With the NBA’s regular season now in the books, the Orlando Magic can head into the summer with the kind of optimism they haven’t felt in a while. That is because strange as it is to admit, the front office has ended up having a very good season. Certainly a lot better than it looked like it was going to be at the trade deadline.
With fans beginning to grow restless of the direction of the organization, it was a surprise and a risk to see them blow it up and commit to another rebuild around some young, and injured, players. They did this by trading away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier at the deadline, getting back picks and young players in the process.
Perception can go a long way in the NBA, and as of this moment, you could make the case that the Magic won all three of the trades that sent their established veterans elsewhere. We will return to this, but not before marveling at the overflowing amount of young talent that is suddenly in place in Orlando.
The NBA’s regular season has ended, and on reflection, the front office of the Orlando Magic actually had a year that is likely to be remembered fondly
Not that casual fans know or care about this right now. But to look through their ranks, there are young players, and even failsafes, at pretty much every position. This front office drafted Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke, and pulled off one of the deals of the decade in trading away next to nothing for Markelle Fultz.
Those three guys alone are a good place to start, especially with Okeke coming in this year and having an impact and making a difference in the rotation. The caveat is that all three have torn their ACLs, with Okeke back from the injury and Isaac/Fultz currently rehabbing their knees. Those two will return next year, and it will be interesting to see how they fit in again.
On top of that, the Magic also have Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton and Wendell Carter Jr. Both Anthony and Hampton are rookies, and despite a rib injury forcing him to miss time, the franchise already feels like one that is being molded into Anthony’s vision. He is tenacious, engaging, a great teammate and makes for a fantastic post-game interview as well.
In the Magic’s final game of the season, he had 37 points, easily a career-high. Hampton has come over from the Denver Nuggets and hit the ground running. So much so that Fultz, who was the Magic’s second-best player in a playoff series only a year ago, may be worried as to where he fits in once he returns. As good as he is, his place as a starter is coming under threat.
Carter Jr. has slowed a little since swapping places with Vucevic, who went the other way to the Chicago Bulls. Still, he is only 22 and has hardly been a bust either. Speaking of busts, even Mohamed Bamba, taken one spot before Carter Jr. in the 2018 NBA Draft, has played some of the best basketball of his career since the front office made the moves that they did.
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He may yet end up playing elsewhere, but the fact he even has some sort of trade value now can also be marked down as a plus for the job the front office is doing. They also received two first-round picks from the Bulls in the Carter Jr. deal, and have all of their own picks as well. This means they will have two lottery picks, and maybe even the first overall pick, in a loaded draft class.
At 26-years-old, Gary Harris is an elder statesman relative to most of the roster, but he has yet to hit his prime and if he is kept on in Orlando, could end up being an excellent marksman for this roster. Something like what Terrence Ross was to the last version of the team, with perhaps more playmaking as well.
At this point, we have to return to the perception around the trades that made this bright future possible, because it has given extra shine to the moves the front office has made. It also helps us to look back on what was most certainly a slog of a season, with numerous low points, and see everything in a more favorable light.
Not only does Hampton look really good, but Gordon has also been the maddeningly pedestrian player that he was in Orlando for much of his stint with the Nuggets so far. Throw in the fact Harris was also included in that deal, and right now the Orlando Magic have come out on top with some long-term pieces in that one.
Vucevic, for all of the amazing numbers he is able to put up, failed to get the Bulls to even the play-in tournament. This was with additional help in the form of fellow All-Star Zach LaVine, the best teammate he has ever had. The Bulls moved into winnow mode in dealing away some of their future for Vucevic, and at this point, it has not paid off. Meanwhile, the Magic added handsomely to their own future.
The Fournier deal was the least surprising of the three, and as well as getting a couple of second-round picks which can be used in future trades, the organization got out from under having to pay Fournier this offseason. He has also had Covid related issues, which have hampered his time with the Boston Celtics. They have had a tough year and Fournier has yet to really help, which again makes the Magic look good.
So as crazy as it sounds, the Orlando Magic’s front office most certainly had a big win this year. On reflection, they’re yet to really whiff in the draft at all, although the jury is still out on Bamba. Most free agency signings have been good too, even if Dwayne Bacon has struggled and Al-Farouq Aminu didn’t work out. Say it quietly, but it is a good time to be an Orlando Magic fan.