Proposed trade has Magic swap big men with Western Conference contender

The Orlando Magic have plenty of work to do this offseason. They need more shooting, more offense, and a table-setter at the point guard spot. Especially the latter is an addition Paolo Banchero is eyeing already.

Ideally, they would get all three in the same person, but that is not an easy thing to find, even with as much potential cap space as the Magic have. 

Because of that cap space, the Magic have been part of several mock trades to move some stars around the league. It seems, almost everyone would like them to go big-name hunting and bring in a third star. 

This latest mock trade by Bleacher Report sends an offensive-minded big man to Orlando. 

Magic swap big men with Western Conference contender in Bleacher Report mock trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves just barely avoided being swept in the Western Conference Finals and now have some big decisions to make over the summer. Yes, they were one of the last two teams standing in the West, but they are also an incredibly expensive group. 

So, should they run it back with a chance to go on another deep playoff run or save some money and move one of their big men? 

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey came up with a mock trade to send Karl-Anthony Towns to Orlando. The Timberwolves would be able to save some money, and the Magic would get an offensive force. 

Magic receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

Timberwolves receive: Cole Anthony, Wendell Carter Jr., and the No. 18 pick in 2024 

Wendell Carter Jr. has been fine as the Magic's starting center. Fine might not be good enough down the line, however. The Magic could, for example, use a rim-protecting big to anchor their already elite defense. Karl-Anthony Towns is not that. He averaged over one block per game every season until 2022 when the Timberwolves moved him to the power forward spot, but defense is not necessarily his strong suit. 

Towns' value lies on the offensive end of the floor. He is a 22.9-point scorer for his career and a great three-point shooter, regularly averaging around 40 percent shooting on a high volume. 

The Magic could certainly use another high-level scoring option next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Towns could be that. Especially his three-point shooting would be valuable to the Magic. They finished the regular season 24th in three-point percentage and it hurt them in the playoffs. 

So, Towns could surely help the Magic offensively, but the question is whether or not he is worth going all in for. Towns is on a huge contract, making an average of $55,272,000 a year. As Bailey outlines, Orlando would have to let Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris walk in free agency to absorb the extra salary while also letting go of two players in the trade. The Magic are not expected to resign either Fultz or Harris anyway, but the hope was that they would be able to upgrade both roles. 

Plus, this would mean that the Magic would likely have to be content with Jalen Suggs continuing as the starting point guard and Anthony Black taking on a bigger role off the bench. 

Towns certainly has some skills the Magic desperately need, but it doesn't seem like he is the kind of player they should go all in for. Orlando's young core just got its first taste of playoff basketball, and drastically accelerating the team's timeline can be tricky, especially if the player they go all in for doesn't address some of the most pressing issues.