Backcourt Help Wanted: Revisiting Magic's Trade Options

Malik Monk is off the market. Klay Thompson apparently wants one year too many. The Orlando Magic could look for a trading partner to improve their offense. Here are some candidates.

Mar 13, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray (5) attempts to steal the basketball during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) at Moda Center. / Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Thursday was a brutal reminder to teams banking on improving their rosters through free agency.

Malik Monk, who was set to be one of the top guards on the market, plans to re-sign with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

With Monk off the board, the options Orlando has to add a starter alongside Jalen Suggs in the backcourt become harder to piece together.

Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones could be the ballhandler that Orlando needs, but at 6-foot-1, he doesn't fit what the Magic seek in players having size and positional versatility.

The Magic have shared a "mutual interest" with Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, but the 5-time All-Star wants at least a three-year contract and Orlando reportedly is unwilling to give him more than two years.

Thompson, 34, could help a Magic offense that ranked 23rd in 3-point percentage and tied for last in 3-pointers made per game, but Orlando also has to consider his recent injury history and defensive decline as well as the financial implications of his contract. Thompson would have to take a pay cut from his recent average annual salary of $45,850,000.

The balance of trying to win now and also prioritizing the growth of a versatile team that just won 47 games as the fourth-youngest team in the NBA last season is arguably the biggest challenge of the offseason for President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman.

"We don't want to lose the north star of our team," Weltman said on May 6. "Our three leading scorers (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Suggs) are 22 and under. I know there are a lot of good things that happened to our team this year. Now it is up to us to earn our way into repeating that. We don't take that for granted. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to keep our place held and then we can build from there."

Faced with less certain options in free agency, the Magic could look to improve the team through a trade. The Magic have assets to offer — four No. 1 picks in the next three years and a roster of young players.

Atlanta Hawks guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, each the subject of trade buzz, could immediately upgrade Orlando's backcourt.

Young, 25, averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists per game en route to making the All-Star team for the third time.

Murray, 27, has the size, positional versatility and defensive ability that Orlando seeks, and he averaged a career-best 22.5 points while dishing out 6.4 assists per game last season.

Murray also has averaged 1.4 steals per game in his seven seasons; a backcourt with Suggs could be one of the best defensive duos in the league.

Murray has four years and $114 million left on his contract with a player option for the final season. Young's deal is much more expensive: He has three years and roughly $138 million remaining on his contract, though, he has an early termination option before the third season.

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Anfernee Simons is another consideration for Orlando. Simons, 25, averaged a career-best 22.6 points and 5.5 assists per game in 2023-24 and he has made 38.6 percent of his threes for his career.

The Ringer picked the Orlando native as a "dream fit" for the Magic in their pursuit to go from playoff team to a contender in the Eastern Conference.

"Since his third season, he’s made over 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s and 35 percent of his dribble-jumper 3s," The Ringer writes. "And at only 25 years old, he’s beginning to come into his own as a playmaker, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio over 2-1 this past season for a Portland team that ranked 30th in 3-point percentage. With more spacing, and with better teammates, Simons could explode."

Orlando very well may be a piece away from becoming a true threat in the Eastern Conference, but landing that player in free agency may prove difficult.

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