3 potential Orlando Magic trade candidates
By Luke Duffy
3. Evan Fournier
This is a tough place to begin, as Evan Fournier is having arguably his best ever season in an Orlando Magic uniform and he is only 27. A summer spent winning a bronze medal with France at the FIBA World Cup has carried over to the regular season so far, as he has posted a career-high 19.2 points per game while shooting 40 percent from deep.
There was a time when Fournier was the Magic’s closer of games out of necessity. Now though, he is the guy they want with the ball in hand when the game is on the line. He is their best offensive player not named Nikola Vucevic and is capable of creating his own shot better than anybody else.
So why then would the Magic trade Fournier? His trade value may never be higher and with next season being the final year of his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent (he is due $17 million in 2020-21), another organization either on the playoff bubble or looking to solidify their contender status could do worse than take him on for the next season and a half.
Evan Fournier hit huge shots in the final minutes of that game.
— The Lando (@TheLando__) January 14, 2020
This continues to be the best season of his career, he deserves way more recognition league wide.
25 points (12/12 FT), and 6 assists.
This would mean the Magic may not get a ton back for Fournier, but with the roster the way it is currently constructed, taking a step backwards in order to ultimately move forward may not be a bad idea. Fournier is that bit older than the core they hope to keep in place and getting another player back who fits that timeline could help.
Again this would see the team slip in the short term, especially offensively, just as it seems like they are figuring some things out on that end. But the alternative is also a scary proposition. If he remains with the Magic into next season, they face the prospect of having to pay him in the summer of 2021.
They are still at a point where most free agents won’t consider signing with them, but the continued improvements of guys like Markelle Fultz and Aarion Gordon can change that.
With Fournier playing his best basketball currently though, if they re-signed him in 2021 to a big deal, it would hinder their prospects of signing other player, keeping them stuck in the position they are currently in as a playoff bubble team. Probably best for somebody else to have to make that decision.