The Orlando Magic have had a strong start to the season considering their injuries and lack of offense.
The team entered Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets at sixth in the Eastern Conference, but a game back of the Miami Heat and fourth and in a three-way tie with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers for sixth, seventh and eighth. The Eastern Conference playoff race figures to be a tight one.
And there are clear needs for the team moving forward both for this season and moving well beyond it. The Magic front office has done little to make win-now acquisitions in their tenure. But the team is in the thick of this race now.
The winning window is open. Now is the time to compete.
The young core is assembled and capitalizing on future draft picks to acquire areas of need will go a long way for this team. Orlando is starting a rookie point guard with little experience in Anthony Black. He needs time to develop his offensive game before he can be an elite contributor.
Through 34 games, the playoffs look like they are a real possibility. Competing late in the season in a playoff series would be instrumental to the development of winning basketball in Central Florida.
Drastic change might not be realistic but minor moves could significantly improve how this team operates on offense this year and make the most of this season.
The Magic could use some veteran players who can handle and shoot the basketball. Orlando needs to emphasize limiting turnovers and spreading the floor to allow Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to create. A third-option scoring threat who can create for others and himself will open up the court for the entire roster.
President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman is certainly looking at options throughout the league, but it is difficult to determine who is on the trading block. There is still so much young talent this team will want to hang onto.
But the Magic have to assess their roster and determine who has a market and what the team can extract. While Orlando has valued its continuity and should continue to do so, the team clearly neeeds changes. And the trade deadline might be the first time this team can be aggressive since Weltman took over.
With the trade deadline coming up on Feb. 8, we are taking the step of evaluating the Magic's trade assets based on their contribution to the team, their existing contract and how they can help other teams around the league.
This is a ranking of players by how likely they are to be traded this season. Please note, Cole Anthony is not included here because he is ineligible to be traded after signing an extension this summer.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
14. Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero is in the conversation for most valuable young player in the NBA. At 21 years old, he is carrying an offensive load for a struggling Magic offense. He is averaging 22.4 points per game while being double-teamed and with little relief besides Franz Wagner.
He is averaging 4.7 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game too which should be worthy of his first All-Star selection. Many compare Paolo to LeBron and KD and when reviewing their numbers from rookie to sophomore season it is not far-fetched. Banchero is still underrated throughout the league because of how overlooked the Magic are.
There is no deal out there worthy of Banchero's services. He has limitless potential with his frame and feel for the game. He is the key to this franchise's success.
13. Franz Wagner
Franz Wagner is also untouchable for this Orlando Magic team. As a 22 year old, in his third season, he is already 21st all-time in Magic scoring during the regular season.
Even with a shooting slump, Wagner has been an All-Star-caliber player this season. He is averaging 20.9 points per game and has a great understanding of the game.
He uses his 6-foot-10 frame to get past defenders and uses his Euro-up or step-through dribbles to create separation to get to floaters and finishes off the glass. He can score with either hand and plays within himself as he only has 1.9 turnovers per game. That is pretty good considering he has a 26 percent usage rate.
One of Wagner's best skills is his ability to cut away from the basketball. Anytime his defender turns his head he is immediately cutting to the basket for an easy dunk. This keeps defenses honest and prevents double teams on Paolo Banchero when both are on the court.
Even with a subpar shooting season, he is still a 34.4 percent three-point shooter for his career. If the Magic acquire more shooters this could result in more open looks for Franz.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
12. Jalen Suggs
Jalen Suggs has flipped the script of his NBA journey in his third season. He has been able to play in 30 games and has become a 3-and-D specialist. Suggs is tenacious on the defensive end typically guarding the opposing team's best players.
He is disruptive while deflecting passes and leading the team in steals. But his offense has been the icing on the cake. Suggs is pushing the pace on fast breaks and finishing in the lane at a significant rate compared to his previous seasons.
Suggs is forcing defenses to guard him on the perimeter and has plenty of room to improve.
Suggs can focus on limiting his turnovers, but that will come with experience. He only played 61 percent of his first two NBA seasons so it is a treat for Magic fans to see him becoming more comfortable on the court.
11. Anthony Black
Orlando took a chance on the 6-foot-7 point guard from Arkansas in last year's draft and so far Anthony Black has shown flashes of what he can do. Black can guard any wing player while using his size and lateral quickness.
Anthony also plays within the flow of the offense. He handles the basketball well and sets up the offense. Other than that, he primarily hides in the corner and waits for catch-and-shoot opportunities. He is shooting 36.2 percent from three, but only with 1.5 attempts per game. He only shoots when wide open, which is great for his development but creates a crowded offense.
He has been able to push the ball in the open court and finds times to cut to the basket for layups and dunks. There is a lot of promise, but the Magic are still clearly playing Black as an emergency measure. Still, he has done plenty to earn playing time on defense. They just have to coax more offense out of him.
Black is not ready to take on the starting point guard job, but the Magic are not ready to part with the young phenom.
At 20 years old, Anthony has already started 27 games this season for a competing team. Orlando wants to see what he can become.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
10. Joe Ingles
The free agent signing of last offseason, Joe Ingles has been essential to this team.
Ingles is such a presence on and off the court for such a young roster. He is a creator off the bench and the best shooter on the team. If there were three more Ingles on the Magic they would be the best team in the NBA.
Ingles is not likely going anywhere anytime soon. He has a reasonable two-year, $22-million contract with the team and next year is a club option. They will likely retain him barring any setbacks as he has been instrumental in Orlando's improvement this year.
It is no coincidence the team has started falling flat, especially with its bench units, since Ingles left the lineup with an ankle sprain.
9. Moe Wagner
Moe Wagner has had a career season so far and a resurgence since the Orlando Magic signed him in 2021. In his sixth season, he is averaging 10.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has been a great backup big man rebounding the basketball, creating offense and drawing charges.
He has real value and it is hard to find a team that could not use him. But it is difficult to envision the Magic trading Wagner.
The Wagner brothers are a big part of what the Magic do. They are unselfish players who put the team ahead of themselves. Moe and Franz Wagner play with energy and passion every time they step on the court.
This type of effort signifies leadership skills by exemplifying how the game should be played. Moe Wagner does not seem at risk of being moved and he is under contract next season at a reasonable $8 million.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
8. Wendell Carter
There are not a significant number of pieces on this Orlando Magic roster that need to be traded. There is still a lot of time to let players grow and develop.
Wendell Carter is definitely not one of them. He has had a difficult year with his left-hand injury but is starting to get back into rhythm. The former seventh overall selection in the 2018 draft is in his fifth season and has been a dominant force at the center position since his arrival in Orlando.
In the last two seasons, he averaged 15.1 points per game and started in 115 games. Carter has improved his ability to shoot as he is shooting 40.6 percent from three through 13 games. That is a small sample size but cannot go unnoticed.
If he can continue to shoot at this rate he will assuredly be one of the best shooters on the team. That is not bad for a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center.
He has one of the better contracts in the NBA for a starter as well. He is only 24 years old and is paid $13 million this season. He is owed $11.9 million and $10.8 million in the final two years of his contract. That is 8.42 percent and 6.95 percent of the projected league cap.
Less than 7 percent of the cap for a top-15 center is a steal and Jeff Weltman should be applauded.
Carter is still improving. With his contract, he will be in Orlando for years to come unless the Magic trade for a star. Carter could be part of a package that lands an elite talent for the Magic, but the Magic are not likely ready to trade their big man.
7. Jett Howard
The 11th overall pick last season has spent more time in the G-League than on the court for the Orlando Magic.
He is playing well, averaging 21.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game through six games for the Osceola Magic. Howard is gaining valuable playing experience and shooting 10.2 threes per game. He has shot 12 threes so far this season for the Orlando Magic, so the ability to be a focal point in the G-League is encouraging.
Orlando knew there would be a difficult path to playing time for Howard. The Magic returned all of their wing players from last season and added Joe Ingles.
Howard might not be contributing to the team yet, but his time is coming.
He is a dynamic scorer who can stretch the floor and create for himself. The Magic understand that Howard is the mold of player the team currently needs and he will likely grow into a significant contributor.
Orlando would be making an all-in move if Howard were to be traded for a proven veteran. It seems unlikely this would happen, but if a rebuilding team was adamant they wanted to acquire the young score the Magic might consider dealing their lottery pick.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
6. Caleb Houstan
The Orlando Magic have a logjam at the backup small forward and power forward positions. Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, Jonathan Isaac, Moe Wagner and Caleb Houstan can all contribute to the team's success in their own way.
Initially, Houstan was not able to see the court because of the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. Injuries have given Houstan an opportunity and he is taking full advantage of it.
He is shooting 2.8 threes per game through 12.7 minutes per game and making 39.1 percent of them. That is an impressive clip with a lack of consistent playing time for the 21-year-old.
Houstan is an intriguing wing prospect at 6-foot-8 and a quick release. He has a 7-foot wingspan and can move his feet well on the defensive end.
If Orlando were to make him available teams would certainly be interested. The biggest drawback might be there is little the team could get for him since he is still on a second-round rookie contract -- netting him just $2 million this year. That makes it hard to find equal value for what Houstan has slowly grown into this season.
Magic players joke Houstan is the first in the gym and the last one to leave every day. The hard work is translating on the court and coach Jamahl Mosley might need to continue to find minutes for Caleb Houstan.
Orlando likes what it has from the former Michigan Wolverine, but he could be dealt to upgrade the roster.
5. Jonathan Isaac
The NBA has been quite the rollercoaster for 26-year-old Jonathan Isaac.
He has been able to play in 21 games this season which is a major step considering he played in only 11 games during hte previous three seasons because of two major knee injuries. But his minutes are limited.
Isaac has been trending in the opposite direction and has not been able to suit up for the team in December. This is disappointing after being an X-factor for this Orlando team in their success early in the season.
He certainly is not living up to the $17.4 million salary the team is paying him. And the time to sit with that large amount of essentially dead money is coming to an end now that the team is competing and trying to win.
But what is next? And is there some other team willing to invest in his potential?
His contract is fully non-guaranteed next season so Orlando has some flexibility with him. They can see how he plays for the remainder of the season and determine if he is worth the remaining year on his contract. The Magic can also leverage him in a trade for a team to gain cap flexibility.
In the NBA cap space has become a valuable commodity and $17.4 million removed from a team's cap sheet during the summer can be vital to sign a big-name free agent or to clear a bad contract off the books for future flexibility.
Orlando could also waive his contract this summer and then look to re-sign him for a discounted deal. The Magic have treated Isaac with a significant amount of support and patience through his slew of injuries so he might look to come back on a reasonable contract to help this team compete. When healthy, he can still clearly make a big impact on the team.
Isaac still has potential but he needs to find a way to stay on the court for the remainder of the season. He has little value and trading for him would be a gamble that most teams would stay away from so he would be likely acquired to clear cap space.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
4. Chuma Okeke
Chuma Okeke has barely played this season and would be higher on this list if he had any trade value. He is averaging 5.5 minutes per game and is typically only playing during garbage time.
Injuries threw Okeke into the rotation for Wednesday's game against the Sacramento Kings and he showed why there might be a reason for someone to give him a second draft chance. Okeke scored 11 points in the fourth quarter on three 3-pointers. Okeke still has something that can be developed if there is a team willing to take the risk.
Okeke is shooting 34.6 percent from the floor in those minutes and is at risk of not being able to find a suitor this summer in free agency to sign him.
Orlando would look to use his $5.2 million contract in a trade if a rebuilding team is looking to create cap space. If a team is intrigued by Okeke's college tape and the potential he showed in his rookie season he could find a suitor.
The 25-year-old has great size to be a 3-and-D caliber rotation player. But he needs to knock down shots. A change of scenery could revitalize his career. But he does not have a path to playing time with the Orlando Magic.
3. Markelle Fultz
The Orlando Magic have surely missed Markelle Fultz during the last 28 games.
The defense has not missed a step but the game tempo and distribution of the basketball has been difficult to watch at times.
Fultz looked to have taken a significant step last season. He was shooting better than 30 percent from deep, averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. Those were all career highs as a 24-year-old.
He seemed ready to improve his shooting with more reps and would be willing to shoot open jump shots.
Through five games, this was not the case. Fultz looked like a shell of himself on the perimeter and missed most of his midrange pull-up jump shots that seemed automatic just a season ago.
Fultz has been sidelined for 29 games with left knee tendinitis, but there seems to be a bigger story developing here than tendinitis.
Since the 2020 season, there has only been one other player who has sat out based on knee tendinitis for more than five games. That was 21-year-old Ziaire Williams at the start of his sophomore season in which he missed four weeks due to left knee tendinitis.
Fultz has already missed two months and has continued to attempt to practice and go through pregame workouts but has not been able to get clearance to play. The tendinitis is in the same knee he tore an ACL in three years ago.
At this point, the once promising first-overall selection is losing his luster as an injury-prone, non-shooting point guard. And losing whatever trade value he might have.
All in a contract year too.
If the Magic are ready to make a trade for a player with a larger contract, Fultz would likely be in that deal. In either case, it feels like the Magic need a clearer and more consistent answer at point guard to help this team grow to its next level.
He would be higher on this list but Jeff Weltman does not like to trade assets when they have lost their value. Fultz has an uphill battle to retain half of what he was worth last season.
Ranking every Orlando Magic player by trade likelihood
2. Goga Bitadze
Goga Bitadze has been a revelation for the Orlando Magic this season. No one expected him to fill the void Wendell Carter left at such a high level. He has cemented himself as a rotation player for Orlando and a player that needs to play even when Wendell is at full strength.
That will inevitably cause a logjam at center with Wendell Carter, Goga Bitadze, Moe Wagner and Jonathan Isaac all capable of playing the position. Bitadze is the only player in that group who is a free agent this summer. Orlando has the most projected cap space this offseason which bodes in Bitadze's favor.
The team could focus on securing other positions and maintaining cap flexibility this offseason as Bitadze will see a pay increase this summer. The way he has played it could be a contract that the Magic are not comfortable paying for their backup center.
Orlando could turn to trade him at the deadline to retain some value for the Georgian big man instead of letting him walk in free agency. Carter will hopefully be back to normal playing conditions by the time February rolls around.
The Magic would have to make a decision to split time at the center position between three players or trade Bitadze to center-needy teams .
1. Gary Harris
It was difficult to determine who would be the most likely traded player this season. The Orlando Magic have a large portion of their team in place and would prefer to develop their young talent rather to trade for a veteran player. The Magic are looking for longevity in their current roster construction rather than trading for aging veterans.
Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke all were in contention but have such little trade value based on their inability to play. Gary Harris has struggled this season but still retains value as a shooter who is an above-average on-ball defender.
Harris has shot 28.8 percent from distance in his last 20 games. He currently is shooting 33.3 percent on the season from three which is the third-worst in his career. The other two seasons were his rookie year and when he was only able to play 19 games.
The shooting slump is real, perhaps the product of the calf strain that has him in and out of the lineup constantly.
Harris will recover from this slump but Orlando might not wait until that happens.
He is 29 years old and is on an expiring contract. Potential contending teams would be interested in acquiring a player with his skillset to bolster bench units. And his removal from the rotation could help Jett Howard get some on-court experience to end the season.
Harris is one of the better shooters on the Magic so the idea of trading him seems ludicrous, but hopefully the Magic would receive other shooters who fit their timeline better.
The Magic could try to use some of their upcoming draft picks to pair with Harris for a younger player who is on a longer contract, or the team will look to maintain flexibility with significant cap space.
Regardless of what path the team chooses at the deadline, there is an opportunity to upgrade the roster to push for the playoffs this season.