Why this trade makes sense for the Orlando Magic
Nikola Vucevic seems to be one of the only bright spots on the Orlando Magic this season, which is one of the reasons why they have virtually no shot at making the playoffs. Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon are all solid secondary scorers next to Vucevic, but this team is a long ways away from being anything special in the Eastern Conference, which is why they need to hit the reset button and take a small step back to evaluate their future.
Aaron Gordon has been with the Magic for six seasons now, this season being his seventh, and he has not really done anything with them to make them a better team, which is why trading him now while he still holds a fairly high value on the trade market makes sense. His contract is relatively cheap and is still under contract through next season as well, which is another positive as to why the Magic should trade him.
Freeing up cap space should be one of the biggest priorities for the Orlando Magic right now because they need to be able to bring in more talent to pair with Nikola Vucevic. The All-Star center cannot carry the Magic to the playoffs and beyond by himself and if this team is going to have any shot to be something special, they will have to be aggressive in free agency.
Orlando does not seem like a very lucrative market for potential All-Star free agents, but the Magic already have a proven All-Star talent, they have some solid role players and plenty of young, high-level talents, so their situation is not as bad as it may seem.
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This team definitely has the potential to be something special over the next few seasons, but they need to continue to find ways to bolster their roster, which is why trading Gordon to the Blazers makes sense. If Zach Collins can return next season healthy, the Magic would have a 23-year old forward who has a great all-around game in the low-post.
He can definitely be a player they could build with next to Vucevic, but Rodney Hood is also a solid player that could have a role in Orlando moving forward. Things have not worked out with him in Portland this year and he has struggled offensively, which is why a change of scenery could be needed for the 28-year old wing.
Getting a future 2024 first-round pick is not too shabby either for the Magic as they will continue to look for ways to better their roster moving forward. Ultimately, one of the better moves the Magic can make at the trade deadline this year is being “sellers” and moving on from Aaron Gordon in their frontcourt.
