Orlando Magic trade deadline candidates: 1. Mohamed Bamba
As watched touched on at the Magic’s media day, this is likely Mohamed Bamba’s last chance to stick with the franchise. Working in his favor is the fact that previous head coach Steve Clifford, who did not seem all that impressed by him, is gone, while coach Mosley has already worked out with Bamba this offseason.
Having the back of the coaching staff will give Bamba the confidence to believe that this year can be different. He has also packed on some serious muscle as well, which it is hoped will make him much more of a factor on the defensive end. The length and ability to sniff out a block have always been there, but the strength to hold his own inside has not.
Why then if there is all this positivity is Bamba the most likely candidate to get moved? Well, the Magic also have another center in Wendell Carter Jr., who they got in the Vucevic trade. There is no doubt getting a pair of first-rounders for Vucevic (one has already turned into Franz Wagner) was the main reason they made the deal, but Carter Jr. is far from a throw-in.
He was in the same draft as Bamba, picked one spot behind him in seventh. Carter Jr. also arrived in Orlando last season and played with the kind of energy despite it being a lost cause of a campaign that fans were quickly drawn towards. If we’re talking about where both players are right now, Carter Jr. is the better defensive player and looks closer to realizing his potential.
What is so intriguing about Bamba is that his ceiling is probably higher, especially as he has hit some 3-pointers before to stretch the opposition on the offensive end. Sadly though, he tops this list because he is now eligible for an extension on his rookie deal, which means Carter Jr. is as well.
The Magic aren’t going to keep both guys around, and when you look at the roster that they are building, a more defensively sound player like Carter Jr. makes the most sense to keep with the group at this moment. The organization won’t pay both guys, it would be less shocking to see them pay neither, so exploring a trade for Bamba to get out from under that financial commitment, as well as the introduction of Carter Jr., means his time is likely up in Orlando.