Four Players the Orlando Magic Can Trade for this Offseason to Create Cap Space

Since finishing the 2021-2022 NBA regular season with a 22-60 record, the Orlando Magic have shifted their focus to the NBA offseason. While the 2022 NBA Draft will be extremely important to the Magic, the Free Agency period also has major implications on Orlando’s success moving forward. With this said, Orlando’s main goal this offseason shouldn’t be to acquire aging talent, but rather to add players that will be able to create cap space in the long term. The easiest way Orlando can do this is by trading for players who are going to opt into their player options (PO) for the 2022-2023 season.

As stated by the NBA, a player option grants the player the power to decide whether to stay for another year or to become an unrestricted free agent. If a player has a three-year contract with an option for the fourth season, that means if the option is exercised (by the player in this example), the contract extends through the fourth season. If the option is not exercised by the player, then the contract ends after the third season. Once an option is exercised it cannot be revoked. So once the player exercises his option, he can’t change his mind.

Although player options can carry a large price tag for the team rostering that player, it can become a very useful tool in creating future salary-cap space. If a player opts into his player option, then he’ll enter unrestricted free agency (UFA) in the following off-season. This essentially clears all of the aforementioned money off that team’s books, resulting in a lot of extra cap space. Even though Orlando is already projected to have roughly $27 million in salary-cap space this summer, creating more is never a bad option, and acquiring these four players would go a long way in doing so.

Russell Westbrook, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers ($41.3 million Player Option)

After a very disappointing one-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Russell Westbrook now finds himself in the midst of being traded to his fifth different team this summer. While Westbrook did post a solid statline of 18.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 7.1 APG in 78 games this season, it was Westbrook’s lack of perimeter shooting and ability to defend that overshadowed his positive play. Even though Westbrook has always been an erratic three-pointer shooter, Westbrook had one of the worst shooting seasons of his career, hitting just 29.8% from downtown and 65.6% from the free-throw line, which was his worst splits since the 2018-2019 season.

Furthermore, Westbrook posted his third-lowest assist percentage (31.6%), usage rate (27.3%), and free throw rate (32.4%), along with his lowest player efficiency rating (15 PER) and offensive win shares (-0.6 OWS) of his career. Despite playing alongside former NBA Champions LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook seemed to regress heavily in his age 33 season, and was the single reason that Los Angeles fired Head Coach Frank Vogel this season after winning the NBA Championship just two years prior.

In spite of these ongoing trade rumors, Los Angeles is now expected to keep Westbrook for the 2022-2023 season, due to teams also wanting the Lakers to include a first-round pick in acquiring Westbrook, according to NBA Reporter Marc Stein. While some teams have more than enough first-round picks to trade, Los Angeles just has four first-round picks until 2028, with the first coming in the 2025 NBA draft. This is mainly due to the acquisition of Davis from New Orleans, where Los Angeles traded three first round picks, along with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart.

With the recent hiring of Milwaukee’s Assistant Coach Darvin Ham as Los Angeles’ new Head Coach, there is a possibility Ham can bring out the best in Westbrook. If the Lakers find that Westbrook isn’t working in Ham’s system by the trade deadline, however, it would wise for Orlando to reach out to Los Angeles in acquiring Westbrook. Westbrook is expected to opt into his $41.3 million player option for the 2022-2023 season, which is incredibly valuable to any team interested in creating cap space.

Once the 2022-2023 NBA season ends, Westbrook would become an unrestricted free agent, and would simultaneously free a significant amount of cap space for the Magic to spend in the 2023 free agency class. Since Orlando probably won’t be in contention for a playoff or play-in spot next season, acquiring Westbrook would give the Magic the financial ability to pursue the top free agents in 2023, such as Andrew Wiggins (UFA), Khris Middleton (PO), D’Angelo Russell (UFA), and Jerami Grant (UFA), to name a few.

Potential Trade Scenario Involving Russell Westbrook to Orlando

Orlando Receives: Russell Westbrook, 2026 First-Round Pick (Via L.A.)

Los Angeles Receives: Jonathan Isaac, Garry Harris

By trading Isaac and Harris, Orlando doesn’t have to pay either player’s upcoming salary, creating cap space in the short term. In addition to this, Orlando will also be able to give their younger players much more minutes in the absence of Isaac and Harris, which should help the development of Wendell Carter Jr., Mo Bamba (RFA), and the No. 1 overall pick. Finally acquiring Los Angeles’ 2026 First Round Pick gives Orlando another asset to use in their rebuild, and would be the Magic’s eleventh first-round pick in the next six drafts.

As for Los Angeles, they part ways with Westbrook while acquiring young talent that will mesh better with James and Davis. Both Isaac (43.5% from the field, 33.0% from three-point range) and Harris (43.4% from the field, 38.4% from three-point range) are respectable shooters, which will help space the floor for James and Davis. While health is a noticeable risk in acquiring Isaac and Harris, their ability to shoot and play solid defense would be a major help in leading the Lakers back into the NBA Playoffs.

John Wall, PG/SG, Houston Rockets ($42.7 million Player Option)

When John Wall is healthy, he’s certainly been one of the NBA’s top point guards. The most recent example is the 2016-2017 season, Wall’s seventh season in Washington, where he averaged 23.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 10.7 APG, and 2.0 SPG in 78 games. In addition to this, Wall was a solid perimeter shooter, going 45.1% from the field, 32.7% from three-point range, and 80.1% from the free-throw line. This statistical success has been sustained by Wall throughout his career, as he’s posted career averages of 19.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 9.1 APG, and 1.7% SPG along with 43/32/77 shooting splits.

With this said, Wall’s explosive playstyle has been a blessing and a curse, as he’s played just 40 games in the last three seasons due to Left Heel and Achilles Injuries. Wall’s limited availability has made him a non-factor in Houston, despite the Rockets trading Westbrook to the Wizards in 2020 to help James Harden carry them to the NBA Finals. With Harden now in Philadelphia, Wall has been stuck on Houston’s bench for the majority of the time, and has really hindered the Rockets’ financial flexibility.

Since Wall is entering his age 31 season, it’s highly likely that he’ll opt into his $42.7 million player option, but Houston may have other plans regarding Wall. Over the course of the 2021-2022 season, Houston seriously contemplated trading Wall, but didn’t receive a trade offer that they really liked. Even though Houston is expected to continue to shop Wall around the league, failure to do so may result in a buyout between Wall and Houston, as stated by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer:

“If the Rockets are unable to find a trade for Wall before the June 23 NBA draft, all signs now point to Houston and Wall’s representation revisiting buyout talks prior to free agency in July. In that event, Wall would become an unrestricted free agent.”

With this knowledge in mind, Orlando should definitely try and make a trade with Houston as soon as possible, as his player option will clear more cap space than outright signing him. Besides, the likelihood of Wall signing with Orlando as a UFA is very unlikely, considering that Wall may want to sign with a contending team to pursue an NBA Championship.

Potential Trade Scenario Involving John Wall to Orlando

Orlando Receives: John Wall, 2024 First Round Pick (Via Brooklyn)

Houston Receives: Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross

At first, acquiring Wall doesn’t make much sense when considering the current construction of Orlando’s roster. However, the Magic aren’t acquiring Wall for his production, but rather his player option. After the 2022-2023 season, Wall’s guaranteed money will come off Orlando’s books, giving them a lot of cap space to work within the 2023 off-season. In addition to this, Orlando also receives Brooklyn’s 2024 first-round pick, which could be of great value if former NBA Champions Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decline their player options in 2022-2023.

Although Wall has minimal value to Houston, the Rockets do get a good return in Bamba and Ross to further speed up their rebuild. At just 23 years old, Bamba finally broke out after three forgetful seasons with the Magic, averaging a career-high 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.7 BPG while shooting 48.0% from the field and 38.1% from downtown. Bamba is entering RFA this offseason, but Houston is expected to have ~$25 million in salary-cap space, so resigning Bamba wouldn’t be a financial issue. Houston would also acquire Ross in this trade scenario, whose perimeter shooting (36.1% career on three-pointers) should help the spacing issues for the Rockets’ young group of forwards.

Jeff Green and JaMychal Green, PF/C, Denver Nuggets (Player Options)

Although neither Green brother carries the same recognition as Westbrook or Wall has, both have been solid veterans while playing for an array of NBA teams over their NBA careers. Believe it or not, but Jeff Green ($4.5 million PO) is the perfect representation of a journeyman player in the NBA, as he’s played for twelve different teams across the NBA. In spite of moving from team to team, Green has always had consistent production, as shown by his nice statline of 10.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG while shooting 52.4% from the field, 31.5% from three-point range, and 83.3% from the free-throw line in 75 games this season.

Although JaMychal Green ($8.2 million PO) doesn’t have as impressive stats as his brother, he still played a major role for Denver this past season. In his age 31 season, Green showed no signs of slowing down, as he averaged 16.2 MPG, 6.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 0.9 APG while shooting 48.6% from the field, 26.6% from three-point range, and 87.1% from the free-throw line. Both Jeff and JaMychal were relied on heavily by Denver this past season, as injuries took a serious toll on star players Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. In fact, Jeff Green started in 63 of his 75 games last season, while JaMychal Green made eight starts in 67 games.

With this said, Denver may not have the cap space to resign the Green brothers, as they have already invested heavily in Murray (five-year, $158 million), Porter Jr (five-year, $172 million), and reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic (five-year, $260 million). In addition, Denver is also expected to retain Will Barton (UFA in 2024), Monte Morris (UFA in 2025), and Na’Shon “Bones” Hyland (RFA in 2026) when their respected contracts expire. So, parting ways with the Green brothers wouldn’t be absurd to do, given the current financial situation.

Potential Trade Scenario Involving Jeff and JaMychal Green to Orlando

Orlando Receives: Jeff Green, JaMychal Green, DeMarcus Cousins

Denver Receives: Jonathan Isaac

Similar to the hypothetical acquisitions of Westbrook and Wall, acquiring Jeff and JaMychal Green isn’t to bolster their roster, but rather to free up future cap space. Since both players are expected to opt into their respected player options, both will become UFAs in the 2023 offseason, likely searching for their final NBA contract before retirement. With this said, an added bonus of trading for the Green brothers is their veteran leadership and ability to mentor Orlando’s younger players, especially that of rookie standout Franz Wagner, Carter Jr., and Bamba. This was a legitimate impact of the free-agent signing of journeyman center Robin Lopez, who was a stable source of leadership and energy for the youthful Magic.

During the 2022 offseason, it will be key for Denver to acquire depth at the guard and wing positions, as they just fell off in the Western Conference after the season-ending injuries of Murray (ACL) and Porter Jr (Back). While Isaac has struggled mightily with injuries of his own, his services would be extremely important to the Nuggets. Standing at 6’11” and 230 pounds, Isaac’s unique physique allowed him to shine as a two-way wing in Orlando, averaging 9.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.5 BPG in 136 career games. Furthermore, Isaac’s solid career shooting splits of 43/33/79 would help space the floor for Jokic. Finally, Isaac’s ripe age of 24 years old allows him to fit alongside the rest of Denver’s young talent, headlined by Murray (25 years old), Monte Morris (26 years old) Porter Jr (23 years old), Aaron Gordon (26 years old) and Jokic (26 years old).

Note: The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a trade that will send forward JaMychal Green to Oklahoma City, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported. Green will pick up his $8.2 million player option for the 2022-2023 season as part of the deal. According to Wojnarowski, Oklahoma City will also receive a protected 2027 first-round pick from Denver, while the Nuggets will get the No. 30 pick in this year’s draft, plus a 2023 second-round selection and a 2024 second-rounder. This means that JaMychal Green will be unaquirable via trade for 60 days, so Jeff Green is a likelier trade candidate to Orlando.