Does this trade make sense for Orlando Magic?

Mo Bamba and Robin Lopez are two solid options for the Magic to have at the center position, but there is no reason for them to trade away Wendell Carter Jr. unless they do not want to pay him. The former Top-10 pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is set to be a restricted free agent next offseason. 

If Orlando wants to keep Wendell Carter Jr. around, they will most likely have to pay him anywhere from $12M-$15M a year, tying down some cap space that they could utilize elsewhere over the next few seasons. Figuring out financial situations is a very touchy subject for teams that are rebuilding because they need to have cap space to play around with. 

Not wanting to be tied down to a long-term deal with Carter Jr. is the only reason why the Orlando Magic would want to trade the young big man and quite honestly, this is probably not the best trade they can get for him.

Kenrich Williams and Ty Jerome are two low-end bench players for the Magic and while a 2022 first-round pick is nice, a 2026 first-round pick really does not bring much immediate value to this Orlando franchise. 

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A first-round pick and an intriguing young prospect may be all it takes to land Wendell Carter Jr. in a trade, but this trade just would not cut it. The Magic would be smart to hold onto Carter Jr. in this situation and if they do look to trade him around midseason, they should be in search of another key frontcourt player that is under contract for at least two seasons.