Despite not adding an offensive-minded star or traditional point guard to play heavy minutes over the summer, the Orlando Magic got off to a strong start. So far, the Magic have a 17-10 record and sit firmly in third place in the Eastern Conference behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. The fact that they played all but five games of the season without Paolo Banchero makes that feat even more impressive.
From now on, things will be much tougher for the Magic, though. Franz Wagner suffered the same injury as Paolo Banchero and at least for a while, the team will be without either of its stars. The Magic survived the first test, beating the Phoenix Suns 115-110 behind strong play from Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze, but then narrowly lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game without their two stars.
Even with those injuries, the Magic still want to go to the playoffs. They need the experience. Most of the Magic’s rotational players only have seven playoff games under their belt, and Anthony Black, who is now a big part of the Magic’s system, barely played at all in the playoffs. Despite losing both Wagner and Banchero to serious injuries, the Magic still have a good chance. After all, they already created some distance between themselves and other playoff hopefuls in the Eastern Conference, and there is always the opportunity to make a trade.
It is not unlikely that the Magic will explore the trade market before the trade deadline in February to at least know their options. Either the team will have to recover from some struggles without their stars and will look to add some firepower to the mix, or the team is doing so well that the time has come to look for that all-in trade to take the Magic to the next level.
Jake Fischer identified a potential trend that could make a forgotten Magic guard a valuable asset this trade season.
Cory Joseph could be more valuable than it seems this trade season
The Magic signed Cory Joseph to a veteran minimum deal this summer to make sure they had someone, who is a little more experienced at the point guard spot than Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, and to add a championship veteran to the locker room. Joseph’s impact has largely been off the court for the Magic this season. He has only appeared in 13 games, averaging 3.5 minutes. The Magic are still committed to developing Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black at the point guard spot, leaving little room for Joseph to step onto the court.
Nevertheless, he could play a key role if the Magic are indeed looking to upgrade their roster this season.
“This trade season, reminiscent of this past offseason, I am bracing for minimum contracts to emerge as a quite valuable trade commodity. More valuable than usual,” Jake Fischer notes on which players fans and teams should keep an eye on this trade season.
As Fischer outlines, minimum contracts already played a key role in the New York Knicks’ acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The same type of deals could be important once again, making Cory Joseph a more valuable asset than he may initially seem.
Joseph becomes trade-eligible on December 15, and the Magic will likely be open to moving him if it opens up the opportunity to upgrade the roster. The Magic may be winning, but that does not mean the team is perfect. Orlando is still one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league and struggles with turnovers.