Magic Trade Deadline

The Orlando Magic decided to stand pat at the NBA trade deadline this year. President of Basketball Operations, Jeff Weltman, did not find a trade he thought was worth it to pull the trigger on.

“A lot of teams angled towards some of our long-term assets in return for short-term solutions to the team. In other words, moves we regarded as a kind of ‘panic’ moves. And we don’t regard ourselves as having to panic right now. We think we’re a very good team.”

Much like many Magic fans, Jeff Weltman admitted he was also not happy about not coming out of the deadline with a trade to improve the team.

“I am disappointed that we didn’t come out with anything,” Weltman said. “I’d like to have add a little bit of an impact player added to our team — We just weren’t ready to kind of chase it, and throw away what we’ve been building the last few years.”

Jeff also admitted he knows the team’s flaws that need to improve.

“I wanna let our fans know, look, man, we know we need shooting. We haven’t shot the ball well this year,” Weltman stated. “We need to do better. But we’ve played 58 games this year and our three best players have played six games together.”

Now that we have recapped a bit of what Jeff and his team were thinking about the deadline thanks to his interviews with Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel and his appearance on Open Mike on 96.9 The Game, let’s dive into how the Magic fans are feeling about the team and how the deadline might have affected them.Fan Reactions

I have been talking to fans for days now, and very few of them seemed happy about how the deadline went. Most are feeling disappointed that some of the team’s biggest flaws have not been addressed, while the Magic are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams (30%) in the league with one of the lowest offensive ratings in the league (108.3). So we talked to a handful of Magic fans that have been following the team for a very long time and are emotionally invested. While some of the fans decided to stay anonymous, none of the responses have been altered in any way.

Andy, now that it’s been a couple days since the trade deadline passed, how much faith do you have in this FO to make the adjustments necessary roster-wise this offseason?

“While I was disappointed by the lack of transactions, I maintain confidence in the team and the front office. They are, after all, the same leadership responsible for the team’s strong performance earlier this season. Our recent struggles should not negate that. However, the window for impactful changes is closing. Once Banchero signs his maximum contract extension, our flexibility will be significantly reduced. This summer represents a crucial opportunity for the front office to make the necessary moves.” – Andy

Malik, knowing the Magic have had the worst offensive rating and shooting percentage from 3 in the league, how are you feeling about the Magic not making any trades at the deadline?

“My greatest takeaway with the Magic front office is that there’s an overall fundamental lack of understanding and regard for the fanbase with how they’ve treated the trade deadline and the bottom of the roster.

To have 2 deadlines in a row with zero movement both feeds the trolls and more importantly makes the die-hard fans who follow every move and non-move lose confidence and less likely to defend what seems like a lack of imagination and focused team-building.

That said, none of the players we fans were eyeing moved: Anfernee, Coby, Cam, Collin, even Malcolm and Buddy, etc.

Betting on the current players to return to median shooting and that continuity and chemistry will elevate is POSSIBLE, but we are SKEPTICAL, especially with Orlando not even opening a roster spot while continuing to leave their last 2-way spot open for no discernable reason.” – Malik

Anonymous, as a long-time Magic fan who has seen this team through multiple eras of basketball, from Shaq, T-Mac, Dwight, and now Paolo, how much faith do you have in this front office to get the team to the next level despite them not making a move at this year’s deadline?

“I understand why fans are upset about the lack of anything at the trade deadline. The team is clearly flawed offensively and we’ve known that for a while. But I think collectively the doom and gloom has gone a bit too far. I’ve always thought this was the last season before there are real expectations and bigger decisions to be made about the future of the roster. I’ve heard people say “look at the Spurs, that’s how you build around a young star.” To me that comp is flawed. The Spurs roster outside Wemby was trash. They had no real option but to make a move for someone like Fox. The Magic have 3 potential all-star caliber players who have all missed significant time this season. Additionally, what player that got traded did Magic fans want? All our rumored targets basically stayed put. Doesn’t that say something to people? Maybe they weren’t as available as we thought. And for me I’m not overpaying in a season where we clearly aren’t winning a title and when there will be more options this summer to make big changes if indeed the season goes down the drain (which I’m not ready to resign to just yet). Talk to me this summer if we head into 25-26 with a similar roster and problems.” – Anonymous

CJ, as a lifelong Magic fan, what were your hopes going into the trade deadline and how do you feel now that it’s passed?

“As an older Magic fan I’ve learned to lower my expectations so I’m not disappointed with the outcome of the slow trade deadline day. Based on the injuries and overall play leading into this deadline I knew we wouldn’t really have a shot at doing anything major or even small. Now that it’s past I feel like we have another shot to improve the roster during draft night and free agency. Sometimes no move is the best move and I’m confident the front office will add the shooting and playmaking the roster needs to take the next step.”

Conclusion 

Now as you can see, some Magic fans have felt this team’s journey and this deadline in a variety of ways and viewpoints, but the common theme was disappointment throughout. Magic fans, your feelings are valid and your thoughts are likely shared with many.

Now, in my opinion, I was also disappointed. However, after a few days, I now have a little bit of a different perspective. I personally would have loved to have seen a player like Collin Sexton added to the roster as a 6th man, who can start when needed, and close games on nights when the starters don’t have it. However, if what Jeff says is true, and teams were really trying to squeeze the Magic for short-term band-aid fixes in exchange for long-term assets/players, I think it was smart to pass on those.

Let’s see how this Magic season plays out with the two superstars in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and look at the offseason for the next time the front office will have to improve the roster.