NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Orlando Magic are trending upwards. However, they may look to upgrade their roster by the NBA trade deadline and while that’s respectable, they must be smart about their moves.
What’s enticing about the Orlando Magic is their youth. Like the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Magic built their team through the draft and it’s starting to pay dividends. But winning a championship takes more than proper draft picks. The Magic will need some veteran leadership when the playoffs begin or they will be bounced no matter the talent they have. The trade deadline is a great place to get what they need but they must do so by not destroying what got them there.
With names like DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and possibly Karl-Anthony Towns and Donavon Mitchell available, these are the names the Magic must stay away from. While each of those players can bring scoring and rebound to the team in hopes of winning a title, the price tag is just too high.
Name a star that a team is just going to give away like that. The Orlando Magic will have to surrender members of their young core and possibly draft capital. No. The team is not at championship level yet and getting rid of their core for a possible half a season rental is not a smart move.
Will The Orlando Magic Make Any Trades
Instead, they should attack players on cheap contracts who have either won a championship or been to the playoffs multiple times. Find a rebounder and a reliable shooter from the perimeter. Look for a lockdown defender. Get a vet who’s not afraid to speak up in the locker room, huddle, and on the court. This is the route they should take.
But what may happen is that their success continues to happen by the deadline and the front office pushes the panic button and does something most young teams do. They buy instead of build. Look at the Golden State Warriors during their run. They made players come to them instead of searching them out. They believed in their core strong enough to not blow it up. This is the blueprint the Orlando Magic must follow.
The core is already set with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz. Not many household names, but neither were the Warriors before their dynasty began. Taking away from the core could set this team back a few seasons. What they have now is a great foundation to build upon. No need to screw that up for players who may want to leave as soon as the season is over.
