It did not take long for the Orlando Magic to be at the center of some of the biggest rumors in the offseason.
The NBA is always filled with surprise moves and trades in the offseason. The rumor mill is only starting to turn with just a month to go before the NBA Draft and the first real deadline forcing teams to act and improve.
This is an offseason that should see plenty of movement. With very little cap room available, teams that fell short in the playoffs will either act to take the next step with their rosters or decide it is time to restart their project.
That is a place the Magic can take advantage of. Or that is a place where the Magic could find themselves able to strike a deal using their copious cap space.
Just like with lottery teams who are looking to shed payroll and unload high-priced players, teams that fell short of expectations are looking to make things happen. They are seeking a way to improve. And they are often willing to part with key pieces to do it.
These teams that fell short of expectations in the playoffs failed in some way. Their chemistry was off. They have to do something.
The Orlando Magic experienced that firsthand in their playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs felt all the pressure of trying to meet expectations and the pressure of falling short. As the Magic made the series more competitive, the tension inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse only grew.
Even winning that series was not enough to stave off changes. The Cavs fired J.B. Bickerstaff and are seemingly open for business after failing to take those important next steps.
The same is going on in places throughout the league. Teams are pondering existential questions about how to improve their rosters.
The Magic are pondering those questions, too. But they are looking for ways to add to their roster. They are looking to take advantage of these teams who may have fallen short and are thinking of making moves to shake things up.
Orlando is already a favored landing spot for players throughout the league. The Magic simply have to understand which players to target and what it might cost to get them.
5 Orlando Magic trade targets from teams that fell short in the Playoffs
5. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
The juiciest item involving the Orlando Magic, which has at least some backing in the betting market, involves New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. It is something that everyone is at least exploring to some extent.
Or it is good offseason fodder.
The Pelicans are in an interesting spot. When they are fully healthy, they are as interesting as any team in the league. They defend well and have great perimeter scorers and a unique bulldozer in Zion Williamson. Not to mention excellent defenders.
But Ingram has struggled to stay healthy. His knee injury suffered in Orlando in late March derailed him before the playoffs. He appeared in only 64 games last year—a high for him since his rookie year when he played in 69.
When Ingram is healthy, though, he is one of the most dynamic mid-range scorers in the league with a shot profile befitting of a star. He averaged 20.8 points per game last year with 5.7 assists per game. He had shooting splits of 49.2/35.5/80.1.
It is easy to see why there is some attraction to the idea of Ingram. And the Pelicans seem eager to clear some space to let Herb Jones and Trey Murphy get more playing time. Ingram seems very much on the market.
Pelicans fans are asking for a king's ransom for him at the moment. Locked On Pelicans pitched a trade offer that included Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, and a first-round pick to get the deal done.
This is the kind of a deal that feels more like the Pelicans picking and choosing what they want from the Magic's roster and the Magic going all out to acquire a star to add to the roster. Never mind that Brandon Ingram plays forward and duplicates what the Magic have in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero with an unclear ability to complement what they do.
This kind of deal actually increases the salary on the Pelicans' side, too. So this is a roundabout way to dump some salary and free up $6 million for the Magic.
Ingram has one year left on his contract at $36 million. The Magic can absorb a lot of that into their empty cap space if that is the direction they want to go.
But the interest in Ingram has always been strange. It felt like the betting markets were more interested in believing the Magic would be swinging wildly for a star. It would be hard to see them giving up on Jonathan Isaac after such a strong season. If they did give up Isaac, it feels like the Magic would want him to be the featured player in the deal.
Ingram is probably not the right guy for this Magic team to target considering his injury history and position on the floor. He does not fit the clear needs the Magic have on the roster and would simply be a name.
4. CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans
The real target on the New Orleans Pelicans should not be Brandon Ingram. If Orlando is hunting for a big name off the Pelicans’ roster and their apparent upcoming firesale, they might be seeking out CJ McCollum.
At least in theory, McCollum fills a lot of needs for the Magic. He is a shooting guard who has moonlighted as a point guard for the Pelicans during the last few years. He is a reliable three-point shooter and a solid creator who is excellent in the mid-range.
McCollum averaged 20.0 points per game last year on a 57.2 percent effective field goal percentage. McCollum has averaged at least 20.0 points per game in each of the last nine seasons (essentially ever since he became a full-time starter with the Portland Trail Blazers).
He added 4.6 assists per game and shot 42.9 percent from three. He is a career 39.9 percent 3-point shooter. McCollum hit 42.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot three-pointers last year.
McCollum checks a lot of boxes offensively for what the Magic need. He would be a solid secondary playmaker who could create when given the ball, and he will have games where he takes over.
The concern with him is his age at 32 years old. He played in 66 games last year and has hit 70 games played in just one of his last four seasons. Injuries have slowed him down.
He is also a poor defender historically. And that is not likely to improve as he ages.
McCollum has a hefty salary, too, with two more years starting at $33.3 million. That declines to $30.7 million. So perhaps the salary is not so onerous.
Constructing a trade is possible too.
Orlando could make an offer centered on Wendell Carter—or even get involved in a three-team swap as needed —to acquire a player like McCollum. Carter for McCollum works straight up, so it is about adding the pieces to make each side comfortable:
Magic receive: CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins
Pelicans receive: Wendell Carter, Joe Ingles, no. 18 pick
The Pelicans are not likely to want to trade Jordan Hawkins—and the Magic clearly passed on him for Jett Howard anyway. But this is just an for instance. McCollum for Carter works straight up. The Pelicans will likely ask for some draft compensation (this year's pick is in there as a placeholder).
This deal, as constructed, probably does not go through. But the bigger point is whether the Magic want to use their trade as an extra free-agent signing. Trading McCollum for Carter straight up adds $21.3 million to their payroll. This deal adds only $15 million. That is the difference between being able to sign another big free agent or not this offseason.
That is as much a consideration as anything else.
The point here is that a framework for a deal exists—especially with the Pelicans likely unable to re-sign Jonas Valanciunas and in the market for a new center. McCollum checks a lot of boxes offensively.
The question is whether he is the kind of player the Magic want to chase.
3. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers' exit from the playoffs in the second round has done very little to quiet noise that they will make some significant changes this offseason. They have already fired J.B. Bickerstaff and are looking for a new coach.
The Cavaliers have seemed like an island of mismatched pieces. Everyone is wondering if the team should break up the Jarrett Allen/Evan Mobley pairing down low and the Donovan Mitchell/Darius Garland backcourt pairing.
Mitchell is under extreme focus entering the last year of his deal. There have been rumors going on for several months that Mitchell is not going to sign an extension, further putting the Cavs in a bind. Everyone, of course, denies the tension, even if you can feel it in the building.
The Cavs are going to be desperate then to take the next step as a franchise. After two playoff runs, it seems clear that something does not work to elevate the team. And it feels like at least one major trade is in the offing.
Mitchell brings with him his own headaches, and it feels like Garland would be a better fit for the Magic and what they are looking for in the short term.
Garland averaged 18.0 points per game and shot 37.1 percent from three on 6.2 attempts per game. He averaged 6.5 assists per game. Darius Garland would be the kind of playmaker and shooter the Magic are looking for to set the table for Paolo Banchero. He made only 35.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
That would be the rub of going after Garland.
Garland seems to succeed more when he is on the ball and creating for himself and others. The struggle he has had playing alongside Mitchell has been seeing his touches go down—his field goal attempts cratered at 14.3 per game this year—and staying aggressive in an environment where he does not have the ball.
It is no coincidence he averaged 14.9 points per game playing alongside Mitchell in the series against the Orlando Magic and then averaged 16.8 points and 6.2 assists per game playing largely without Mitchell in the series with the Boston Celtics.
Context matters here. Garland struggled this year because he missed so much time with a broken jaw in December and January. That put him behind the 8-ball all year. So, a bounce-back season seems in order.
Constructing a trade—whether it is for Garland or for Mitchell—with the Cavs becomes tough. Fansided pitched a deal centered on Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac going to the Cavs with two first-round picks for Darius Garland and Dean Wade. That seemed excessive to us, but not too far off if the Magic are sold on Garland being their guy.
The Magic would probably have to add something more because Anthony and two firsts will not do it. And Joe Ingles is not enough to move the needle significantly. Especially considering the Magic would likely be taking on $20-plus million in salary to make it happen.
Bleacher Report proposed another deal swapping Jalen Suggs and a first-round pick for Darius Garland.
It all feels like that is not worth it, considering the questions about Garland fitting into another environment where the Magic want to spread the ball and have multiple playmakers.
2. Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
The other team that is a mystery this offseason will be the Miami Heat.
The Heat again finished as the 8-seed, but unlike last year, they petered out in the playoffs. Jimmy Butler missed the playoffs and there seems to be souring in the Heat Culture. They seem like a team ripe for change this offseason as they recenter around Bam Adebayo and his dependability on defense.
Miami is always a player for big free agents and players. Everyone seemingly wants to play there. The Orlando Magic will be working to become the Florida destination of choice with their culture and young roster coming of age.
But the Heat tried to move everyone to get Damian Lillard last summer (and failed). They seem to be hunting to make that kind of star move again—the Heat remain favorites to acquire Donovan Mitchell. So it is unclear what the Heat are looking to do.
And the Magic probably do not have the level of star the Heat are looking for to move Tyler Herro. But then again, the Heat could be looking to make a major change with Jimmy Butler, too. Maybe Miami is going to be starting from the ground floor.
If the Magic wanted to make a big splash, this could be their time to chase Tyler Herro (although there have been some suggestions to think smaller and go after Duncan Robinson).
Herro averaged 20.8 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from three. Herro is a gravity and volume shooter, the exact kind of offensive element the team needs. He had 4.5 assists per game, too, showing some playmaking ability.
Herro struggled with injuries last year, appearing in only 42 games. He has never played 70 games in a season in his career (he played in 55 of 73 games during the 2020 Bubble season). Injuries have always been a concern with him.
Constructing a deal to get Herro is tough.
The Magic could offer Cole Anthony and several picks to make something work. But the Heat would likely ask for Jonathan Isaac to make something happen. Robinson is indeed a bit more realistic and likely would only cost Anthony too.
1. Norman Powell, LA Clippers
A lot of the focus in the trade space has been put on the star players and the major players they could add to the puzzle. It is fun to think of big-picture things. And the Orlando Magic should be hunting for a starter with Gary Harris likely on his way out in free agency.
But that does not mean star player. What Orlando should be hunting for is solid role players who can fit into the team and help them win. Sometimes, it is about finding the right guy who works underneath the surface.
The Clippers are going to be in some turmoil with Paul George's future in flux—including reported interest from the Magic. The Clippers are going to be looking to remain competitive regardless as they move into their new stadium.
The player Orlando should have some interest in though is guard Norman Powell.
Powell averaged 13.9 points per game and shot 43.5 percent from three last year. He is known as a quality defender. He finished fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting for the second straight year.
Powell has not been a starter since he was traded to the LA Clippers from the Toronto Raptors, but he has shown himself as a solid floor spacer—hitting 49.6 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers according to data from Second Spectrum—throughout his career. He is not much of a playmaker, but Powell would be an excellent role player to add to the fold.
Powell has two years left on his deal starting at $19.2 million this year and $20.5 million next year. That is plenty manageable.
The Magic's biggest issue in constructing any trade is figuring out a way to make the salaries work. Joe Ingles and conditional picks would work—giving the Clippers a veteran and a place Ingles would be comfortable living. So, too, might Cole Anthony and conditional picks.
None of that feels like enough to get the Clippers to move off such a key player. Especially one who could be expected to step up with George likely leaving this offseason. The Magic do not have anything—besides Jonathan Isaac—that would significantly improve the Clippers.
This is the struggle for Orlando in any of these trades. It feels like there is not enough to swing a big deal without giving up significant assets. Thus, the focus on bigger-name players.