In order to understand the current trajectory of the Orlando Magic, we need to look back into the not too distant past of last season. The organization had appeared in back-to-back postseasons, and although they exited in the first round on both occasions, they had a group that was capable of getting back there and being even more difficult to beat.
They were lead by head coach Steve Clifford, who had instilled a high defensive work rate across the roster, and a core of Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier. Point guard Markelle Fultz was the wildcard, and he was instrumental in the Magic starting the season well and having fans thinking that the best was yet to come.
Then Fultz tore his ACL, and at that moment the direction of the franchise changed completely.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear the Orlando Magic won every major trade that they were involved in at the deadline last year.
It took a bit of time to get the right trades in place, but by the time the deadline had gone, none of Vucevic, Gordon or Fournier were on the team. Fultz was lost to injured, alongside Jonathan Isaac, and it was clear Clifford was not the man for this group. Plenty of losing ensued, and it was tough to take for a fanbase who had witnessed so much losing over the last eight years.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, the Magic actually won all three of the trades that they were involved in just before the trade deadline. It was unclear at the time if that was going to be the case, especially as Vucevic had turned into a two-time All-Star, but ahead of the 2021-22 season, the front office deserves all the credit in the world for those moves. Here is why.
Trades the Orlando Magic won: 3. Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls
Starting with the biggest domino to fall, and moving on from Vucevic was a surprise to many. He had been a walking double-double in his time in Orlando and raised the floor as to how good the team could be. He also put a ceiling on the group too, which is the reason why the Magic ultimately moved on from him.
Fans of Vucevic were typically the type to defend him vehemently, so this deal didn’t thrill everybody. Even on the day, however, it looked like a move that made sense. It was the right time to pull the trigger and move on from a player who had given his all to the Magic, but whose trade value was never going to be higher.
The Magic received two lottery picks in 2021 and 2022 (with some protection), and fellow center Wedell Carter Jr. Right away Carter Jr. set about becoming the kind of young big man that the fans could get behind with effort and energy. He also was a better fit in terms of timeline alongside Isaac, Fultz, Chuma Okeke and Cole Anthony.
Carter Jr. also put more pressure on Mohamed Bamba to really fight for his place on the roster, which to his credit he did. Really though it was about the draft picks, and although Jalen Suggs was a pick the Magic would have been able to make anyway, adding Franz Wagner with the eighth pick in what was a deep draft as a result of the Vucevic trade was a lovely bonus.
It put the Magic in the enviable position of having a whole host of young players who they now have and who they hope at least one will rise to the level of superstar. The way too early prediction would be Suggs, but this front office has done a nice job of drafting since they took over, and it would be no surprise to see Wagner grow into a real contributor for them.
Better still is the fact there could be another lottery pick headed the Magic’s way next summer from the Bulls, to go with the one they’ll surely be picking up themselves. It was hard to see Vucevic go, but if you look at where the Magic are right now, this is a rebuild done correctly. Getting much younger and much worse, picking correctly and rising higher in the future. The front office nailed this trade at a time when Vucevic’s value was at its peak.
Trades the Orlando Magic won: 2. Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets
If the Vucevic deal was a home run, then how good was offloading Aaron Gordon to the Denver Nuggets? The player who always seemed like he was on the cusp of putting something special together when with the Magic, but never really did. In defense of Gordon however, he was the team’s best defender when he was in Florida.
That gets you few nationwide plaudits, especially in a small market, but it was the reason the Nuggets felt comfortable letting R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris and even a protected first-round pick in 2025 go for his services. Gordon’s defensive abilities got much more credit right away in Denver, yet when the postseason rolled around, he failed to help elevate his team when they needed it.
If getting Hampton and possibly a first-round pick was worth the deal, and it was, then what happened next made it a brilliant piece of business. The Nuggets recently gave Gordon a new four-year, $92 million contract. The kind of deal that they had to make, as they are close to winning a championship when Jamal Murray returns from injury to go alongside Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr.
Can you imagine the absolute civil war that would have taken place had the Magic given Gordon that kind of money? That’s exactly what they would have been in line to do this offseason if they had not made the trade before the deadline. It even feels like a tough one for the Nuggets to swallow, but it was unthinkable from the Magic’s perspective.
Instead, they got off giving Gordon money, have a player in Hampton who could yet be the perfect backcourt complement to his good friend Suggs, and there’s a possible pick in the future. Harris makes a ton of money ($20 million this coming season) but is an unrestricted free agent next summer. It is unlikely the Magic can trade him to turn him into anything, but stranger things have happened.
Gordon had career averages in Orlando of 12.9 points and 6.4 rebounds on 32.1 percent shooting from deep in nearly seven years there. On reflection, it all seems a bit underwhelming. It was apparent quickly that he was never going to be the guy, even when fans willed him to be. Gordon wasn’t even brilliant being the second or third option but figures to fit that role more comfortably around better players. To move him, not pay him and get something back was massive.
Trades the Orlando Magic won: 1. Evan Fournier to the New York Knicks
Probably the least successful of the three deals, as the Magic only got a pair of second-round picks from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Fournier. However much like Gordon, it also meant they didn’t have to think about paying him this summer. Instead, it was the New York Knicks who gave Fournier four years and $73 million.
A number not as frightening as Gordon’s, but which would have locked the Magic into a player who certainly had his moments, but just did not fit with the long-term vision currently in place here. Fournier was great for bailing the team out of bad offensive possessions in a way that none of his teammates could.
He was a creator and ran a nice two-man game with Vucevic (much to the disdain of some, which led to the “Euro Bros” nickname being used disparagingly). But by the same token he also sometimes took too much out of the ball or tried to force the action when it simply wasn’t there. Ironically he got more love than Gordon for this reason, even if Gordon actually did more helpful things on the court on a nightly basis.
Even though the return wasn’t great for a player who played 435 games for the organization (and who was averaging a career-high 19.7 points per night before being traded), it was truly never going to get any better than that. The Celtics saw Fournier as a rental to try and help them during what they hoped would be a nice playoff run. It was not.
It then fell on the Knicks, riding some momentum for the first time since Carmelo Anthony was in town, to pay for a player who can certainly help them next year. At 28 he is in his prime, and although the Knicks are far from the finished article, fans have been happy to see them draft reasonably well, not overpay on stuffed players, and build around Julius Randle.
Fournier will help the Knicks to win more games next season, and he will be comfortable working around Randle to score and facilitate some as well. Bringing him back would also have been a disaster for the Magic, who need to keep their cap clean to bring back the right young guys as they are eligible for new deals and in the not too distant future, add the right veterans too. Yes, the Orlando Magic really did win every big trade last year.