Magic Make No Deadline Trades 

Orlando, FL—After the basketball world witnessed one of the craziest trade deadlines in NBA history, the Orlando Magic were one of the few teams that stood pat and made no trades. 

The decision for Jeff Weltman to not make any moves at the deadline shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but on the flip side, fans have every right to be upset about the team being reluctant to make any changes. 

Jeff’s Tenure in Orlando

For context, since Jeff Weltman became Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Magic in 2017, he’s been relatively quiet at the trade deadline. Excluding the 2021 deadline where we saw the Magic offload long-time players like Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, and Nikola Vučević to send the franchise into a full rebuild, Weltman more often than not decides to stand pat. 

Weltman and the front office did trade former 2018 lottery pick Mo Bamba to the Los Angeles Lakers at the 2023 deadline, but otherwise, he hasn’t made a big-time trade to bolster the roster. 

Now Magic fans have every right to be upset with the front office’s decision not to make any trades at the deadline considering the fact that the Magic have one of the worst offenses in the game of basketball, they have plenty of expendable pieces, and they have a lot of draft capital in order to facilitate a trade.

Orlando’s Constant Struggles

As of Feb. 6, Orlando ranks 30th in points per game (104.1), 30th in three-point shooting (30.6%), 28th in shooting percentage (43.9%), and 29th in offensive efficiency (1.041). In terms of draft capital until 2031, Orlando has eight first-round picks and 12 second-round picks. 

You can attribute some of these numbers to injuries, but despite the immense amount of injuries, this team lacks a ton of offensive firepower and they were reluctant to add any talent on that side of the ball, for whatever reason. 

Orlando in the previous months has been linked to plenty of high-profile guards such as Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Coby White, etc. The Magic had even reportedly contacted the Chicago Bulls about Coby White’s availability, per Ian Begley. 

Nobody is asking the Magic to shoot for the stars and acquire an All-NBA level talented player, but they should’ve made a move for an offensive-minded guard who can help this team both in the short and long term.

Magic Front Office is Complacent

The San Antonio Spurs are a perfect example of what the Orlando Magic should be doing, as a competent front office. 

The Spurs have a bonafide superstar on the rise in Victor Wembanyama like the Magic have in both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The difference is the Spurs realize they have to surround him with All-NBA-level talented players while he’s on a rookie contract. The Spurs proceed to make a move for De’Aaron Fox who is going to be able to grow with Wembanyama for the next 10+ years together.

The Magic on the other hand would rather sit on their hands, continue to be the worst three-point shooting team, and more than likely be headed for another first-round playoff series exit, assuming the team can make the playoffs having now lost 14 of their last 20 games.

What Orlando Should’ve Done

Although a move for Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Coby White, etc doesn’t make you a top championship contender this year, what it does say is that you’re going to give your team the best shot to win night-in and night-out and that you want to surround your big three with high-level players that can impact winning. 

In my eyes, there was no reason for the Magic to not make a move for a combo scoring guard who is young, ascending, and can help the offensive inefficiencies of this team. Orlando could’ve moved off of a litany of draft picks and players such as Gary Harris, Jett Howard, Anthony Black, Cole Anthony, etc. 

If you’re willing to sacrifice some of your defense or the immediate locker room chemistry for the greater good of the team, you should’ve made a move. 

While I do appreciate Jeff Weltman and the entire front office’s mindset of maintaining chemistry, continuity, and developing home-grown talent. At some point, Weltman is going to have to look himself in the mirror and make some tough choices because as this roster is currently constructed, it’s good enough to be competitive, but not nearly good enough to compete for a championship anytime in the near future with their inept offensive struggles.