Does this trade make sense for the Orlando Magic?
Draft picks and young talents are all that the Orlando Magic care about acquiring right now, which is why they could actually be interested in this deal. While they would like to probably get a first-round pick for Terrence Ross, getting Kyle Kuzma is a valuable acquisition for them since he is about to turn 26-years-old and under contract through the 2023-24 season.
Orlando definitely needs some help in their frontcourt and more specifically, they need a versatile forward that can make plays from virtually anywhere on the floor. In two seasons before the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis, Kuzma was an excellent player and averaged 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and shot 45.3% from the floor.
When you look at the Magic’s roster as a whole, they desperately need talent on the wing and Kyle Kuzma can definitely fill-in that small-forward role they have open. Orlando also has the 5th pick in this year’s draft that they could use to draft a wing, but they could really focus on drafting the guy they want instead of the position they need if they were to acquire Kuzma.
Getting a relatively young and experienced forward is fair value for Terrence Ross and the Magic should be thrilled to get Kuzma. Ross does not present a long-term future to an organization that is rebuilding and they will be looking to trade him this offseason, so this trade actually makes sense for the Magic.
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Kyle Kuzma can contribute immediately and for a long-time to come in Orlando, which is why this trade makes sense for them. Even if they do not want to keep Kuzma long-term, they could easily look to flip him again at the NBA trade deadline or in the future for draft picks or more young talents. This will be something to monitor in trade rumors during the NBA offseason.
Right now, with Terrence Ross’ value being at its highest, the Orlando Magic need to take advantage of this opportunity to trade him this offseason. Waiting to do so will result in his value declining, meaning that the Magic will not be able to get the same value they are getting from Los Angeles in this trade.
