The Orlando Magic may not know who their head coach will be after the season, but that apparently won't stop the team from trying to make a splash before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported the Magic could surprise many at the deadline, with names like Andrew Nicholson and Tobias Harris potentially available.
Barring a dramatic turnaround under interim coach Jim Borrego, Orlando (17-39) is unlikely to make the postseason this year. With that in mind, Kyler believes Orlando could surprise the league by pulling off a "splashy" trade before the upcoming deadline.
"The Magic are a team to watch for a splashy move, as they certainly have the assets to make a bigger kind of deal and with their season in disarray they could swing for the proverbial fences or sit on their hands. That's how unclear their plans are," Kyler wrote Tuesday. "...Orlando has done a deal at the deadline every year of the (general manager) Rob Hennigan era, that trend does not look like it will stop this year."
Kyler reported Hennigan granted Nicholson's agents to help find a trade partner for their client. He also reported there's "a sense" guards Ben Gordon and Luke Ridnour could be had.
The real question, though, is whether Orlando does anything with forward Tobias Harris. There hasn't been any reports indicating a trade is imminent for the 22-year-old, but the fact he will become a restricted free agent - and likely command an offer sheet worth between $12-$14 million, according to Kyler - makes it possible Hennigan at least considers trading him now as opposed to potentially letting him walk for nothing in the offseason.
The New York Knicks reportedly were interested in Harris earlier in the season, but it's doubtful they even come close to landing him given their lack of valuable assets.
