Magic Have Expressed Interest In DeMar DeRozan

In an excellent piece covering the state of the Spurs, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reports the Magic have expressed interest in Spurs wing DeMar DeRozan.

O’Connor notes that the Magic are “scouring the trade market for scoring help,” meaning the team has likely kicked the tires on players besides DeRozan. KOC goes on to indicate that front office executives around the NBA wouldn’t be shocked if San Antonio dealt the 30-year-old four-time All-Star, who sports a famously archaic shot profile.

DeRozan has a $27.7MM player option on the final year of his contract, for the 2020/21 season. Were he to decline it, he could top-line a fairly lackluster free agent class. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, DeRozan and San Antonio struggled to find common ground while negotiating a possible extension prior to this season. The maximum potential value of an extension for DeRozan would be approximately $150MM over four years. Given that DeRozan would be 35 by the end of that deal, San Antonio’s probable reticence feels sensible.

The Magic’s anemic offense could use the help. The 3-7 Magic’s 98.1 points scored per game currently ranks them dead-last in the NBA. And the Knicks play in the NBA! Orlando also ranks 29th in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions).

HoopsHype’s Bryan Kalbrosky took a detailed look at the midrange-happy DeRozan’s potential offensive fit on Orlando. Kalbrosky notes that DeRozan’s proclivity for mid-range jumpers would fit in well with Orlando, as the team currently ranks third in the NBA in mid-range frequency, according to Cleaning The Glass.

In ten games, DeRozan has attempted just four three-pointers. He has missed them all. Despite this, his excellent handle and size make him a great drive-and-kick cog in any offense. He is currently averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, while shooting 49.3% from the floor and 77.2% from the charity stripe.

If the Magic were to make an offer for DeRozan, they’d almost certainly want to hang onto Jonathan Isaac and would likely aim to keep Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon as well. That might mean starting with Evan Fournier ($17.15MM) for salary-matching purposes. The team has a couple intriguing young prospects in Markelle Fultz and Mo Bamba, and has all its future first- and second-round draft picks available.

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