Official Summer 2024 Magic Free Agency and Trade Ideas Thread 5.0

[eyriq]

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Moves like this arent going to move the needle enough, imo. Unless hes going to be a bench shooter to give you 18-22 mins.

What you gain in shooting/spacing, you may well lose in defence/playmaking.

We need a scoring guard who can initiate. Doesnt have to be a point guard per se (tho that would help) but needs to be someone who can shoulder initiation responsibility. To me they should be capable of scoring at all 3 levels, even if they may not be great at all 3.

They can be the defensive weak link, but not a sieve that busts open the defensive scheme.

If not totally team first, they should at least not be all about themselves and personal stats and hopefully come from somewhere with PO experience.

Thats my shopping list anyway.

You absolutely grab him as your 2nd FA signing after landing Hartenstein or Claxton. Then trade WCJ/Cole+18 for a guard. Oh man 2K is fun

Kennard, McCullum, and Claxton.

I like it.

McCullum/Suggs/Franz/Paolo/Claxton
AB/Jett/Kennard/JI/Moritz

[RichCollab]

Moves like this arent going to move the needle enough, imo. Unless hes going to be a bench shooter to give you 18-22 mins.

What you gain in shooting/spacing, you may well lose in defence/playmaking.

We need a scoring guard who can initiate. Doesnt have to be a point guard per se (tho that would help) but needs to be someone who can shoulder initiation responsibility. To me they should be capable of scoring at all 3 levels, even if they may not be great at all 3.

They can be the defensive weak link, but not a sieve that busts open the defensive scheme.

If not totally team first, they should at least not be all about themselves and personal stats and hopefully come from somewhere with PO experience.

Thats my shopping list anyway.

You absolutely grab him as your 2nd FA signing after landing Hartenstein or Claxton. Then trade WCJ/Cole+18 for a guard. Oh man 2K is fun

Kennard, McCullum, and Claxton.

I like it.

McCullum/Suggs/Franz/Paolo/Claxton
AB/Jett/Kennard/JI/Moritz

Kennard has averaged 30 games his past 3 seasons. That is a deal breaker.

[CarraT]

You absolutely grab him as your 2nd FA signing after landing Hartenstein or Claxton. Then trade WCJ/Cole+18 for a guard. Oh man 2K is fun

Kennard, McCullum, and Claxton.

I like it.

McCullum/Suggs/Franz/Paolo/Claxton
AB/Jett/Kennard/JI/Moritz

Kennard has averaged 30 games his past 3 seasons. That is a deal breaker.

Actually he played 168 games the last three seasons, so he averaged 56 games

[Australianmagic]

One name I think which hasn't been mentioned yet for the offseason point guard is TJ McConnell, I was wondering what everyones thoughts were?
Depending on the price of trade my favourite option is Murray from Atlanta.
I still like Russell and Jones as free agents targets as well especially due to the fact we don't have to give anything up apart from cap space.

[yoyojw17]

One name I think which hasn't been mentioned yet for the offseason point guard is TJ McConnell, I was wondering what everyones thoughts were?
Depending on the price of trade my favourite option is Murray from Atlanta.
I still like Russell and Jones as free agents targets as well especially due to the fact we don't have to give anything up apart from cap space.

I love me some Tj McConnell AND Caruso as well. TJ is a great bench general.... solid as a rock.

Caruso... man... him and suggs backcourt would be amazing.

[MagicMatic]

So NOP are said to be shipping out Jonas and Ingram? Are they "reloading" or something?

They were better without Ingram on the floor. It was comically obvious.

CJ and Ingram can’t share the floor together. They were better off with Herb, Murphy, etc. and Alvarado at times.

[eyriq]

I would not be surprised if one of these players is on our team next season

The big trade targets, Murray and Trae. It will require a framework that includes AB, JI, and Cole.

Klay Thompson for his veteran leadership and playoff experience
Nic Claxton for his rim protection
Malik Monk for scoring depth and ability to spark the offense

[Knightro]

So NOP are said to be shipping out Jonas and Ingram? Are they "reloading" or something?

They were better without Ingram on the floor. It was comically obvious.

CJ and Ingram can’t share the floor together. They were better off with Herb, Murphy, etc. and Alvarado at times.

This seems a little unfair.



Compare that to guys like Monk and Tyus and Klay (this past year) who's teams have actually played better with them off the floor than on the floor.

[Knightro]

I would not be surprised if one of these players is on our team next season

The big trade targets, Murray and Trae. It will require a framework that includes AB, JI, and Cole.

I don't believe this to be the case given how far under the salary cap the Magic are going to be.

Even if they keep Ingles, the Magic are $32M *under* the cap, which means they can bring on a lot more money in a trade than they send out.

Which IMO is particularly valuable for a team like Atlanta that may be looking to shed an additional unwanted contract (Hunter? Capela?) to clean up their cap sheet in one fell swoop.

Murray and Hunter combined make $47.1M, but because the Magic are $32M under, they only have to send out $15.1M in salary to make a deal work.

Black is $7.6M. Howard is $5.2M. Just those two guys alone and you're only $2.3M short of being able to work a deal.

I absolutely do not think Isaac is going anywhere. I could see Cole in a deal though.

[MagicMatic]

So NOP are said to be shipping out Jonas and Ingram? Are they "reloading" or something?

They were better without Ingram on the floor. It was comically obvious.

CJ and Ingram can’t share the floor together. They were better off with Herb, Murphy, etc. and Alvarado at times.

This seems a little unfair.



Compare that to guys like Monk and Tyus and Klay (this past year) who's teams have actually played better with them off the floor than on the floor.

I mean. What are we even talking about here with Ingram?

He doesn’t make sense in a lineup with Franz and Paolo. He’s also chronically injured always. Orlando’s problem isn’t that they need another 6’10 playmaking wing. Their problem is that they don’t have any shot creation off the dribble that can actually get their premiere wings better shots. It’s almost copy and paste of why NO is shopping him.

Ingram isn’t a bad player. He’s just difficult to build around. His numbers fell off since 2019-20 season since they acquired CJ. It isn’t a coincidence he was better playing “bigger”. He isn’t a SG. He hasn’t played more than 60-ish games a season in that timeframe.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

They were better without Ingram on the floor. It was comically obvious.

CJ and Ingram can’t share the floor together. They were better off with Herb, Murphy, etc. and Alvarado at times.

This seems a little unfair.



Compare that to guys like Monk and Tyus and Klay (this past year) who's teams have actually played better with them off the floor than on the floor.

I mean. What are we even talking about here with Ingram?

He doesn’t make sense in a lineup with Franz and Paolo. He’s also chronically injured always. Orlando’s problem isn’t that they need another 6’10 playmaking wing. Their problem is that they don’t have any shot creation off the dribble that can actually get their premiere wings better shots. It’s almost copy and paste of why NO is shopping him.

Ingram isn’t a bad player. He’s just difficult to build around. His numbers fell off since 2019-20 season since they acquired CJ. It isn’t a coincidence he was better playing “bigger”. He isn’t a SG. He hasn’t played more than 60-ish games a season in that timeframe.

also helps when you've got 2 guys like Herb Jones & Murphy who can slide in and fit better. They tried it, it hasn't worked out so go and get something while value is available vs doing what we do

[Knightro]

I mean. What are we even talking about here with Ingram?

He doesn’t make sense in a lineup with Franz and Paolo. He’s also chronically injured always. Orlando’s problem isn’t that they need another 6’10 playmaking wing. Their problem is that they don’t have any shot creation off the dribble that can actually get their premiere wings better shots. It’s almost copy and paste of why NO is shopping him.

Ingram isn’t a bad player. He’s just difficult to build around.

I think the biggest issue with New Orleans has really just been health, which Ingram has certainly contributed to.

But since acquiring McCollum at the deadline in 2022, the Pelicans have had played 192 games. The McCollum/Ingram/Zion trio has combined to miss 187 games during that time period. Those three just haven't been able to play together enough and New Orleans is done with it.

When Ingram hurt his knee against the Magic on March 21, the Pelicans came into the game with a 42-26 record and had the No. 10 offense, No. 6 defense and No. 4 NET.

It was working even without a traditional point guard. Ingram was playing over 33 MPG too which was tops on the team, so he was a huge part of it.

They finished 7-7 with the 17th ranked offense, 18th ranked defense and 17th ranked NET.

[eyriq]

I would not be surprised if one of these players is on our team next season

The big trade targets, Murray and Trae. It will require a framework that includes AB, JI, and Cole.

I don't believe this to be the case given how far under the salary cap the Magic are going to be.

Even if they keep Ingles, the Magic are $32M *under* the cap, which means they can bring on a lot more money in a trade than they send out.

Which IMO is particularly valuable for a team like Atlanta that may be looking to shed an additional unwanted contract (Hunter? Capela?) to clean up their cap sheet in one fell swoop.

Murray and Hunter combined make $47.1M, but because the Magic are $32M under, they only have to send out $15.1M in salary to make a deal work.

Black is $7.6M. Howard is $5.2M. Just those two guys alone and you're only $2.3M short of being able to work a deal.

I absolutely do not think Isaac is going anywhere. I could see Cole in a deal though.

Interesting point. I trust your analysis here.

[QMemphis]

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Moves like this arent going to move the needle enough, imo. Unless hes going to be a bench shooter to give you 18-22 mins.

What you gain in shooting/spacing, you may well lose in defence/playmaking.

We need a scoring guard who can initiate. Doesnt have to be a point guard per se (tho that would help) but needs to be someone who can shoulder initiation responsibility. To me they should be capable of scoring at all 3 levels, even if they may not be great at all 3.

They can be the defensive weak link, but not a sieve that busts open the defensive scheme.

If not totally team first, they should at least not be all about themselves and personal stats and hopefully come from somewhere with PO experience.

Thats my shopping list anyway.

You absolutely grab him as your 2nd FA signing after landing Hartenstein or Claxton. Then trade WCJ/Cole+18 for a guard. Oh man 2K is fun

We likely will accept Luke’s team option. No centers on the market we like will be available for the Mle. Luke on that contract still is good value as a bench sniper.

[bigdogdylan5]

Is it a diagnosable pathology that people have to suggest trading up in the draft? You have the worst draft in years. NBA front offices are saying it’s like starting at pick 8-10 in a normal draft. Like Anthony Black if he was in this draft might be in conversation to go 1. Nope doesn’t matter time to trade up into top 5 to get a 19 year old who based on what we did with our last two rookies will barely see the court.

[three3d]

The 2026 draft pick that we have swap rights with could be interesting. Coincidentally that’s the draft Bryce James is eligible to enter.

[MagicMatic]

I mean. What are we even talking about here with Ingram?

He doesn’t make sense in a lineup with Franz and Paolo. He’s also chronically injured always. Orlando’s problem isn’t that they need another 6’10 playmaking wing. Their problem is that they don’t have any shot creation off the dribble that can actually get their premiere wings better shots. It’s almost copy and paste of why NO is shopping him.

Ingram isn’t a bad player. He’s just difficult to build around.

I think the biggest issue with New Orleans has really just been health, which Ingram has certainly contributed to.

But since acquiring McCollum at the deadline in 2022, the Pelicans have had played 192 games. The McCollum/Ingram/Zion trio has combined to miss 187 games during that time period. Those three just haven't been able to play together enough and New Orleans is done with it.

When Ingram hurt his knee against the Magic on March 21, the Pelicans came into the game with a 42-26 record and had the No. 10 offense, No. 6 defense and No. 4 NET.

It was working even without a traditional point guard. Ingram was playing over 33 MPG too which was tops on the team, so he was a huge part of it.

They finished 7-7 with the 17th ranked offense, 18th ranked defense and 17th ranked NET.

The Ingram/CJ back court is kind my issue with this idea that you can play “big” despite the advanced metrics telling you it sucks.

Throughout the end of the season and play ins for NO they looked significantly better with the eye test playing Alvaredo and all 20 of their other wings. Why? Because their pace and shot creation had better spacing.

NO is a classic example of “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”. It’s the same thing when people start plugging Franz into SG minutes with Paolo at SF. Ingram gets injured every season trying to guard smaller quicker guys. Basically the same exact **** that happened to Isaac the first half of his career.

[Knightro]

I think everyone can agree the Magic need more playmaking. That isn't really up for a whole lot of debate.

Whether that's through external additions or just development of Paolo and Franz, I think everyone would pretty much unanimously agree that more ball movement, better passing, fewer turnovers are all paramount for this team offensively.

I think where the road diverges for some is specifically *how* that happens, especially when it comes to the player acquisition front.

A lot of people understandably believe that the Magic need a lead guard to improve the playmaking. That is the most clear and obvious deficiency on the roster and it appears there will be several possibilities on that front, both via trade and free agency.

My push back on that is this...

Does it have to be a point guard?

Brandon Ingram and Paul George are both A+ playmakers on the wing. Ingram in particular was 24th in the entire NBA in APG. You narrow it down to non guards and Ingram was 5th in the NBA behind Jokic, LeBron, Sabonis and Giannis.

He's a great playmaking wing, one of the best in the league, and would immediately join this roster as the best playmaker for others on the entire team. Given his age and experience, he's a much better playmaker than Paolo or Franz (for the time being, maybe they surpass him as they get older).

On top of that, he can score 25 a night and give a sometimes punchless offense some more juice that someone like a Tyus Jones wouldn't be able to provide.

All I'm saying is that if the opportunity presents itself to add a great playmaker to the team and the cost isn't prohibative, I am willing to consider it and perhaps even jump on it even if that player isn't a traditional point guard.

[MartinsIzAfraud]

I think everyone can agree the Magic need more playmaking. That isn't really up for a whole lot of debate.

Whether that's through external additions or just development of Paolo and Franz, I think everyone would pretty much unanimously agree that more ball movement, better passing, fewer turnovers are all paramount of this team offensively.

I think where the road diverges for some is specifically *how* that happens, especially when it comes to the player acquisition front.

A lot of people understandably believe that the Magic need a lead guard to improve the playmaking. That is the most clear and obvious deficiency on the roster and it appears there will be several possibilities on that front, both via trade and free agency.

My push back on that is this...

Does it have to be a point guard?

Brandon Ingram and Paul George are both A+ playmakers on the wing. Ingram in particular was 24th in the entire NBA in APG. You narrow it down to non guards and Ingram was 5th in the NBA behind Jokic, LeBron, Sabonis and Giannis.

He's a great playmaking wing, one of the best in the league, and would immediately join this roster as the best playmaker for others on the entire team. Given his age and experience, he's a much better playmaker than Paolo or Franz (for the time being, maybe they surpass him as they get older).

On top of that, he can score 25 a night and give a sometimes punchless offense some more juice that someone like a Tyus Jones wouldn't be able to provide.

All I'm saying is that if the opportunity presents itself to add a great playmaker to the team and the cost isn't prohibative, I am willing to consider it and perhaps even jump on it even if that player isn't a traditional point guard.

Absolutely nailed it. What would an Ingram deal even look like is the interesting part

[Knightro]

The Ingram/CJ back court is kind my issue with this idea that you can play “big” despite the advanced metrics telling you it sucks.

Throughout the end of the season and play ins for NO they looked significantly better with the eye test playing Alvaredo and all 20 of their other wings. Why? Because their pace and shot creation had better spacing.

Did they look better though?

I literally just said in my post that the Pelicans were 42-26 with the 10th offense and 6th defense when Ingram got hurt and were middle of the pack the final 14 games (going 7-7) without him.

Ingram did have a horrific first round series against OKC, but their entire team sucked in the sweep too. And they didn't have Zion at all.