The Orlando Magic are currently a hot team with a 10-5 record. But can they sustain their success? Their defensive play is a huge factor why they’re currently rolling but on offense they can still get a bit stagnant. In comes Zach Lavine, I will talk about the pros and cons of a potential trade to the Magic.
Firstly the pros, Zach immediately makes Orlando a more threatening offense and his defensive shortcomings could be hidden on this team (depending on what they give up for him, but I’ll get into that later). Zach is a much needed shooter and floor spacer this team needs, and he has genuine take over ability. His fit with Paolo and Franz is an interesting one, and it comes with good and bad. The good being that in theory Paolo and Franz should become more effective on offense (even more than they are) with the improved spacing. And the bad?
Well now let’s shift to the cons, as it pertains to Zach fit with Orlando’s duo, this move could also take the ball out of Franz and Paolo’s hand. Personally I think Fultz being out and the ball being in their hands… is a huge reason for Magic’s success and is good for the young duo’s development. And it’s not like Zach needs the ball to be effective, but decision making and shot selection is a real flaw in Lavine’s game. It could hold Paolo and Franz’s back or Orlando could live with it, depends on how bad you think this part of Zach’s game actually is.
Now what would a package look like for Lavine, well an important factor here is defense. It would be in Orlando’s best interest to keep their defense intact in a potential Lavine trade. So of course Suggs, Black would be untouchable. Goga, Harris and Isaac much less so, but still not ideal as they are huge for the Magic’s defense currently. Obviously a package centered around picks would be the move for Orlando here, similar to the Mitchell to Cavs trade. Because while Orlando is a team on the rise, a collapse and early pick is always a possibility with a young team. I have Fultz, one of Goga/Harris/Isaac, and 2 1st going to the Bulls. Chuma Okeke or another bench player also involved for salary matching purposes.