The Magic Insider

With Paolo Banchero Coming In, Will Magic Trade Jonathan Isaac?

Can Paolo Banchero and Jonathan Isaac coexist?

Jeremy Brener

With Paolo Banchero Coming In, Will Magic Trade Jonathan Isaac?
With Paolo Banchero Coming In, Will Magic Trade Jonathan Isaac? /

ORLANDO - With Paolo Banchero joining the Orlando Magic as the No. 1 pick in the draft, questions arise between how he and fellow power forward Jonathan Isaac will coexist.

The frontcourt has created a bit of a logjam and a competition for minutes will take place throughout the season.

It's hard not to start Banchero out of the gate after choosing him with the No. 1 pick in the draft. It's also hard to not keep promising second-year players Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs out of the starting lineup.

Assuming Markelle Fultz or Cole Anthony takes the starting point guard spot, that leaves the center spot up for debate. But given the fact that Wendell Carter Jr. has also made a strong case to start, it could make Isaac, the team's highest-paid player the first guy off the bench.

It's very rare for the player who makes the most money not to start, but that might be the case for Isaac. The former Florida State Seminole hasn't played in each of the past two seasons after a torn ACL, but is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp in a few months.

With all of these prospects who need development and minutes, could it be time to trade Isaac?

It's hard to gauge what Isaac's trade value would be given that he hasn't played since August 2020. Maybe the plan for the Magic is to have him play so he can boost his value and be moved at the trade deadline or next season.

However, with free agency creeping up on the league, teams could be interested in trading for Isaac now while other teams try and make moves to advance themselves in playoff contention.

A lot of teams could use a 6-10 defensive-minded power forward, but the question remains whether Isaac is the player with that archetype that other teams will covet this offseason.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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