It was 2021 when the Magic received Wendell Carter Jr. in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. The Magic took in the young big man from Duke and thought that they could mold him into their center for the future. He then started getting better every year and even developed a reliable three-point shot that made it seem he was just scratching the surface of his potential.
However, he dealt with some injury issues over the last few years and now is just completely out of rhythm, and as sad as it is to say, it seems like Carter might need a fresh start to get his mojo back. If we are being blunt, Carter has not been good this year. He has played in 47 out of 50 games, so injuries do not seem to be the problem this year.
Carter is averaging a career-low 8.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, which is the third worst in his eight seasons, 2.2 assists per game, and tied for a career-low 0.5 blocks per game. He is doing this while shooting a career-low 46.2 percent from the field, only 20.6 percent from three, making 0.4 of his 2.1 attempts per game, and 71.3 percent from the free throw line in 25.4 minutes per game. You just can’t have this lack of production as a starting or backup center.
The Magic's best options at center this year have been Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze, and with Wagner being out for the year, they have looked at Bitadze to replace him. Bitadze has started 41 games to Carter’s 31, and he averages more rebounds and blocks per game while dishing out the same number of assists per game and only 0.6 fewer points per game, even though Carter is supposed to be a way better scorer.
The trade value for Carter is probably at its lowest considering his play, and the fact that he has two more years left on his deal, with a team option in the third year, and he will make between 18-20 million per year over the course of those three years. The Magic should move him as soon as the offseason starts. If he ends the season well, they should trade him while his value is high, and if he stays on this track, they should trade him while they can still get some value out of him.
The Magic should explore the trade market for Wendell Carter Jr. this offseason
There are plenty of teams that could use Carter as a center or even their backup. With Al Horford getting older and being in the last year of his deal, the Celtics could be a possible suitor. The Lakers are in desperate need of a center after the Mark Williams trade did not go through, the Grizzlies only have one true center in their rotation and could use a veteran center, and the Pelicans could use him as well.
The selling point for Carter can be that he is still playing elite defense. Although he is not blocking any shots—Carter has never been much of a shot blocker—he is still an elite defender. The one place where Carter is not having a career-low and is actually having a career-high is his defensive rating. Carter is an elite post defender who can also move his feet and guard on the perimeter when he has to.
Carter has given problems to some of the league‘s best. He has held Tyrese Maxey to 2-7 shooting, Scottie Barnes to 2-7 shooting, and Zach LaVine to 0-4 shooting. There are plenty of teams that could use a lockdown center that will also be willing to take the chance on his offense. Although he is struggling right now, teams have seen his offensive capabilities, so if he continues to play elite defense and can get his rhythm back, he can help a team win.
That being said, that team is not the Orlando Magic. The Magic have a great young core that is progressing every year, and if on this great young team where everybody is improving there is someone moving in the opposite direction, then it may just be time to move on. It is a really tough and difficult business decision to be made, but it might be in the Magic's best interest to find someone who will give them more production on both sides of the ball, especially if they are going to be paying them 18-20 million dollars per year.
Carter can still be and will be a great center in this league. It’s just the fit with the Magic just is not working. We have seen players struggle in certain situations and then ball out in a new situation. Even though the Wendell Carter experiment might be a failure in Orlando, it can still be a success somewhere else.
We have seen this before with players like Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams, who started their careers shakily and had up-and-down years, and then once they found their homes, they became really good NBA players, and Carter is fully capable of doing the same. Just because the first team or two you go to do not work out, that does not mean it is over.
Carter still has plenty of time to turn his season around, and this could be just a down year, but the Magic have a really bright future, and they can not have players who are not progressing with the rest of the roster holding them back. The Magic already have two other really good centers on their roster, they could look to trade for one in the offseason, and there are also five centers projected to be first-round talents in this year's draft.
In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, they even have the Magic taking two centers in the first round. If nothing else they could even sign some solid veteran big man for the league minimum in free agency. They may not have too much cap room this offseason, but if they retain Wagner and Bitadze, they could sign someone like Andre Drummond or Mason Plumlee for depth.
Carter has been great for the Magic in his five seasons, and he has become a bit of a fan favorite, but every team has to make tough decisions year in and year out, and this just might be one of them. Getting rid of Carter and giving him a fresh start could benefit both sides. Carter will have a chance to develop and play for a team where he fits better, and the Magic can find a better fit as well for their bright future.
The Magic's front office has a lot to think about this upcoming offseason. This could be one of the first big moves made this offseason, and it will be very interesting to see what the Magic could get in return for Carter. This could be the last move that gets the Magic to championship contention.