Trade targets: All 30 teams
Orlando Magic
Record: 23-28
10th place in East
Status: Sellers
Update (Feb. 16): Orlando traded Tobias Harris to Detroit for Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova. Read the trade grades here.
Orlando has lacked a foundational superstar since trading Dwight Howard in 2012. During the ensuing rebuilding process, the Magic have gathered as many as seven young players with possible All-Star upside -- but they still need a straw to stir their drink.
Until Orlando finds a guy who can be the alpha-player on a championship-worthy team, that search will be the main objective of the organization. As it happens, we have just such a player in mind.
Potential trade targets
Blake Griffin
This almost makes too much sense.
Griffin would give Orlando its star player, while the right package from the Magic could boost the Clippers' chances to make a run this spring. A package of veterans Channing Frye, C.J. Watson and Jason Smith and a up-and-coming player would give Doc Rivers all sorts of new player combinations with which to work.
Picture it: Frye spacing the floor for Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, with Watson and Smith giving the Clippers punch off the bench.
To give up Griffin, the Clippers would certainly insist on one of the Magic's young players. For Orlando, that player would ideally be Evan Fournier; for the Clippers it'd probably Aaron Gordon or Victor Oladipo.
We need a deadline blockbuster like this to happen.
Al Horford and Jeff Teague
When news broke that Atlanta was considering a shake-up, Orlando was one of the first teams mentioned. While it might be a gamble for small-market Orlando to go after Horford's expiring deal, his history with the University of Florida might work in the Magic's favor. To land both Hawks, Oladipo would be but a starting point for the Magic.
Most trade value
1. Aaron Gordon
Gordon has a rare combination of athleticism and a versatile skillset, but he lacks a reliable outside shot. That might always be a weakness, though he has shown some ability to hit corner 3s. Given his ability to do damage in the lane and dominate with his floor game, that might be enough.
2. Mario Hezonja
Hezonja has been eased into the league by Skiles. He's more of a classic wing than Oladipo and a better long-range shooter. Any team would love the chance to develop him.
3. Victor Oladipo
Oladipo may be Orlando's best player, but three years into his NBA career he's not yet irreplaceable. If the Magic want to go with a long-term backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Mario Hezonja, moving Oladipo now might make sense.
4. Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is a skilled, polished center who has improved defensively under head coach Scott Skiles, though he's still not exactly Hakeem Olajuwon. There aren't many centers who create offense at his level, and his shooting makes him a long-term fit with Gordon.
5. Elfrid Payton
Guards who can't shoot haven't exactly ever been the rage in the NBA, but they are more problematic now than ever. On the other hand, Payton is capable of reaching Skiles' defensive standards and he's a terrific rebounder and shot-blocker.
6. Channing Frye
Frye is hitting his outside shot and drawing the focus of opposing defenses. He leads Orlando in real plus-minus (RPM) and posts positive numbers on both ends. The Magic probably get multiple calls on him every day.
7. Evan Fournier
The Magic have the luxury of using Fournier as a sixth man, though that might be Oladipo's best eventual role as well. The main strike against Fournier is he's about to hit restricted free agency and could become the highest-paid player on the team. Given their glut of young pieces, the Magic will have some hard decisions to make in the years ahead.
8. Tobias Harris
See below.
Most valuable draft pick
2016 first-rounder
Orlando's recent slide means it's likely the team will again land in the lottery, with ESPN's Basketball Power Index currently giving the Magic a 4.8 percent chance at the top three. The Magic have a future pick from the Lakers coming their way two years after L.A. conveys a protected pick to the Sixers, but if things break the wrong way, that pick could actually end up as a second-rounder.
Toughest contract to trade
Tobias Harris
Re-signing Harris as a restricted free agent last summer wasn't a no-brainer, given his price tag. Indeed, his four-year, $64 million contract now looks a little steep. He's still only 23 but his career trajectory has been largely flat.
But when Harris' name has come up lately in rumors, the suggestion has been it's the Magic that would have to be convinced to include him in a swap. So there you go.
Player most likely to be traded
Channing Frye
True to his form as an elite stretch 4, Frye is hitting better than 40 percent from deep and has the second-best defensive RPM on the Magic. He could be a tipping-point player for a number of playoff teams looking to jump a tier.