This summer, the Magic have the unique opportunity to accelerate their rebuild and make the jump to true contender status in the East. They have interesting young players whom stars might want to play with, trade assets, and cap space in free agency.
As a result, they have been linked to some big names like Klay Thompson and Paul George. It makes sense, in a way. This Magic roster has noticeable holes, and why not bring in a big fish if you have the means to do so?
Orlando’s core still needs to develop, but they might as well do so as a playoff team for the next few years. You can’t wait too long. Just take the Kings, for example. They returned to the playoffs after 16 seasons of losing, decided to see what that same team could do the next season rather than building on the momentum, and now missed the playoffs. The Magic are still much younger, however, so the pressure is not quite as intense.
BleacherReport proposes Hawks seek a deal with the Magic
The Atlanta Hawks made a big splash when they got Dejounte Murray to pair with their All-Star guard Trae Young, but that experiment quickly proved to be a failure. Now, they have to part ways with one of them, and Murray is the most likely option to go.
BleacherReport thus proposed that the Hawks should send Murray to the Magic in exchange for Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, and Orlando’s no. 18 pick.
The argument is that the Hawks could use Black’s and Isaac’s defense around Young as well as some young players on cheap contracts.
Would this deal make sense for the Magic?
Dejounte Murray is not the biggest name out there but adding him to the mix in Orlando could actually help with some of the Magic’s most pressing issues.
Jalen Suggs is a good guard to pair with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the sense that he does not take too much away from them. He lets them have the ball and get things going while doing his thing, mainly on defense. He is an enabler, as The Ringers’ Rob Mahoney dubs it in this fascinating article.
At the same time, however, the Magic would benefit from a “real“ point guard to get the offense going. Banchero has the potential to be an offensive engine from the forward spot but asking him to be the main scorer and playmaker at such a young age might not be fair quite yet.
Murray could address that issue for a little while at least. Even while he was playing next to Trae Young, another ball-dominant guard, he still averaged around 6 assists on the season. Plus, Murray is a talented scorer and could help Banchero and Wagner carry the offensive load. Suggs can get it going offensively, we all know that, but at times, he looks overtaxed as the team’s third option, especially if one of Banchero and Wagner doesn’t have a good game.
Averaging 36.3 percent from three, Murray is not the greatest three-point shooter out there but still an upgrade from Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz, and Antony Black—Black shot 39.4 percent for the regular season but only averaged 1.4 attempts per game, which is not enough to reliably and consistently stretch the floor.
As Favale outlines correctly, Murray is also on a great contract, and the cost in this proposed deal is nothing when you consider the Magic’s assets. Jonathan Isaac is great when he plays, but he struggles to be healthy and available. Losing him wouldn’t be the biggest blow, especially since his contract is expiring. Having to give up on Black before knowing what kind of player he might turn into would hurt, however.
So, yes, in many ways this deal would make sense for the Magic. There is no rush—or any proof that the Hawks would truly be interested in this deal—however and the Magic also have other options to pursue this summer.