Magic’s Historic Rebuild Rebuilding Project Helped Magic Back to Life.
In February 2021, it was clear that the Orlando Magic had reached the end of its rope. After half a decade of trying to find a way to get the Magic to compete, the team had been stuck in a rut for six years with an aging core of Gordon, Fournier and Vučevic. It was time to shake things up.
A few months later, at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Magic traded off all three of those core players.
Fast forward three years, and Orlando’s ceiling looks way higher than it did three years ago.
They could have found a franchise-caliber player like Banchero in the summer of 2021, a second star like Franz Wagner (acquired from the Chicago Bulls) in the fall of 2021, or a small group of productive guards like Anthony Black, Cole Anthony and Suggs.
They also have Wendell Carter Jr and Moe Wagner on a sweetheart contracts, and a long-term project in Jett Howard waiting in the wings, not to mention tradable assets in form of Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris.
Along with ranking third in the East, the Magic have done well for themselves in recent years. They have filled a void in their roster with productive players and have established a defensive culture after the hiring of Jamahl Mosley. Mosley is a front-runner for the league’s Coach of the Year award.
All of this is not to say that the Magic will not face challenges. They still need to determine what they have in their crop of guards. Although they have players with different skill sets, they do not have that one guard that can do it all.
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Anthony is a dynamic offensive guard (and a terrific rebounder too) but he lacks Suggs’ defensive discipline. Black is too young to know what he’ll become, but early returns suggest he’ll be more of a defensive player, not an offensive one.
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Both Banchero (Gabon) and Wagner (Frankfurt) are talented playmakers who thrive when the ball is in their hands, and they can initiate plays from the dribble for themselves or others, reducing the load on Orlando’s guards when needed.
However, three years from now, the Magic need to have a player in their backcourt who regularly makes All-Star rosters in order to balance out their talent at the larger positions.
This raises the question: when is the right time to trade for a player? Orlando probably won’t have a shot to pick high in the draft for some time. They’re simply too good not to have a pick in that range.
That opens up some possibilities.
Knowing they’re on the right path, the Magic could enter the 2024 offseason willing to trade draft picks for the player they want.
It’s always a tricky move to make when you’re transitioning from rebuild to buyer.
If one big trade goes awry, a team could be set back years.
To minimize risk, here’s a small checklist the Magic will follow before answering the above question:
That checklist includes determining whether Banchero will be a top-tier perennial All-Star. If they don’t think he will be, then they shouldn’t be in a rush to make wholesale roster changes.
On the other end of the spectrum, it’s important that ownership and management agree on spending. NBA champions often pay the luxury tax, so Orlando should do the same if they want to make a run at a championship.
If ownership isn’t willing to spend on quality players, then fans should expect a 2021 trade deadline with the current team in place.
But if the stars align and Banchero becomes a star, and the Magic owners, the DeSevres family, are willing to spend on a contender, then that’s when they’ll be ready to take advantage of a quality guard on the open market.
Of course, if one of the guards in the current rotation suddenly explodes, that would only help the Magic avoid a full-blown trade. But it’s a big if, and that’s why there’s a need for prudence.
All things considered, the Magic appear to be in good shape. They’ll need to spend a lot on Banchera and Wagner, but their books are in good shape. Carter Jr., at just 24, has a declining contract that will pay him just over $10 million at 26. For a team that’s still building for the future, that’s a huge cushion.
