We trade: Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger
We get: Mario Hezonja, Jason Smith
Why for us: Hezonja is clearly talented and has shown flashes in limited minutes, but he's been buried on the bench because the Magic have a lot of good young players at the 2/3 and Scott Skiles is notoriously tough on rookies (He glued Tobias Harris to the bench when he coached him in Milwaukee and then Harris took off as soon as he was traded). Hezonja is 6'8" and a great shooter and athlete, so he could potentially play the 2, 3, or maybe even some 4 if he bulks up, and he could eventually be the go-to scorer we desperately need. This could be a chance to unearth a potential star for relatively cheap (and a gamble we should be taking given our current roster construction). Smith is a throw-in to make the salaries work, he's a decent backup big on a one year deal that we could either keep as a mentor for our young guys or buy out. Bradley is a great role player on a cheap deal, but he's not going to get much better than he is and we need to find a star to get to the next level. By trading him, we both acquire a guy who could be a star and open up more playing time for Smart, Rozier, and Hunter so we can see what we have with them. Sully is also a productive player, but again, not a future star and probably not someone we want to bring back on a big contract. If we trade him now we make sure we don't lose him for nothing and open up some playing time for Mickey.
Why for Orlando: Hezonja is a great prospect, but they have a lot of young talent blocking him from getting PT in Oladipo, Fournier, and Harris. Since Orlando has a lot of young talent in place, they're at the point where they probably want to start making deeper playoff runs and getting their young guys some playoff experience, and the East is still close enough that a win-now move or two could vault them up 4-5 spots in the standings. Hezonja likely won't get enough PT to reach his potential in Orlando, and this is an opportunity to trade him while his value is still high and get some guys who can help them make a deeper playoff run. Bradley gives them another tough perimeter defender to go along with Payton and Oladipo, as well as some much-needed long-range shooting. He's young enough to grow with the rest of their team, he's locked up on a cheap deal, and he's the kind of hard-nosed, high character guy that Skiles would love. Sullinger is an upgrade on Smith as a backup big man and gives them a physical presence that neither Vucevic nor Frye really offers. Like Smith, he's on an expiring deal, but unlike Smith, he's young enough that they might be interested in signing him to a long term deal if he plays well. He's also a restricted free agent, so if they decide he's not a part of their long term future they can get something for him in a sign and trade, which wouldn't happen with Smith.
I think this deal makes sense for both teams. Thoughts?
Topic: Magic trade idea (Read 2654 times)