The Orlando Magic know what their biggest need is: Shooting.
The Orlando Magic are the second-worst 3-point shooting team in the league (thanks to a 9-for-25 performance in Friday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves). And many of their games come down to their inability to hit even the open shots they worked to get.
Shooting is not merely a luxury for this team. It is a necessity.
With the Magic establishing themselves as a clear top-10 defense, the team must start layering on offense to become competitive.
On top of this, there are plenty of other areas the team can look to improve. They need to reduce their turnovers, something that will come with experience. They need to stay organized and keep the ball moving, which is inconsistent with so many unnatural point guards handling the ball and initiating offense.
They need reliable and volume 3-point shooters. We should probably mention that shooting need again.
But the question the Magic have to ask in addition to these needs is: What is the team willing to give up?
As everyone goes shopping during the trade deadline season, putting players on the wish list and thinking about improving the team, there often is not as much thought about what the team might be giving up. Or just how difficult it is to find the perfect ideal for what the team needs.
There are not a ton of ace 3-point shooters who are also elite defenders. And as the Magic hunt for more shooting, they want to minimize their cost and maximize their gains. That is always the goal.
Obsession with one skill to the exclusion of others, though, can lead to unintended consequences.
The Magic need to find all these needs, but how much defense or other skills are they willing to sacrifice? For the trade deadline -- as this is a question that lingers anytime the team adds a new player -- how much is the team willing to upset the apple cart in the short term for that skill? Can they cover for that new player's weaknesses? Can they adjust on the fly?
These are the central questions as the trade deadline approaches.
Orlando Magic Trade Deadline: There's no perfect target
The Tyus Jones Target
Many Orlando Magic fans have focused on the point guard position, specifically on Washington Wizards guard Tyus Jones.
They see Jones' 12.1 points per game, 6.3 assists per game and 39.9 percent 3-point shooting (on 3.7 attempts per game for the speedy Washington Wizards) as exactly what the team needs offensively.
He is a high-assist, low-turnover (0.9 turnovers per game as a first-time starter, and he has never averaged more than 1.0 turnovers per game) guard who can work off the ball as a catch-and-shoot option.
With the Wizards playing at a breakneck pace and speed, Jones makes 40.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers (placing him in the top quarter of the league). He makes 46.9 percent of his corner threes this year.
Maybe he is not the volume 3-point shooter the Magic might need to become a better 3-point threat. But he is a threat. Defenses have to account for him.
Just like they have to account for him as a playmaker and a passer. He adds 18.16 points per 75 possessions off assists and +1.98 role-adjusted assist points per 75 possessions, according to Basketball-Index (essentially saying he is a good passer and creator for his role).
For a Magic team in desperate need of offense, everyone has to ask why they wouldn't go for a player like this.
There are concerns, though. There is no such thing as a perfect addition to the team. Every player will require others to step up to cover his weaknesses, just like a player like Jones could help cover the Magic's 3-point weakness. There is always a new dynamic that emerges.
With Jones, specifically, he lacks the size the Magic typically like. At 6-foot-1, Jones is on the small end, going against the Magic's penchant to seek size and versatility. Running a switching scheme with Jones on the floor would be hard.
That size does spell trouble on the defensive end -- not that the Wizards are a great defensive team this year. The Wizards have a 123.0 defensive rating with Jones on the floor, the worst mark of any player on a bad defensive team in the Wizards (they have a 119.8 defensive rating overall).
That may not all be on Jones.
He averages 1.43 steals per 75 possessions and 2.43 deflections per 75 possessions. At least, there would be some suggestion that Jones can be a disruptive defender with a better defensive scheme and better defenders around him.
But there is mystery there. It is uncertain.
So the question returns to the Magic: How much would a player like Jones' shooting be worth? How much do they think they can cover for any shortcomings, real or perceived?
Orlando Magic Trade Deadline: There's no perfect target
Tyus Jones Trade Pitches
Those are the questions the Orlando Magic have to ask as they examine adding anyone to this roster.
What are they willing to give up, not just player-wise to acquire players, but what are they willing to sacrifice and fill in to make that new player fit and maximize his skills? What are they willing to sacrifice to boost other parts of the team?
There is a framework to find a deal with the Wizards. I spoke with Locked On Wizards' Brandon Scott about Jones and addressed the abovementioned issues.
The Wizards are not looking for immediate assets, it would appear. They are looking to stuff the coffers to prepare for a complete rebuild.
With Tyus Jones making $14 million, there is a framework for a deal where the Magic trade Gary Harris or Markelle Fultz because they have similar salaries with first-round picks thrown in.
Orlando fans have noted Daniel Gafford or Corey Kispert as potential add-ons to a potential deal too.
They both would add a ton to the team -- whether it is Gafford's defense or Kispert's shooting. There is a potential to expand things -- a Jones and Kispert for Fultz and Okeke works according to the Spotrac trade machine but would almost certainly require adding in a first-round pick.
The Magic could also go smaller and be interested in a veteran like Landry Shamet if that is what it costs. The Magic could be a team that is OK with taking on a bad salary for a player they like.
Neither of these deals may be where the market is at right now. Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reports the point guard market has cooled some. The Wizards specifically may be backing off their demand for a first-round pick to acquire Jones and be willing to take on a package of multiple second-round picks.
Considering the Magic are likely to be a playoff team for the foreseeable future and that the team currently has the No. 11 pick playing in the G-League, the Magic may be more willing to part with a first-round pick -- especially the 2025 Denver Nuggets pick they control.
The other part of the Jones equation is the Magic are one of the few teams with cap room this offseason -- an estimated $41.1 million before cap holds and guarantees like Jonathan Isaac's $17 million. That is enough to go out and sign a free agent like Jones outright.
If the Magic honestly believe Jones is their guy, why expend valuable assets to acquire him when they can sign him in the offseason? The only reason to trade for him now is if it costs relatively little, if they believe he is the point guard to build around and if they feel they need to prevent other teams from obtaining his Bird Rights to re-sign him this offseason.
There is a lot to consider. But it does seem like Jones is attainable. And there is a path for the Magic to acquire him.
Orlando Magic Trade Deadline: There's no perfect target
The risks in acquisition
It still comes down to the basketball. It still comes down to whether Tyus Jones or any player is the right fit for this team. And ultimately, whether the Orlando Magic feel they can cover his weaknesses on the court to take advantage of the strengths he brings with it.
This is not merely a concern when it comes to Jones. This is a concern and a consideration for every player the Magic might look to acquire as the trade deadline and the next transaction window approaches.
As Orlando aims to improve, these are the questions they must ask as they add new players. What are they willing to sacrifice to make gains in their areas of need?
The Magic are entering a new phase of their rebuild and a new stage of their development. They have a lot of questions to ask. And many of them are as much about whether a player improves the team as whether they can absorb those strengths and cover for weaknesses.
The Magic must make these adjustments as they enter this trade market. They have to understand what they might be willing to sacrifice to improve.