As the Orlando Magic continue their slide down the standings and continue to struggle on the court, the trade deadline on Feb. 18 comes into clearer focus and becomes more urgent.
With the team losing 15 of the past 17 games, it is clear there are problems with the roster that need resolving for the team to take a step forward in 2017. This is not to say the Magic are willing or are giving up on the 2016 season. That is almost certainly not the case.
It does mean though that with the long-term picture in mind and the desire to continue some general team progress, the Magic have to make some changes and explore their options.
Reports are the Magic were content to stand pat and see the team continue to grow before evaluating things in the summer on how to progress. The losing though has brought some more urgency to the team. They seem to be looking at things a bit more urgently and preparing to make decisions on players sooner than expected in hopes of turning the season around and keeping an eye on the future.
The Magic have plenty of assets they can cash in, but still only a few options.
Over at Orlando Magic Daily, we have looked at a few different trade scenarios. We have surveyed the market and looked at a few players that might be made available that could fit one of the various needs the Magic have. We have looked at the different issues in making a deal or standing pat.
We have even begun considering certain moves the team could make.
The whole conclusion is that deals will not be easy but may become necessary. Some difficult decisions need to be made for the Magic to succeed.
“I don’t think about that,” Nikola Vucevic said. “I’m happy with the guys we have. I think I have great teammates, guys I really enjoy playing with. Obviously lately we haven’t been playing that level we know we can. That’s no reason to think we should change anything. We have to find a way within each to get back to the way we were playing when we won five in a row.”
Take Nikola Vucevic for instance.
Vucevic has been a flashpoint for criticism so far this season. His flaws on defense have been made more apparent as the team has struggled more and he has had his own difficulties as a go-to player and potential All Star. There are legitimate questions not necessarily about how good he is, but his potential and what he could be for a better, contending team.
Vucevic’s value may never be higher and even on the first year of an extension, has a very friendly contract. But the Magic would also need a center in return. Trading him would prove to be very difficult to do and get the value the Magic would be looking for in return as Samuel Skubala writes:
There is certainly no rush to trade Vucevic, as there are other trading chips on the roster who should be dealt first. As to whether the former USC Trojan will be traded before the end of his current contract is an interesting question — he is a quality big man who is on a highly attractive contract.
As you can see, to go get the kind of players the Magic want, it will take much more than just Vucevic to acquire them. And the Magic would have to ensure they get a center back in return. Piecing together a deal for Vucevic could be very difficult and could cause the Magic to take a step back and commit a lot of assets just to acquire the player they want to build around.
This echoes many of the other issues with trading any core player on the Magic roster. They are not in a position to trade someone just to trade someone. It would have to make sense for the long-term goals and future of the team.
The urgency though certainly appears to have increased some with the losing streak. Decisions are going to get made about the future of the team and steps will be pursued to implement those decisions.
That is a good thing for this team.
Of course, what would be better is for the team to win games. The Magic have not done a lot of that since January began. The reason they have fallen out of prime playoff position and brought a lot of the down talk and frustration is because they cannot win.
“More than anything it is about our next game and getting back to playing good basketball and trying to figure out what we have to do out there as a unit to come out with a win,” Tobias Harris said. “That’s really what we’re trying to figure out.”
While returning to winning some games and restoring some stability to get back into the Playoff conversation will straighten the ship and restore some confidence in the core, the damage has likely been done. Questions have been raised about this roster that need some resolution.
Regardless of how this season ends, the Magic will be due for some major change to take their next step forward.
“It’s hard to even think about that,” Victor Oladipo said. “I think we’re just worried about winning basketball games. We can’t control what we can’t control. You can only control what you can control. What we’re controlling is our work and our approach to every day and trying to win basketball games.”
