Before stumbling against the Hawks Monday, the Orlando Magic had been one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won six in a row including wins over the Celtics and Clippers. It’s a hot streak based around the play of young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
But the Magic also have a lot of veterans on the roster — Terrence Ross, Mo Bamba, R.J. Hampton — and that could see the Magic as sellers at the trade deadline, something Jake Fisher talked about at Yahoo Sports.Terrence Ross has long garnered interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, sources said. New York was in pursuit of Ross in previous years, as well. Yet, while Orlando has rebuffed offers below a first-round pick for the veteran swingman in recent seasons, sources said, it’s difficult to foresee a playoff contender sacrificing more than a single second-round selection for Ross’ services. The same goes for Gary Harris, although both wing players carry no guaranteed salary beyond this 2022-23 campaign.
R.J. Hampton is another strong Orlando trade candidate after the Magic didn’t pick up his fourth-year option for next season...
Former No. 6 overall pick Mo Bamba may be the Magic’s greatest trade chip... League executives expect Orlando to hold out for a protected first-round selection or a late first-round pick to part with the 24-year-old rim presence. There are teams like the Lakers and Clippers, as well as Toronto, Sacramento and Brooklyn, that front-office personnel expect to sniff around the big-man market ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline and may be willing to cough up a pair of second-round choices for Bamba.
Right now, early in the trade season, teams are asking full retail for players — hence the Magic wanting a first-round pick for Bamba. Prices will get more realistic the closer we move to the Feb. 9 trading deadline.
Orlando should be stockpiling picks, even if it is second-rounders — the Lakers have the Bulls’ second-rounder this year, which suddenly looks a lot more promising. Bamba and Ross should bring back something of value (there’s not a lot of Hampton love around the league, and he will be an inexpensive free agent this offseason anyway if a team wants to roll the dice). Roll the dice on some second-rounders who could become solid rotation players (in 2021 Herbert Jones and Ayo Dosunmu were drafted in the 30s, in 2020 it was Xavier Tillman, in 2019 it was Nic Claxton and Cody Martin).
Keep an eye on the Magic on the trade market heading into the Feb. 9 trade deadline — and on the court, where they have become dangerous.
