The Magic have been busy before the trade deadline, trading Tobias Harris to the Pistons and lining up a Channing Frye trade with the Clippers. If Orlando moves Frye, that’d leave its six minutes leaders all 25 and under:
- Evan Fournier
- Nikola Vucevic
- Victor Oladipo
- Elfrid Payton
- Aaron Gordon
- Mario Hezonja
Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton and Nik Vucevic aren’t going anywhere.
The Orlando Magic will not trade any member of their young nucleus before this season’s NBA trade deadline expires on Thursday afternoon, general manager Rob Hennigan told the Orlando Sentinel tonight.
The only way that changes is if another team swoops in and makes an offer the Magic can’t refuse. But no offer of that kind is likely.
The Magic have a decent group of young talent, but the players just haven’t fit well enough together. Perhaps, removing Harris – who’s neither a great outside shooter nor much of a passer – improves the on-court chemistry.
Orlando shouldn’t be committed to keeping this core at all costs. But if Hennigan knows the market for his remaining players and wants to see them play without Harris and Frye – and with Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings – it’s not necessarily premature to declare those six off the table.
For now.