Before the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline occurred on March 25th, 2021, the Orlando Magic found themselves stuck in mediocrity. In the 2018-2019 season, Orlando finished with a 42-40 regular-season record and the No. 7 seed in the playoffs, only to lose to the No. 2 seed Toronto Raptors in five games. After refusing to make any sizeable changes to their roster, Orlando had another average season, going 33-40 and earning the No. 8 seed only to lose to the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Midway through the 2020-2021 season, Orlando found itself in basketball poverty, rather than mediocrity.
With a 15-30 regular-season record, Orlando’s General Manager Jeff Weltman understood that the Magic needed to be correctly rebuilt in order to move past the constant mediocrity they were stuck in. Weltman and the Magic certainly accomplished this, as they traded franchise cornerstones Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon in exchange for young players and future draft picks. Fast forward to 2022, and Orlando looks primed to rebound, especially with owning the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft. With this said, these are the grades for Orlando’s three major trades from the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline.
Orlando Trades Two-Time All-Star Nikola Vucevic to Chicago
When the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline officially arrived, Orlando wasted no time in exploring the market for Vucevic, a two-time All-Star. In no time, the Magic agreed to a deal with the Bulls that sent Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago. In return, Orlando received Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and two future first-round picks in 2021 and 2023 from Chicago, prompting the Magic to begin to rebuild their roster.
“Anytime you trade a player like Nikola, it is a tough decision to make,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “‘Vooch’ will go down as one of the best players to ever wear a Magic uniform and we can’t thank him enough for all the contributions he made to the organization, both on and off the court.”
With this trade occurring over fifteen months ago, both Orlando and Chicago have seen the impacts of the trade on their competitiveness and ability to win.
Chicago Bulls’ Trade Grade: B
Entering the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline, Chicago’s Basketball Executive Arturas Karnisovas and Head Coach Billy Donovan knew they needed to make a win-now move to salvage a disappointing season. At the time, Chicago was sitting with a 19-24 record, and was coming off an embarrassing 94-103 loss to Cleveland on March 24th. So the ensuing day, Chicago traded for Vucevic to give Zach Lavine a great big man to play with. At the time, acquiring Vucevic seemed like a no-brainer, considering the type of season Vucevic was having. Prior to being traded, Vucevic averaged a career-high 24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG while shooting 48.0% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range through 44 games in 2020-2021. In fact, Vucevic was just one of four players in the NBA to average at least 21 PPG and 11 RPG over the past three seasons, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
With this said, Vucevic has provided Chicago with a mixed bag of results, as Vucevic is coming off a disappointing season, where he averaged just 17.6 PPG and 11.0 RPG, both being his lowest averages since the 2017-2018 season. Furthermore, Vucevic saw his shooting percentages take a hit, as he shot just 47.3% from the field and 31.4% from downtown. In spite of this, Vucevic did play a major role in helping lead Chicago to a 46-36 regular-season record and the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, where they would lose to the No. 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Vucevic’s presence may also help persuade Lavine to stay in Chicago, as he is set to enter Unrestricted Free Agency this summer. Overall, acquiring Vucevic was a solid move by Chicago’s front office, but it hasn’t completely worked out in the Bulls’ favor.
Orlando Magic’s Trade Grade: A
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Since being traded to Orlando, Wendell Carter Jr. has been fantastic for the Magic, averaging 14.2 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG while shooting 51.7% from the field and 31.7% from three-point range in 84 games (80 starts) with Orlando. In Carter Jr’s. first full season with the Magic, the former No. 7 overall pick enjoyed a career year, averaging a career-high 15.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 2.8 APG while shooting 51.3% from the field and 32.7% from downtown. Before posting his aforementioned career year, Carter Jr. signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with Orlando, which officially looks like a great contract considering his recent success with the Magic.
In addition to Carter Jr., Orlando also acquired Chicago’s first-round draft picks in 2021 and 2023. While Orlando still awaits to add another young player to their roster with Chicago’s 2023 first-round pick, the selection of Franz Wagner with Chicago’s eighth overall pick has already paid off. In 79 games this season, Wagner averaged 15.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG while shooting 46.8% from the field and 35.4% from downtown which resulted in Wagner being named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team.
It’s also worth noting that Orlando acquired Otto Porter Jr., but he played in just three games with the Magic due to a season-ending foot injury. It is worth noting that Porter Jr has revitalized his NBA career after leaving Orlando for Golden State, where he’s averaged 8.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG while posting 46/37/80 shooting splits for the reigning NBA Champions. When considering that Orlando acquired two young stars in Carter Jr. and Wagner in exchange for 31-year-old Vucevic, this move is quite beneficial for the Magic’s current rebuild.
Orlando Sends Evan Fournier to Boston in Exchange for Future Draft Capital
Before trading Vucevic to Chicago, Orlando already made another trade with a fellow Eastern Conference team. As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Orlando traded Evan Fournier to Boston in exchange for Jeff Teague and two-future second-round picks in 2027 and 2028. For those who don’t know how Boston was financially able to acquire Fournier and his $17 million salary, Boston used part of their $28.2 million trade exception from the Gordon Hayward deal. This also allowed Orlando to not have to take any salary back.
Boston Celtics’ Trade Grade: C+
Before acquiring Fournier, Boston was in major need of a scoring boost off their bench, as they were just 21-23, good enough for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Receiving Fournier would provide that scoring spark, as he was averaging a career-high 19.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 3.7 APG while shooting 46.1% from the field and 38.8% from downtown in 26 games with Orlando. Once Fournier arrived in Boston, his overall impact was evident, as he averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 3.0 APG along with shooting splits of 44/46/71 in 16 games. Fournier’s scoring was able to help Boston make the 2021 NBA playoffs, as they earned the No. 7 seed with a 36-36 record. Unfortunately, Boston was eliminated by the No. 2 seed Brooklyn Nets in five games.
After the 2021 season, Fournier entered unrestricted free agency, and decided to sign with New York on a four-year, $78 million contract. In his first season with New York, Fournier had another solid season, averaging 14.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 41.7% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. Although Boston only had Fournier’s services for 21 total games, the acquisition of Fournier allowed Boston to trade Daniel Thesis and Javonte Green to Chicago for Mo Wagner and Luke Kornet, which did bolster the Celtics’ rotation. Furthermore, the Celtics found themselves in the 2022 NBA Finals, where they took the eventual NBA Champion Warriors to six games. Even though Fournier didn’t have an immediate impact on Boston, it was a necessary financial move at the time.
Orlando Magic’s Trade Grade: C
At the time of the 2021 NBA trade deadline, there was a lot of talk about Fournier being included as part of a bigger deal coupled with Vucevic or Aaron Gordon, but that fell through due to financial issues. Once Orlando made Fournier the sole player in a trade, the Magic were going to get a worse return than they hoped for. From a financial standpoint, trading Fournier was a major win for Orlando, as they gained a $17 million trade exception, giving the Magic much more financial flexibility to use in the future. In addition, Orlando did add two future second-round picks, which may accumulate value, depending on how Boston fares in the future. Finally, the Magic received Teague, but immediately waived him. Like Porter Jr., Teague was able to earn his first NBA Championship in 2020-2021 after signing with Milwaukee for the veteran’s minimum ($1.7 million).
Aaron Gordon Heads to Denver as Orlando Gains More Assets
In order to complete their NBA Trade deadline firesale, Orlando still needed to part ways with Aaron Gordon, one of Orlando’s best assets. In 428 regular-season games with Orlando from 2014-2021, Gordon posted a solid statline of 12.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.5 APG while shooting 44.7% from the field and 32.3% from downtown. Surprisingly, Orlando could’ve kept Gordon as a key piece of their rebuild, as he was just 25 years old at the time of his trade, but internal issues with Orlando persuaded the Magic to part ways with him.
Prior to being traded, Gordon acknowledged on March 24th that he had asked Orlando for a trade, due to frustration with the team on a number of issues.
“There’s been times where I just expressed my frustration to management,” Gordon told reporters. “Frustration with the losses, the injuries, the way we’ve been playing and how many losses have accumulated over the years. So it’s just my frustration kind of boiling over, I would say. … I think a lot of people share that sentiment with me, of frustration.”
Since being selected by the Magic with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Orlando has gone 203-322, and qualified for the playoffs in just two of Gordon’s first six professional seasons. Fortunately, Orlando was able to get a deal done with Denver that consisted of Gordon and Gary Clark joining the Nuggets in exchange for Garry Harris, 2021 first-round pick R.J. Hampton, and Denver’s 2025 first-round pick (protected).
Orlando Magic’s Trade Grade: B
When considering that Gordon no longer wanted to be part of the Magic, the package they received from the Nuggets has carried significant value. To begin, Harris has been a very solid scorer for Orlando off the bench, as he’s averaged 10.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG while shooting 41.6% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. Harris has also been a great mentor to Orlando’s collection of young guards, which include former first-round picks Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Hampton. While Harris is set to enter Unrestricted Free Agency this offseason, his services were appreciated and utilized in Orlando.
In addition to Harris, Orlando got Hampton by trading Gordon, which was a smart long-term move by the Magic’s front office. While in Denver, Hampton struggled to get any playing time due to the Nuggets’ deep rotation, causing him to produce a troubling statline of 9.3 MPG, 2.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.6 APG. Since arriving in Orlando, however, Hampton has received adequate playing time, and has posted a much better statline of 22.9 MPG, 8.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 90 games. Likewise, Hampton has been a much-improved shooter, as he’s shot 40.3% from the field and 34.1% from downtown with Orlando. As a result of trading Gordon, Orlando has received another young guard they can continue to develop in Hampton, along with Denver’s future first-round pick in 2025.
Denver Nuggets’ Trade Grade: B
While Denver may have given up too much to acquire a solid role player in Gordon, the Nuggets need to be aggressive in their pursuit of an NBA Championship. Unfortunately, Denver’s reigning two-time MVP Nikola Jokic won’t be able to carry the Nuggets to the NBA Finals, as shown by the Nugget’s past struggles. Part of this can be attributed to the absences of stars Jamal Murray (ACL) and Michael Porter Jr. (Back), both of which suffered season-ending injuries this past season. In Murray’s and Porter Jr.’s absences, Gordon has given the Nuggets stability as a two-way forward, averaging 13.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG while shooting 51.6% from the field and 32.1% from downtown in 100 games in Denver. Gordon was a big reason that Denver was able to remain in the competitive Western Conference playoff race, where they finished with a 48-34 regular-season record and No. 6 seed in the playoffs.
After trading for Gordon, the Nuggets quickly signed Gordon to a four-year, $92 million contract extension to secure his future in Denver. Shockingly, the signing of Gordon may cause financial issues in the future for Denver, as they’ve already invested heavily in their young core of Murray (five-year, $158 million), Porter Jr (five-year, $172 million), and reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic (five-year, $260 million). Denver will also have to deal with the upcoming free agency periods of Will Barton (UFA in 2024), Monte Morris (UFA in 2025), and Na’Shon “Bones” Hyland (RFA in 2026) when their respected contracts expire. With this said, Denver needed to make an aggressive move in order to contend for the NBA Championship, so focusing on the present is more important than the future for Denver.