Orlando Magic: The pros and cons of going after Eric Bledsoe
By Luke Duffy
Con: It puts a ceiling on this team’s potential
If the Magic were to give up modest assets for Bledsoe, what would it say about their future? Well, that they would be locked in to the core they have.
There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself, and adding Bledsoe to Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier would make them a playoff team year after year.
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But we’ve seen teams get stuck on this treadmill before, and while it may seem like turning their nose up to a player who would automatically become arguably their go-to guy would be foolish, it makes sense to do so.
Right now this team has an enviable amount of flexibility, and going after Bledsoe just doesn’t match up with their long-term goals.
They’ve almost become a possible playoff team this season by accident. Not that this wasn’t the goal, it’s just taken everybody by surprise with how quickly everything has jelled.
Adding Bledsoe to that makes no sense, as there are bigger and more rewarding trades and free agency signings out there. The team just needs to show some of the patience, which it has already.
So while it would be a short-term gain, it would still likely result in a first round playoff series loss. Then what?
The team would run it back for the next few years, hoping to get lucky and advance past the first round. A look at the elite teams in the East right now tells you that isn’t happening anytime soon.