National Basketball Association

Orlando Magic Power Rankings Roundup: Trade showcase time

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:31 p.m. ET

Fansided, Philip Rossman-Reich/FanSided via Orlando Magic Daily

(8) defends during the second half at Amway Center. Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 111-92. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Orlando Magic are quickly hurtling toward the trade deadline and the season is slipping away. The Magic will be at the center of the trade winds.

Teams have spun the wheel, made their bids and now they await Drew Carey to come on down and tell them what they have won.

The calendar officially turns to February in a few days and that means general managers and front offices will hunker down in their war rooms to make the final preparations for the trade deadline. February 23 is right around the corner.

The rumors are already starting to trickle out — both old and new. It is important to remember there are lots of conversations going around the league right now. These are constant, but that does not mean anything real comes of them.

Take this weekend’s rumor about Nikola Vucevicc.

Multiple sources confirmed the Magic and Boston Celtics talked about a deal involving Nikola Vucevic. But Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported the conversation was not recent. And Marc Stein of ESPN.com confirmed the talks did not move past the exploratory stage.

Nothing close, was one of a dozen things Magic have looked at. Was also not a recent conversation https://t.co/pHjq8etkrd

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) January 30, 2017

That is not to say none of these will eventually bear fruits. Conversations are ongoing.

But every game from now until the trade deadline is a chance to showcase players and create some recency bias. The Magic already lost a key trade piece in Jodie Meeks going down to an injury. It could be tough to deal him — if the Magic even considered exploring that possibility.

These are those precious last days before the trade deadline. These are the last days to make an impression or to make a move to improve your Playoff chances or your draft chances.

And the Magic are clearly stuck right in the middle.

This past week has done little to clear the Magic up. They continue to sink it seems, struggling to get to the end of January. There is still time to try to make a run. But that time seems to be quickly running out.

And everyone seems to know it.

Jan 22, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Bismack Biyombo (11) blocks Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) shot during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

If Steve Kerr wants to deploy his four stars together during the All-Star Game, he should have to go four-on-five, mostly because I’m afraid of Boogie or DeAndre Jordan sniffing a single hint of the recruiting aphrodisiac that is playing with the Warriors.26

Dallas Mavericks

(17-30)

Last week: 2-1 recordLast rank: 27th

Despite hovering around the bottom of the West, the Mavs have slowly trended up this season and have a couple of positives to carry forward. Start with a successful gamble on Harrison Barnes, figure in a healthy Wesley Matthews, and even if that’s where the major revelatory items end, that’s still not insignificant. Dallas began the season in limbo and has shown enough signs of life to keep us interested. They’re also 6–3 since moving Seth Curry (who dropped 24 with 10 rebounds and five assists against the Spurs) into the starting lineup. 27

Orlando Magic

(19-30)

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 28th

A homecoming win for Bismack Biyombo in Toronto was also a nice showcase for Nikola Vucevic, who’s been almost-traded in the rumor mill for as long as I can remember. This has been his best month of the season (15.5 points, 52% shooting, 8.3 boards and three assists in 15 games).28

Phoenix Suns

(15-32)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 24th

It does start to seem like the Magic will have to move in one direction or another with some of their key trade pieces.

The win over the Toronto Raptors was nice. But the inability to follow it with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves adds to the disappointment that has been this season to this point.

Nikola Vucevic’s name is still in the trade market. It is unclear whether the Magic will actually pull the trigger on a deal this time around.

Jan 4, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) defends during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Marc Stein, ESPN.com

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

Can folks stop worrying about Stephen Curry now? His December numbers were indeed pedestrian by two-time reigning MVP standards, but No. 30 just averaged 27.8 PPG in January while shooting 43.1 percent from long distance and aggressively upping his usage percentage from 25 percent to 32 percent. Curry averaged only 15.5 shots per game last month, then bumped it up to 20.5 this month. Saturday’s 46-point humbling of the Clippers, meanwhile, gave Golden State its third 40-point win of the season … which tied the league’s single-season record with a whopping 35 games to go.26

New York Knicks

(21-28)

Last week: 2-2 recordLast rank: 26th

There’s mercifully only one game to go — Tuesday night at Washington against the Wiz and their 14-game home winning streak — in the longest month that the Knicks have endured for some time. Sunday’s four-overtime heartbreaker in Atlanta, believe it or not, was New York’s sixth one-possession loss in January, which surely only heightens the frustration for Carmelo Anthony and everyone else at Madison Square Garden ensnared by the latest Melodrama. ‎Yet if you can explain to us exactly what Anthony has done to deserve boos at MSG, please proceed. ‎Is that really the solution?27

Orlando Magic

(19-30)

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 27th

Top scorer Evan Fournier is inching closer to a return from a persistent foot issue. And Bismack Biyombo made a triumphant return to Toronto on Sunday night when Orlando added to the Raptors’ woes by pulling out an unexpected one-point win. The Magic, mind you, needed a pick-me-up in a big way after the Friday ‎night they had in Boston, absorbing their second 30-point drilling from the Celtics this season … this one coming in spite of the fact Boston was forced to play without both Al Horford and Avery Bradley.28

Phoenix Suns

(15-32)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 23rd

The recent downturn for the Orlando Magic certainly can point to injuries as a contributing cause. The return of the Magic’s leading scorer was certainly a boost to the team even in Monday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Fournier’s return alone is not going to fix everything, though. The Magic need a lot more than just him.

Getting him back and sending players back to their normal rotations and roles will help. Especially if Fournier can get back to where he was before the heel injury sidelined him.

Dec 18, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and guard Victor Oladipo (5) high five against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

They are 14-2 in the last 16 games and still have the No. 1 ranked offense and defense in the NBA. Stephen Curry has stepped back onto center stage, averaging 28.6 points, 6.6 assists per game in the last five. The next big question for Steve Kerr? If he deploys his four All-Stars in one lineup as promised — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green — then who is the fifth player? And will Green try to recruit him?26

Minnesota Timberwolves

(18-29)

Last week: 2-1 recordLast rank: 23rd

They have won eight of their last 10, and with seven of their next nine games at home you can’t count them out of the playoff chase quite yet (they are 3.5 games back of eight seed Denver). Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have played well, but it is an improved and now solid defense that has them at least still in the playoffs conversation.27

Orlando Magic

(19-30)

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 28th

This team’s odd-fitting roster looks even worse with shooters like Evan Fournier and Jodie Meeks out injured. Also, Bismack Biyombo got a homecoming win in Toronto last week. The most interesting news around the team is all the trade interest in Nikola Vucevic, who seems destined to be out the door before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, although don’t we think that every year? Maybe this year it happens, it would help unclog the front court in Orlando.28

Phoenix Suns

(15-32)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 26th

It certainly appears the Orlando Magic have come to the conclusion that their ill-fitting roster is actually an ill-fitting roster and are determined to do something about it. It probably will not save the Playoff hopes at this point, but it will at least do something.

The trade rumors around the Magic are only going to intensify as the trade deadline creeps closer and closer. And they will center around several players.

Clearly, Serge Ibaka is not the only guy who will get interest around the trade deadline. Or the only guy the Magic will shop.

Dec 23, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) blocks Los Angeles Lakers forward Thomas Robinson (15) during the second half at Amway Center.Orlando Magic defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 109-90. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Moore, CBS Sports

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

This team is the most adaptable of any team in the league. Their rim protection was bad? Kevin Durant has become a weak-side flyswatter and their schemes have tightened. Steph Curry was more of a nice garnish than the centerpiece? He’s moved back into being the main engine of the team, averaging 28.6 points, 6.6 assists and shooting 50 percent from both the field and the perimeter over the past five games. As if beating the Warriors wasn’t hard enough this season, they continue to methodically address their weaknesses.26

New Orleans Pelicans

(19-29)

Last week: 2-2 recordLast rank: 21st

They’re almost through a nightmarish stretch of schedule and they managed to find wins against Cleveland and San Antonio. But time is running out, they can’t expect all five teams hanging around for the 8th seed to continue to smack themselves in the face.27

Orlando Magic

(19-31)

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 19th

Nikola Vucevic is in the 91st percentile on Synergy Sports defensively, and the Magic defense is five points better with him on the floor. He made the game-saving block on All-Star Kyle Lowry Sunday. So of course, the Magic are aggressively shopping him in trades.28

Phoenix Suns

(15-33)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 27th

The biggest surprise this season has been Nikola Vucevic’s emergence defensively. It has rendered the Bismack Biyombo signing moot. Unfortunately, it appears the Magic will have to live with that decision. Biyombo is simply too difficult to move while still getting good value. And plenty of future iterations of the Magic could succeed with Biyombo as a defensive anchor — with maybe Aaron Gordon at the 4.

So, Nikola Vucevic is the one who gets pushed around in trade rumors. The Magic are at least exploring the possibilities once again. This is not the first time his name has popped up in trade rumors.

The only bad part is that this is the time he seemingly least deserves it with the strides he has made to improve his biggest weakness.

Jan 20, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Frank Vogel talks with guard Mario Hezonja (8) against the Milwaukee Bucks during the first half at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

John Schuhmann, NBA.com

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

We often talk about the Death Lineup (which has outscored opponents by 25.3 points per 100 possessions in 182 minutes), but the Warriors’ starting lineup has been nearly as dominant – plus-23.0 in 508 minutes, the league’s best mark (by a wide margin) among lineups that have played at least 200 minutes . The group has been outscored in only one of its last 22 games together – this past Wednesday in Charlotte, when small-ball came to the rescue in the fourth quarter. Maybe the fans knew what they were doing and Zaza Pachulia should have been an All-Star with the other four guys.26

New York Knicks

(21-28)

Last week: 2-2 recordLast rank: 25th

The Knicks have now had six straight games go down to the wire, a chance for Carmelo Anthony to show off his clutchness as Phil Jackson shops him around the league (though the Clippers may be the only potential destination). Anthong is 11-for-23 on clutch-time shots over the six games, hitting the game-winner in Indiana on Monday, the dagger against Charlotte on Friday, and a couple of shots (one, two) to extend Sunday’s four-OT loss in Atlanta. The drive at the end of regulation produced a rare shot at the basket. Anthony has taken less than 15 percent of his shots from the restricted area this season, down from 23 percent last season.27

Orlando Magic

19-30

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 27th

Even with Evan Fournier and Jodie Meeks out, Mario Hezonja (the No. 5 pick in the 2015 Draft) can’t get much playing time. In Tuesday’s loss to Chicago, Frank Vogel started Jeff Green at the two, using Hezonja for just 13 minutes. And in two games over the weekend, Vogel went with two point guards for extended minutes, DNP’ing Hezonja in Sunday’s win in Toronto. The Magic have been pretty awful, getting outscored by 15.0 points per 100 possessions, with Hezonja on the floor this season, but you have to wonder if he’ll ever get a real chance to improve on that number.28

Phoenix Suns

(15-32)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 28th

The obsession with Mario Hezonja throughout the season is one of the follies of relying on draft picks. The narrative is certainly that Hezonja is the fifth overall pick and the Magic invested a significant asset in this promising young player. The reality is Hezonja is not a player who can contribute to winning basketball consistently and does not have his coach’s trust.

Frank Vogel moved Hezonja back into the rotation a few weeks ago and Hezonja has yet to make much of an impact. Not only has he not made much of an impact, his shooting numbers have not self-corrected. And even without the Magic’s top shooting guards, Hezonja could not find minutes.

Now he is out of the rotation entirely. That decision might be puzzling. Or it might be the delusions of a team sill trying to hang on to fleeting playoff hopes. At a certain point, the Magic need to play Hezonja heavy minutes and just see what he can do.

Jan 14, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) battle for position against Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) and forward Aaron Gordon (00) in the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Orlando Magic 114-107. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Gerald Bourguet, Hoops Habit

Golden State Warriors

(41-7)

Last week: 3-1 recordLast rank: 1st

The headliner of that week wasn’t Stephen Curry beating his father’s team on the road, or his Dubs getting a win while he sat with a stomach flu, but rather, a 43-point supernova in three quarters against the Clippers. That game not only included a half court buzzer-beater and a 25-point third quarter, but it also served as a reminder that the world the two-time reigning MVP is still here.26

Dallas Mavericks

(17-30)

Last week: 2-1 recordLast rank: 26th

If it weren’t for Miami’s league-leading seven-game win streak, we’d probably be paying more attention to the fact that the Dallas Mavericks have now won six of their last nine games.27

Orlando Magic

(19-30)

Last week: 1-2 recordLast rank: 28th

Those three games were a loss to the Bulls, a 30-point beatdown at the hands of the Celtics and a surprising road win over Toronto, but still. If there’s any credence to these reports, Vucci Mane’s recent surge might help raise his trade value, moving him that much closer to leaving a floundering franchise that’s now 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.28

Phoenix Suns

(15-32)

Last week: 0-3 recordLast rank: 24th

The Orlando Magic have struggled to gain much traction and that big blowout victory always seems right around the corner. The team’s fourth-quarter struggles — like against Chicago last week and Minnesota on Monday night — are preventing the team from getting wins when they have the chance.

And, at this point, if the Magic want to make the Playoffs, they need to win every single one of these close games.

The Magic are trying to look for ways to improve the roster. But it is still unclear how immediate those improvements will be.