2020 NBA Trade Deadline Primer: Orlando Magic
With the new year now finally upon us, speculation ahead of the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline is in full swing. Whether Orlando Magic fans are in consensus about what the team ought to do before the Feb. 6, 2020 cut off or not, anticipation mounts across all fanbases that there will be fireworks.
In this post, just one of a series of 30, we’ll break down the reports that have started to trickle out about Magic players that may or may not be on the move. While there’s no guarantee when it comes to a league as wild as the modern NBA, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on each squad’s roster as the deadline draws near.
Players Unlikely To Be Traded
- Jonathan Isaac
- Al-Farouq Aminu
No player on Orlando’s roster is truly untouchable in trade talks. Jonathan Isaac, who is sidelined with a knee injury, and Al-Farouq Aminu, who had surgery on his right knee last month, seem unlikely to be traded because of their long-term injuries.
Biggest Name Available On Market
- D.J. Augustin
The Magic are in a bit of a transition period at point guard. 32-year-old D.J. Augustin won’t be the future point guard and with one year left on his contract, trading him might be the prudent move for the Magic. He’s nursing a knee injury and is expected back any day now, just in time for the NBA trade deadline.
Logical Trade Pieces
- Nikola Vucevic
- Aaron Gordon
With the Magic investing top-10 draft picks in Isaac and Mo Bamba in recent years, it would make sense for the team to move on from the Nikola Vucevic-Aaron Gordon frontcourt at some point. Each player is on a contract that decreases in value year-over-year and that’s no accident. Gordon has two years remaining on his deal after this one and Vucevic has three; don’t expect both of them to finish out their deals in Orlando.
Trades Are Possible
- Evan Fournier
- Terrence Ross
- Markelle Fultz
- Mo Bamba
- Khem Birch
- Michael Carter-Wiliams
- Wesley Iwundu
- Amile Jefferson
- Melvin Frazier Jr.
Fournier has been as important to the Magic’s success as any player on the team. He could be a free agent after the season if he turns down his $17.2M player option for the 2020-21 campaign. 🏀 Terrence Ross is fresh off signing his four-year, $54M deal and he’s having a dreadful shooting campaign, making just 39.2% of his attempts. 🏀 Markelle Fultz may not ever live up to the status of a true No. 1 overall pick, though he’s showing progress in Orlando. The 21-year-old has started 44 games for the Magic this season. 🏀 Mo Bamba is slowly coming along. He’s third on the team in NBA Math’s Total Points Added metric, with all of his value coming on the defensive end. 🏀 Khem Birch re-signed with the club on a two-year deal this past summer. Only three players with at least 20 minutes per game of action have as a low of a usage percentage (9.2%) as Birch does. 🏀 The Magic brought back Michael Carter-Williams during the offseason and the former Sixer has been solid for the team. The good news is that he’s shooting better his career average from behind the arc. The bad news is he’s shooting .268 from behind the arc. 🏀 Wesley Iwundu will be a restricted free agent after the season. The 25-year-old wing is seeing 18.2 minutes per game. 🏀 Amile Jefferson’s salary for next season is non-guaranteed. He’s played just 74 minutes for the Magic this season. 🏀 Melvin Frazier Jr. has shuffled back-and-forth between the Magic and their G League affilaite. He’s appeared in just 13 NBA games this year, spending a total of 47 minutes on the court.
