NBA Trade Rumors: Should Magic 'Roll The Dice,' Deal for Zach LaVine?
The Orlando Magic is the fifth youngest team in the league led by Jamahl Mosley, a frontrunner to win the NBA's Coach of the Year Award. Behind young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, role players like Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., and emerging rookie Anthony Black thrive in an efficient, defense-oriented scheme.
The Magic only scores 113.2 points per game, good for 19th in the league, but they allow only 109.9 points, good for the fourth-best defense in the NBA. Orlando is one of the league's worst 3-point shooting teams, but they are efficient at scoring inside the arc. Their play style confounds modern NBA thinking, but a 16-9 record shows that it works.
Paolo Banchero.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Despite their success, adding a high-end offensive piece to a young team devoid of top-tier talent is an intriguing idea. Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls has been included in trade rumors all season, and the 28-year-old, two-time All-Star has averaged over 20 points for his career.
Adding LaVine may sound attractive, but it is not what the Magic needs. His 115.7 defensive rating is below average, and he would eat shots normally taken by young players.
Plus, the asking price is reportedly either multiple first-round picks or a first-round pick and solid starter. With teams always desperate to add firepower, the Magic should not overpay for a player who will stunt its development.
"The focus needn't be on an offensive star—though, if the price bottoms out enough, the Magic shouldn't be opposed to swindling Chicago again and rolling the dice on Zach LaVine," Bleacher Report writes.
LaVine is on a team with offensive weapons Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan and still manages to take more shots than anyone on Orlando's roster. His volume shooting results in only 34 percent of his threes falling.
Does the Magic want to add a player who will hinder their growth and give up future assets that could fit better with their vision? Absolutely not. Even if the asking price flatlines, the Magic shouldn't budge by adding an offense-only player to one of the best two-way teams in the league.
