Orlando Magic
Injuries have defined the Orlando Magic to this point in the season and as a result, their playoff hopes this year are very slim. Nikola Vucevic has been fantastic this year, establishing himself as one of the best centers in the league, and Terrence Ross has been a solid role player many playoff caliber teams have targeted as the trade deadline approaches.
While the Magic are expected to be “sellers” at the trade deadline, they could possibly look to add LaMarcus Aldridge should they trade away Aaron Gordon. The Blazers and Timberwolves are two of the teams that have been expressing interest in Gordon and it seems like a deal will likely get done at the NBA trade deadline.
With that said, the Magic could potentially look to fill their power-forward void with someone like LaMarcus Aldridge, who can potentially help them go on a run during the second half of the season and then free up a lot of cap space for them to play around with in free agency next offseason.
If Cole Anthony can return soon and Evan Fournier can also remain healthy, there is an outside chance that the Magic could potentially find their way into one of the two play-in games for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, but ultimately, freeing up cap space should be one of the main priorities of this franchise.
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They have a lot of young talent and an All-Star center, which makes them a somewhat attractive destination for some high-level talents. The Magic have not been a staple name in the NBA for years now and with Orando, Florida being a big market for athletes, the Magic could potentially pair Vucevic with another All-Star caliber player in next year’s free agency, which is why trading for Aldridge and freeing up cap space makes a lot of sense.
Overall, the Magic most likely are not one of Aldridge’s preferred destinations, which is why he will most likely be traded elsewhere, but they are still very much in the conversation for being an under-the-radar team that could utilize the veteran forward.
