Why the Magic should hesitate to pursue recently proposed trade idea

As the new NBA season approaches, trade ideas and suggestions are starting to pick up again. After all, it is never too early to speculate what teams might do if the season doesn’t go the way they imagined and who they might have their eyes on. 

The Magic have been mentioned in those conversations quite a lot. They did not get a traditional point guard, who is set to play heavy minutes, or an offensive-minded player during the summer. As a result, many people around the NBA expect the team to continue struggling offensively. 

Anfernee Simons and LaMelo Ball are some of the names that have been proposed as potential options for the Magic to take their offense to the next level. Both could do exactly what the Magic need—score, space the floor, and facilitate the offense—but they are not the only options out there. 

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey suggested the Magic pursue an ambitious trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Magic should not trade Jalen Suggs lightheartedly

As with every trade proposed for the Magic, Bailey’s idea would boost the team’s offense by adding a traditional point guard to the mix. He suggested the Magic go after Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, essentially trading him for Jalen Suggs. 

“The Magic have Jalen Suggs, enough salary-matching contracts to get to Garland’s cap number and plenty of draft assets to sweeten a potential deal,” Bailey wrote. 

This is not the first time trades to swap Garland and Suggs have been suggested. After the Cavaliers’ struggles in the playoffs, it seemed some of the players were ready to change teams. Since then, the Cavaliers signed Donovan Mitchell to a new deal and are seemingly committed to giving their big four another chance. Mitchell and Garland are still not a great fit, though. Putting someone like Suggs, who is a big defender and not as ball-dominant, next to Mitchell might be just what the Cavaliers need. 

Likewise, Garland could be the answer to the Magic’s most pressing offensive issues. He has been a good 3-point shooter for most of his career, can put up around 20 points a night, and is a great table-setter at the point guard spot. 

And yet, moving Jalen Suggs to get him would be a big move for the Magic. Someone has to go, but the Magic should hesitate to make any move that requires them to ship out Suggs. Yes, he may not develop into a third option behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner or a great point guard, but he could be the perfect 3-and-D guard to grow alongside the two stars. 

Every team needs capable role players, and last season Suggs looked like one of the top young two-way guards in the league. He was one of the team’s few reliable volume 3-point shooters last season. A team struggling to space the floor should not lightly trade one of the few players capable of doing just that—if he can replicate last year’s production from three of course. 

Most importantly, however, Suggs is the heart and soul of the Magic’s defense. Defense is what this team is built to excel at. It is the Magic’s identity. Giving up the head of the snake might change the team’s defensive identity. 

Considering how much the Magic have valued continuity and the development of their young players, it doesn’t seem that they would trade Suggs lightly—even though they have not signed him to a contract extension yet. 

A lot of the Magic’s success this season rests on Suggs’ shoulders. If he cannot rise to the challenge and take the next steps offensively, the Magic will have to figure out where else to find additional playmaking and scoring. Taking the team to the next level will take sacrifice, but trading Suggs is something the Magic should think about at least twice.