jockey for a playoff spot for the first time since the 2020 bubble.
Injuries have hit the team hard recently. And the team has had to keep itself afloat in the meantime.
Jonathan Issac has only appeared in 21 games this year. Markelle Fultz has similar issues with only seven games played this year. Those injuries, coupled with lengthy time missed from Wendell Carter and a recent Franz Wagner ankle sprain, have made the roster fairly thin as the regular season progresses.
Even if the Magic are expected to be fairly quiet at the deadline, they still have to look at it as an opportunity to shore up the roster. It may not be something specifically focused on this year and the tight playoff race the Magic are currently engaged in. But the team clearly still needs some help.
This is still an opportunity to explore and grow the team.
There are a few players Orlando should target to fix a key issue on offense and bolster the squad as the postseason nears.
3 veterans the Orlando Magic should watch at the trade deadline
Harrison Barnes - F, Sacramento Kings (3 years/$54 million)
Starting with a veteran with a championship pedigree, Harrison Barnes fills some important roles if Orlando could swing a trade. The Kings have begun to evaluate the trade value for a couple of veterans, including the 2015 champion wing.
The plan heading into this season was to use both Gary Harris and new acquisition Joe Ingles as key bench pieces to plug and play for outside scoring and a calming presence down the stretch in games. They, however, rank seventh and 12th in minutes respectively, and ninth and 12th in scoring.
Not amazing, but there is a potential for Harris to be moved at the deadline for a player such as Barnes.
Barnes is a player Orlando could use on the offensive end. And like with Ingles and his composure and calm with the second unit, Barnes gives the team a veteran with championship experience that can help impart wisdom to the team while still contributing regularly on the floor.
As a full-time starter this year, he is not scoring a super high clip behind De'Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk. Barnes is averaging 10.9 points per game, his lowest point total since 2015. But he is still shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, the highest clip of his career.
He is super efficient when he gets shots up.
On defense, he is the perfect quick-footed defender with the ability to switch on to bigger forwards and smaller guards, as well. He is one of the few thankless vets who, because of his smaller role on offense, does not get the constant respect as a defender and spot scorer.
Fitting into the Magic roster, though should be seamless. He would project to come off the bench behind Franz Wagner and be a perfect second-unit fit and plug-and-play wing if injuries continue to pile up.
3 veterans the Orlando Magic should watch at the trade deadline
Kevin Huerter - G, Sacramento Kings (3 years/$50 million)
Another Sacramento Kings player being floated around in rumors, Kevin Huerter is another strong outside shooter the Orlando Magic could acquire at the deadline. The Kings have moved him to the bench recently in favor of Chris Duarte due to a downtick in outside scoring efficiency. That could be a reason he becomes available at the deadline.
While not a super veteran like his current teammate Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter's appearance in the playoffs in three straight seasons (including a 10.0/4.5/3.3 statline in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals with the Atlanta Hawks) would be a welcome experience nonetheless.
This season, Huerter is averaging 33.0 percent from deep this year, a career low so far this year. His scoring average dropped from 15.2 points per game in last year's breakout season for the Kings to a career-low 9.5 points per game this season. What the league is seeing from Huerter this season may not be who he actually is.
Despite the recent struggles, the 25-year-old at his best is in the upper echelon of three-point scorers. Last season (his first with the Kings), he averaged career highs in points, field goal percentage (48.5 percent) and three-point percentage (40.2).
Huerter is a 38.0 percent career three-point shooter, making it feel like this season is an outlier.
The Kings' fast-paced pass-first offense forced their opponents to continue switching, eventually leading to an open Huerter.
That offense sounds pretty familiar and it should be.
The Magic this season thrive on drive and kick opportunities when it comes to three-point shooting. Huerter would be the perfect recipient to get those opportunities on the bench.
On the defensive end, Huerter is not super strong but has been decently reliable as an on-ball perimeter defender.
Here's the catch though. Huerter does not fit perfect in Orlando. Or at least, not as well as Barnes does.
The Magic have a good amount of guard play in the lineup - Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, Anthony Black, Caleb Houstan and even Jett Howard and Trevelin Queen are all getting solid minutes in some capacity.
Huerter would have to come in and compete for a sixth man/key bench player with Cole Anthony if he does make his way over in a trade and might need a Markelle Fultz-like return for Sacramento.
It will be a more expensive package and a more one-sided role for Huerter in Orlando but could fit as a playoff piece in the summer.
3 veterans the Orlando Magic should watch at the trade deadline
Bojan Bogdanovic - F, Detroit Pistons (2yr/$39M)
Bojan Bogdanovic is a player we have discussed semi-recently in trade deadline decisions. Out of the three veterans in this piece, the current Detroit Pistons wing might be the easiest to trade for and the most likely option for the Orlando Magic.
Again, Orlando is not looking to do much at all to disrupt their young core. Bolstering the team's bench and getting a veteran presence are the themes to this writeup and will continue here.
Bogdanovic is both of those things and has been throughout his career. The Croatian has been a full-time starter since 2017 for three teams (Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons) and is a sneaky near 20 points-per-game bucket-getter.
With Detroit this season while averaging a career-high in shot attempts (15.3 per game), Bogdanovic is shooting 40 percent from three for the fifth time in seven years -- he is at 40.3 percent this year in 19 games after returning from an early season injury. The only two years he did not hit 40 percent from deep, he shot 38.7 percent and 39.0 percent. Not too shabby.
Bogdanovic is still producing even for the woeful Pistons this year. He is averaging 19.8 points per game. Bogdanovic is still a quality veteran who can score. It is about finding the right role for the 34-year-old so he can contribute to a championship.
Now in his 10th season in the NBA (and 13th overall professionally after three years in Turkey from 2011-14), he is the true professional. He is an elite outside scorer who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim fairly well for a slower forward.
As a defender, there is much to be desired. He is not very vertical and will not be too active on the boards.
However, in terms of fit with the Magic? Better than the majority of options this trade deadline.
Detroit is/needs to/leaning towards/should be required to rebuild this team. Trading a veteran wing on a multi-year contract in favor of guard depth would be perfect for Orlando.
Bogdanovic would come off the bench and run with the second unit but play the "elevated Joe Ingles" role - an extremely reliable shooter and somone the defense needs to watch out for, which gives opportunities at the rim for others.