The Orlando Magic made a no-brainer trade on Sunday afternoon when they acquired Shabazz Napier from the Miami Heat as they gave up almost literally nothing in return. Now the question will become what does this mean for the roster and what kind of playing time can Napier expect to get? The Magic already have Elfrid Payton as their starting point guard and C.J. Watson as the backup but Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports that Napier will still likely get time to provide some scoring off the bench for the Magic.
In return for Napier the Magic sent back a very highly protected second round pick which they will keep unless they somehow have one of the top five records in the NBA next season. Napier was a first round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft so the fact that they took cash and a first round talent and had to give up nothing was great for them as an organization but one person this deal isn't great for is Keith Appling.
Appling signed a deal with the Magic a little over a week ago and although he didn't have a great shot of making the team before this trade, whatever chance he did have has now completely evaporated. Appling will still likely be cut late in camp so that he could be sent to the Magic's D-League affiliate for the season.
As for Napier, he wasn't able to find his footing in his first season with Miami as his playing time was sporadic and that might not change this year. The Magic like what they got out of Payton as a rookie last season and Watson is as solid as it gets at backup point guard. Napier also likely won't find much time at shooting guard as Victor Oladipo is the starter and the Magic also have first round pick Mario Hezonja and Evan Fournier coming off the bench at that position.
Napier shot 36 percent from three as a rookie last year so he could provide outside shooting for the Magic that they otherwise lack, but he will have to raise his field goal percentage from last season's 38 percent if he expects to get consistent minutes.
No matter what way you look at it this was a great trade for the Magic. They gave up nothing and got a 24 year old player who is a proven winner and can possibly develop into a key role player later on in his career. Napier may not have a big role this season but he can play his way into a bigger one in the future this season.
