1. Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic need a point guard more than any team in the league outside of Phoenix, so this one’s a bit of a no-brainer. If any team is going to take a gamble on Fultz before the deadline — maybe even without seeing him back on the basketball court first — it’d be a young, still rebuilding franchise like this one.
A core of Fultz, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, Mohamed Bamba is one worth salivating over, but it may require breaking up such a group to bring Philly’s prized sophomore to Orlando. Nikola Vucevic for Fultz works straight up, but the Magic would hesitate to trade their best player in the middle of an All-Star season, even as he’s heading for unrestricted free agency.
As such, an alternative would be Jonathan Isaac for Fultz straight up:
Isaac has dealt with his fair share of injuries since being taken sixth overall in Fultz’s draft class, but he’s a multi-positional rim protector with immense upside on the defensive end. He’s not a stretch-big yet by any means, but he’s still only 21 and would supply the Sixers with youth moving forward.
If that’s a non-starter for the Magic, they could look to address Philly’s need for two-way players with Jonathon Simmons and a future first round pick. His salary for 2019-20 is non-guaranteed, but even with as good as Simmons can be defensively, his production has taken a drastic hit in Orlando and he’s not a 3-point shooter.
A better alternative would be Terrence Ross‘ expiring deal and a future first-rounder. Ross is in the middle of his best season yet, averaging a career-high 13.9 points per game while shooting 37.5 percent from downtown on 6.0 attempts a night.
He’d be a terrific addition to Philadelphia’s bench, and would come with no strings attached since he’s heading for unrestricted free agency this summer. The Sixers would probably need a future first-rounder too, since Ross could simply amount to a rental.
If involving a member of the young core or a first round pick is out of the question for Orlando, there’s one final alternative: Evan Fournier. Miscast as a primary scoring option on a team lacking offensive firepower, Fournier has still made himself into a reliable weapon, averaging at least 15 points per game in each of the last four seasons.
Though he’s only hitting 33.2 percent of his 3s this year, he’s a career 37.2 shooter from beyond the arc and would probably bounce back on a more competitive team where he wouldn’t face the same pressure to score like he does in Orlando.
Even better, he’s under team control for next season ($17 million), with a $17 million player option for 2020-21. That’s a high amount to pay a player of his caliber, especially as the team’s fourth or fifth option, but he’d space the floor and strengthen either the starting lineup or the bench.
Chandler would be included for salary-matching purposes, providing the Magic with their long-awaited franchise point guard and an expiring contract.
Out of all the teams that could realistically make a move for Markelle Fultz, the Orlando Magic have the most options to facilitate a deal and probably make the most sense as a potential trade partner as well.