Orlando Magic
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The Orlando Magic have been viewed as a team on the rise for multiple seasons. Yet, while injuries played a factor, the Magic actually regressed this season, winning six fewer games than last season while suffering the same first-round elimination fate in the NBA Playoffs.
Orlando has a strong young core with several players who could take a leap over the offseason, but it may finally be time to address one of their biggest longstanding weaknesses: solving the point guard position.
In fact, the cards may be aligning for the Magic to acquire an All-Star solution. Reports have surfaced of the Cleveland Cavaliers potentially being open to trading two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland, and the Magic have emerged as the early betting favorites to land the 25-year-old.
Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor’s trade proposal for Orlando involved trading Jalen Suggs and the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Tristan Da Silva in exchange for Garland. Perhaps some draft compensation would have to be included too. Yet, that trade does work under the NBA trade rules, but there’s no telling whether it would interest Cleveland.
Is Garland the missing piece Orlando needs to take the next step in their development? Having a skilled floor general could certainly help, but he’s still more of a scoring-first guard, and they may want a distributor. Yet, Garland’s 20.6 PPG average would also be a welcome addition in Orlando too, so he may very well be just what they want.
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