With the trade deadline in the rear view mirror, the Orlando Magic now look ahead to the rest of the regular season. The team notably did not make any big moves at this season's deadline. After their big offseason move for guard Desmond Bane, the Magic do not have many tradable future first-round draft selections.
Bleacher Report released their trade deadline grades for every NBA franchise. The Magic received a very unflattering "F" grade.
"The Orlando Magic have been knocking on the door to becoming true contenders in the Eastern Conference for years now," the article wrote. "This trade deadline proved that they still aren't ready to come inside. Orlando's only move to "upgrade" a 25-24 overall roster was to offload Tyus Jones and his $7 million salary onto the Charlotte Hornets (who later traded him to the Dallas Mavericks). The move got the Magic out of the luxury tax, yet cost two second-round picks, not ideal for a team that gave up four first-rounders for Desmond Bane last summer. Jones was dreadful for Orlando this season, although it would have been preferable to send his expiring contract and those picks to a team in exchange for a rotation player who could actually help. With the East wide open, the Magic looked at the trade deadline and said 'no thanks'."
The offseason trade for Bane mostly prevented the Magic from having a buying mentality at this season's deadline. There are plenty of young players Orlando could have parted with for a role player. However, first-round picks were being moved around by multiple teams and the Magic just could not compete with those offers.
Orlando had another expiring contract outside of Jones. Moritz Wagner still remains on the roster past the deadline. He recently returned to the rotation following a full-year absence. Another player who was expected to potentially be moved is veteran forward Jonathan Isaac. The longest-tenured member of the roster has always been a strong defender but with his injury concerns, there were beliefs Orlando could part ways. He still remains on the roster along with Wagner. The Magic could have stripped the team down further but given this team hasn't been healthy for most of the season, hopefully the team can stay healthy and make a strong playoff push.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!