8 shooters the Orlando Magic should target at the trade deadline
8 shooters the Orlando Magic should target at the trade deadline
Tyus Jones, Washington Wizards
Tyus Jones is getting his first chance to be a full-time starter for an NBA team. He is playing in his ninth season but is still only 27 years old.
The Washington Wizards have been almost as bad as the Detroit Pistons this season and are in the first year of a rebuild. They are going to continue to add draft capital and trade older players for any value.
Tyus Jones was an afterthought in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but he is playing well this season with averages of 11.6 points per game and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 37.3 percent from deep.
The best part of his game is his ability to handle the basketball and control offensive flow. He is leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio and doing so with some of the worst scoring options in the NBA.
He is creating offense and finding space for open jump shots and floaters in the lane. He has arguably been the best player on the Wizards and has an expiring contract.
This would be a similar situation to Alec Burks and Orlando would need confidence that Tyus Jones would want to stay with the Magic after this season.
Orlando has tons of cap room next season too and the team could just target him in free agency this summer. The Magic would need to feel the urgency to grab him now.
It would be a gamble on a player with little starting experience, but Washington is not expected to have a high asking price.
Delon Wright, Washington Wizards
If the asking price is too high for Tyus Jones, the Orlando Magic could pivot to another Washington Wizard at the deadline.
Delon Wright has only been able to play in eight games this season, but he has 469 career games under his belt to prove that he can play in the NBA.
He is another tall guard at 6-foot-5 who can play either point guard or shooting guard. He is a career 35.3 percent shooter from deep and is averaging 4.4 assists in his eight games this season -- remember the Wizards play a supercharged offensive game.
Wright would provide depth at guard and has an expiring contract this offseason. He would cost little in value to return to the Wizards and could find a home in Orlando.
Wright has played in 37 career playoff games. Most recently with the Atlanta Hawks two seasons ago he averaged 8.2 points while shooting 38.5 percent from deep. He has seen the playoffs before unlike most of the Magic's current roster.