Orlando Magic 2016-17 Season Outlook: Returning To The Playoffs
After some questionable moves this offseason, the Orlando Magic hope their unorthodox approach pays off in 2016-17 by returning to the playoffs
For most NBA teams, there is generally a perceptible direction in which they are headed. The team is doing X to accomplish Y so they can eventually and hopefully win a title. That is not so evident with the Orlando Magic.
Their first move in the 2016 offseason was their trade for former Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka. In a mildly confusing deal, the Orlando Magic exchanged Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and Domantas Sabonis for Serge Ibaka.
On the roster at the time, former 3rd overall pick Victor Oladipo was the most high-upside player there. He averaged a solid 16 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists last year, a year after averaging a career high 18 points per game. The 6-foot-4, athletic and skilled, Oladipo was one of the more highly touted prospects of his draft class, and he has so far appeared to be well on his way towards fulfilling at least some of the hype.
Instead of continuing to develop that potential, the Magic traded him and a high potential prospect in Sabonis for potentially a one year rental of a 27-year-old, in a contract year-Serge Ibaka. In the end, the Magic may have feasibly traded a future fringe All Star for a one year rental for a player who may not even get them into the playoffs. What was the cost benefit analysis here? If not winning, then selling the product of basketball would be the biggest priority. So is watching Serge Ibaka serve as the leader of an 8th or 9th seed in the East for one season really going to be such a profitable fan attraction? Its possible but as an uninformed skeptic I am not so sure.
Even if he does stay, Ibaka is 27 and has never shown the production or ability to function beyond a complementary floor spacing option on offense while being a very good defender. Assuming he does not have a huge leap out of nowhere, Ibaka probably has around 3 or 4 more seasons max of being as effective as he is now before his inevitable age related decline.
liel four years of Ibaka really be more valuable than a potential eight years of prime Victor Oladipo? Even based off position scarcity, it is an interesting move: stretch fours are at a premium in today’s NBA, high upside guards with size and takeover potential are not. Even so, Ibaka does have a lot of value. For this season at least, he has the potential to be a leader of one of the NBA’s best defenses.