Magic Projected To Land Ex-NBA Lottery Pick In Bold New Trade Proposal

The Orlando Magic addressed their biggest offseason needs in hopes of making a title push in an open Eastern Conference.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has historically been conservative with trades, with the last major acquisition being Markelle Fultz until this summer.

With urgency building as Jalen Suggs , Franz Wagner , and Paolo Banchero approach contract extensions, Weltman seized the moment.

He traded a combined four first-round picks and four second-round picks to land Desmond Bane and Noah Penda .

Confident in the rosters ability to grow and develop, Weltman could now explore opportunities to regain draft capital by moving defensive depth for young scorers.

Atlanta Hawks On SI recently proposed a blockbuster trade allowing the Magic to recoup draft picks while adding additional perimeter shooting.

Orlando Magic Receive: Bennedict Mathurin, Vit Krejci, 2026 2nd round pick (via TOR, from IND), 2027 2nd round pick (via UTA, from IND), 2028 2nd-round pick (via DAL, from IND), 2031 2nd round pick (via HOU/ATL, from ATL) Indiana Pacers Receive: Jonathan Isaac Atlanta Hawks Receive: Goga Bitazde The Magic would be giving up key bench contributors who provided valuable defensive production.

Isaac and Bitadze were among the teams most available players last season, stepping up as starters battled long-term injuries.

While Isaac had a down year, Bitadze emerged as a consistent rim protector and lob threat.

On the other end, the Magic would be transforming from one of the leagues worst three-point shooting teams into a potential top-10 perimeter threat at the cost of defense.

With the additions of Tyus Jones and Jase Richardson , theyd boast one of the deepest bench units in the NBA.

While its realistic to expect Penda to grow into Isaacs defensive anchor role over time, this trade proposal would accelerate his development by thrusting him into immediate action.

Mathurin, a former Rookie of the Year finalist, has continued to improve.

He averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 34 percent from three-point range last season.

"Mathurin had several flashes throughout Indiana's run to the Finals," the article wrote.

"There's value to a microwave scorer that can have some massive games off the bench for a contender and the Canadian wing is only 22 years old.

His untapped potential could be massive for a Magic team in need of bench scoring next season.

It wouldn't be entirely surprising to see him blossom into a great fourth option for Orlando that kickstarts their offense when needed." Krejci has quietly developed into one of the leagues most overlooked three-point specialists, shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc over the past two seasons while averaging 6.9 points per game.

"Krejci isn't a household name," the article added.

"He was a deadly accurate shooter and the Magic could use more of that in their rotation.

From a cap perspective, this deal would also drop Orlando below the luxury tax line and give them more flexibility to add to their roster." More Orlando Magic Stories Ex-All-Star Picks Dwight Howard Over Future Hall of Famer In All-Time Debate Magic Legend Tracy McGrady Wrongly Falls In All-Time Rankings Shaquille O'Neal Surprisingly Takes Backseat Among Orlando Magic Royalty.

This article has been shared from the original article on si, here is the link to the original article.