Orlando Magic: Why would they want Dennis Smith Jr.?

There are rumors that Dennis Smith Jr. may be available through a trade from the New York Knicks, but why would the Orlando Magic want him?

It is clear after two seasons of reaching the playoffs and going home in the first round, that the Orlando Magic need to make roster changes if they are to improve. The only problem with that, however, is that they are locked into the core they currently have in place because of the contracts that they are on.

The Golden State Warriors for example might have a sudden need for a big man if they want to dethrone the champion Los Angeles Lakers, but center Nikola Vucevic would cost them $75 million for the next three seasons. Great as he would be for the Warriors, or any fringe contender really, at this point.

But while a deal such as this one to move away from the fully-formed Vucevic and towards a younger base with more potential that costs less money would be seen as a welcome move by many, doing so just for the sake of shaking the roster up would be a mistake. A potential trade for point guard Dennis Smith Jr. of the New York Knicks falling into that category.

Not that trade talks are at an advanced stage or anything, save for some smoke on Twitter in recent days. The Magic also have a front office who, since taking over and drafting Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba in back-to-back drafts, have shown a willingness to be patient and not make rash decisions.

Ironically Smith Jr. is a player the organization should have looked at during the 2017 draft when he was selected ninth, although Magic fans are certainly happy with having Isaac instead, despite the choppy injury history already. But there are two clear reasons as to why going after Smith Jr. now, when the roster is far from perfect in other areas, makes little sense.

The first is what it would cost to get him from the Knicks in the first place. Smith Jr. is under contract for two more years, and after that he is a restricted free agent. So he is going nowhere for a long time. Having the player under contract for an extended period adds to his value, even if he hasn’t always shown that on the court.

How might a deal with the Knicks work for the Orlando Magic?

The Knicks right now are rebuilding and would be looking for some combination of draft picks and young players to take back. Would that mean this year’s first-round pick and potentially a pair of seconds? What if they wanted Chuma Okeke instead? Somebody who is yet to play in the league but who Magic fans already believe will be a big help to them.

The Knicks can afford to roll the dice with Okeke. So too can the Magic, but they are trying to get back to being a competitive playoff team, not just one who sneaks in as an eighth seed each year. Okeke doesn’t have as much time as he would like to prove he can contribute. Just ask Bamba, who already looks like he doesn’t have many chances left.

But the prospect of losing Okeke and other draft picks brings back tough memories of the prolonged rebuild when other franchises fleeced the Magic of guys like Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Dario Saric. Cutting ties with Okeke before ever seeing him play doesn’t seem wise.

What also doesn’t seem wise, and is clearly the biggest stumbling block to any potential deal being done, is the fact Markelle Fultz is now on the Magic’s roster. Although brought in as a low-risk move at the trade deadline in 2019, his growth in year one with the franchise surpassed everybody’s expectations.

You could go as far as to say he was the Orlando Magic’s second-best player in the playoffs this year after Nikola Vucevic and looks set to continue to improve. Why would the team want to put a potential roadblock on that growth in the form of Smith Jr.? Somebody who, in his time in the league so far, has shown he needs the ball in his hands to thrive and looks to be aggressive when in possession.

About the only possible reason for the two teaming up would be so the Magic could be better offensively. Fultz already looks like he will be an above-average defender at his position for a long time, and drives to the basket and picks a pass well. Smith Jr. has bulldog tendencies himself, but also seems more comfortable creating his own shot.

Anybody who has watched the Magic over the last number of years knows how downright ugly some of their offensive possessions can be. Smith Jr. would alleviate some of that, but at what cost? Fultz is the future now and has done nothing so far to make you think he won’t continue to improve in his role.

There are moves to be made with this roster, and in time they will come. But jumping at the first young player who may be available, when they are yet to do much of anything in the league, is short-sighted. He would cost the Orlando Magic some of their own youth and picks to acquire when Fultz is already doing an assured job in his time running the team so far.