The Orlando Magic weathered the storm. After some initial struggles once Paolo Banchero went down with an injury, the Magic are back, winning five consecutive games and moving to third place in the Eastern Conference. The only two teams ahead of the Magic in the standings are the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers and the reigning champions.
Orlando has also excelled in the NBA Cup games so far, beating the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers to rise to first place in their group. The defense is what fuelled the team over this stretch, but Franz Wagner also made quite the statement offensively. He scored between 22 and 31 points in six straight games.
If the Magic can find a way to win consistently without Paolo Banchero, they may be ready to take the next step once their star forward is back. The Magic’s offense could still use a boost, as Orlando currently ranks 25th in offensive rating. A big part of that is obviously missing Paolo Banchero, but it still seems like a high-level offensive-minded player may be just what the Magic need to reach the next level.
The Magic were not ready for a big all-in move over the summer. Will that change by the trade deadline? Plenty of names have been thrown around for the Magic to pursue this season. Bleacher Report recently proposed mock trades to bring Zach LaVine, Coby White, or Collin Sexton to Orlando. LaMelo Ball and Anfernee Simons are two players who have been on fans’ wish lists since last season’s playoffs.
If the Magic make a trade, someone will have to leave Orlando. Some players are more likely to be included in a trade than others.
Cole Anthony is one of the Magic players most likely to be included in a trade
It has been a tough season for Cole Anthony. He is currently only averaging 4.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. Those numbers are very uncharacteristic for the 24-year-old guard. All season long Anthony has struggled to score, shooting only 33.3 percent from the field and 26.1 percent from three, and even fell out of Coach Mosley’s rotation.
His inconsistency from three has been an issue on a Magic team that struggles to space the floor for a while now, but he was still an offensive weapon off the bench. Especially last season, the Magic could always trust Anthony to give the team a scoring boost while some of the starters were resting.
That is not something a player just loses, and while Anthony may not be the best fit on the Magic anymore, he could help plenty of other teams out there. Plus, Anthony is the third-highest-paid player on the Magic’s roster this season. The only players earning more than him are Jonathan Isaac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Neither will likely be on the trade block, so including Anthony’s salary in a big trade is almost a must.
Jett Howard could benefit from being on a team with more minutes available
If the Magic want to make a significant trade, other teams will likely ask for some of their young players in return. Jett Howard is the most obvious choice here. He is still enough of a mystery to entice teams looking for young players to develop, and the Magic would probably be more willing to move him than Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva.
Howard may even benefit from landing with a team that has more minutes available for him. With the Magic, his minutes are not a priority. He has only played more than fifteen minutes twice this season. Nevertheless, Howard is currently averaging 40.5 percent shooting from long range on three attempts per game.
An opportunity to play more could really unlock his shot-making ability and that may be enough to make him an interesting asset to potential trade partners.