Magic Trade Idea: Gary Harris for Spurs' Doug McDermott?
The Orlando Magic has lived and died by its own style of play this season. Soaring to the second seed in the Eastern Conference on the backs of physical play and tough defense, the Magic has fell to the eighth seed in the conference thanks to the general lack of three-point efforts.
The Magic takes the fourth-fewest threes per game and is dead last in both percentage and makes. A mock trade proposed by ESPN would immediately fix that, and give the Magic a shot at a playoff run.
Joe Ingles (7) is Orlando's only elite shooting threat.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The Magic receives Doug McDermott, the San Antonio Spurs receive Gary Harris, and a 2025 second-round pick (least favorite of BOS or MEM)
Harris only makes 33.3 percent of his 3-pointers, and offers a middle-of-the-road 7.1 points off the bench. McDermott is a clear upgrade over Harris, connecting on 44.9 percent of his threes. McDermott only plays 15 minutes per game as he is buried on the depth chart under wings Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Cedi Osman. If he returns to his 2021-23 form, he would immediately become Orlando’s best shooter and the combination of McDermott and Joe Ingles off the bench would be lethal.
The Spurs are in the midst of a rebuild and wouldn’t be too invested in Harris, who is 29 years old. However, both Harris and McDermott are free agents this summer, so the second-round pick is what would really drive the deal home for San Antonio, who are stockpiling as many assets as possible.
The Spurs would be much more likely to bite if a distant first-round pick was attached to the deal, but that wouldn’t convey until Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are running the East, making it land in the late first round. However, the Spurs’ lack of investment in McDermott is their own downfall, as potential suitors looking to add shooting don’t necessarily know what they’re getting.
