Should Orlando Magic Trade For Malcolm Brogdon to 'Fix' Starting Lineup?

Would trading for Malcolm Brogdon help the Orlando Magic improve this season?

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic have its sights set on the team's first playoff appearance since 2020, but could its ceiling be even higher than just reaching the playoffs?

Bleacher Report listed one way each team could fix its starting lineup, and while they're high on Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Markelle Fultz and Wendell Carter Jr., they aren't as high on Gary Harris. To address that issue, they had the Magic trading for Portland Trailblazers guard Malcolm Brogdon.

"Brogdon was the Sixth Man of the Year last season and is a starting-level guard in the NBA. He brings both the shooting and playmaking to help make the lives of Banchero and Wagner easier," Bleacher Report writes. "The Magic could make a leap and should make a run at Brogdon to upgrade over Harris."

At some point, the Magic may part with picks or young players to acquire a player who's a proven commodity, but should that player be Brogdon?

Is Malcolm Brogdon the guy to fix the Orlando Magic's starting lineup? / © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

There's no disputing Brogdon's potential impact on a team looking to make the playoffs. He's a veteran presence, with playoff experience and still has plenty of gas left in the tank. 

Brogdon, 30, averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game with the Boston Celtics last season. He also shot a career-high 44.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

With Brogdon now on the Trail Blazers, who is full steam ahead toward a rebuild, young players and draft picks will be heavily coveted by them. While Orlando can easily satisfy both of those needs, they'd have to feel confident Brogdon will be the guy who can take the team to the next level. 

The Magic has a surplus of guards in Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs, plus rookies Anthony Black and Jett Howard. Suggs has been impactful when healthy, and Anthony just signed a three-year contract extension with Orlando. 

While questions about Harris being in the starting lineup are warranted with players like Suggs and Anthony on the roster, going after Brogdon would be a huge swing for a Magic team that's ready to win now. It'd be a swing that the team has been unwilling to take in years past, but may change now with the playoffs closer in sight.

But if Brogdon can continue to play at a high level and the Magic thinks he can be the guy to fully open their playoff window, then it's a move Orlando should heavily consider making if he's there for the taking.