CHILLING: Magic’s Desperate Hunt for Offensive Spark | Are Jordan Poole, Lauri Markkanen targets?

hello boys and ghouls it is Friday the 13th and so we are going to the dark side to the trade candidates the players the Magic probably shouldn’t chase but just might today on Locked on Magic you are Locked On Magic your daily Orlando Magic podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day and you are indeed locked on Magic today is June 13 2025 Friday the 13th oo my name is Philip Rossenrike i am the senior writer over at Orlando Magicaily.com credentialed member of the Orlando Magic media since the 2011 season you can of course find me on Twitter Philip R_om and on Blue Sky Philip RR on today’s episode of Locked On Magic we’ve talked about the names that we think the Magic are chasing because we like them what about the names we don’t like the players we’re not so sure about we’re going to go into those players today on Locked On Magic we’ll get to that coming up here in just a moment but first we want to thank you again for making lockdown on Magic part of your day every day whether we’re your first lesson of the day whether we are part of your day if whether you’re one of our everydayers we truly appreciate you making lockdown on Magic part of your day every day go check out Locked On Thunder and Locked On Pacers after we’re done here to get you set for game four the Locked On podcast network your team every day today’s episode of Locked On Magic is brought to you by FanDuel right now new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins at this point you know the names that we like that that most fans honestly like your Colin Stons your Anthony Simons your Austin Reeds your uh Kobe White those are the names we all like the names that if the Magic acquired any of these players they may not necessarily be the player that you support that you think would be the number one guy on your list but you’d be like “Okay I I have no problems with that checks every box that we like.” You know maybe there are some flaws we need to work around but all good on me contracts make sense role makes sense fit makes sense mean makes sense let’s do it let’s roll let’s rock on of course this is the NBA the obvious doesn’t always happen the obvious does not create interest and if it was so obvious why wouldn’t it get done like Anthony Simons for instance we’ve been talking about him for two years i did a podcast two years ago with Mike Richmond of Locked on Blazers myself in some hot water on that podcast where we talked about Anthony Simons and while I think things have changed perhaps now perhaps it’s still very true that if the Magic wanted Anthony Simons he’d be on the team already a lot of what we’re going to talk about today are about where the Magic are willing to compromise in this quest to make their team better to make the Magic a playoff team to move on to the next phase the question now becomes what principles of their are they willing to compromise and look there was probably a point and we may still honestly be in that point where a player like Anthony Simons would be in this group of players he’s just so popular among Magic fans and someone that we’ve talked about so much we’ve kind of slid him into that yeah that’s that’s a reasonable thing i look I grabbed him in the mock in the mock draft and some of that is because Simons has this clear offensive skill but what we don’t know is whether he’s a willing defender he’s ever been asked to be a good defender by some metrics he is one of the worst defenders in the league if that’s the case why would Anfrey Simons even be on the list because while the Magic are certainly willing to give up some defense to make their offense better they’re not bringing in someone that isn’t going to commit on the defensive end jamal Mosley ain’t going to play someone who isn’t going to buy in defensively and this is something the Magic are going to have to check out and something the Magic are going to have to really really focus and work on uh with whoever they acquire but this is where the Magic are sitting the Magic are sitting in a place where they have to improve their offense and they are presented with several imperfect options we’re going to start today then not with what I have on my rundown over to to my right left left left no right that way i don’t know which way is which um we’re going to start then with Yes every player we have talked about has a flaw anthony Simons not known as a great defender not known as a great playmaker he is a scorer through and through colin Ston excellent defender reputationally an excellent defender good three-point shooter good driver not the a great spot up shooter but not a selfshot creator something the Magic probably need a little bit more of austin Reeves really struggled in the playoffs the last two years but excellent playmaker decent shot creator he’s probably the best option of all these but he’s going to demand a $30 million year contract and I don’t know if the Magic want to pay that kobe White same deal kind of inconsistent had that great run at the end of the season last year spury shooter but is he the defender is he the the point guard the Magic want the point is to say that while there are a lot of seemingly obvious answers to the Magic’s problems a lot of seemingly obvious guys that we’ve all been talking about we’ve all been thinking about that does not mean that is the solution that does not mean that is the answer that does not mean that’s what the Magic are going to do this off season and so we have to talk about perhaps some non-obvious answers perhaps some answers that will truly chill you to the bone that will truly make you say “Huh that guy really i don’t like that guy.” Guys that are truly truly divisive i’m serious the Magic may not do what feels obvious they may get beat on trade offers they may not be able to make the pitch they may not be willing to give up what it takes to get them and so Orlando may have to settle for a flawed player for a player who does not have that skill they want or a player that makes them compromise somewhere where they aren’t comfortable compromising but here’s the thing the Magic must be bold if the Magic are going to make the improvements that they want to make this season and take the step they’re hoping to take they can’t be cowards they can be cedric coward but they can’t be cowards and that’s harsh that’s that’s that’s strong language but they can’t play it safe either this roster the Magic have it works to an extent but it clearly needs more it clearly needs something to get over the hump it clearly needs that injection of offense it needs something else it does not have enough the Magic might be good enough as is to compete for the four the five seed but they’re not winning the Eastern Conference with their group not when the Indiana Pacers can score 116 on the Thunder or 119 on the Thunder whatever it was on on Wednesday the Magic need more and that means they might have to do something that makes me feel uneasy that makes you feel uneasy that makes everyone feel a little bit questionable after all most of us thought Contavius Cwell Pope was the right move and again maybe he is maybe last year was a fluke and we don’t need to worry about but that was an obvious move to add an elite shooter an elite defender and it didn’t work not last year at least maybe again maybe it’ll work next year maybe maybe we’re too harsh on it but it didn’t work last year it didn’t fix the Magic’s problems and so the magic might have to think outside of our box outside of what we’re thinking and that’s why I’m going to say two words together I did not think I would have to say on this podcast and I’m gonna have to say those two words and treat the idea seriously because guess what ovada says Magic have the top odds of acquiring this player we’re gonna talk about it i hope this isn’t too scary jordan Pool I’m going to let you sit on that for just a moment we’ll be we’ll talk we’ll get to him coming up here in just a moment but first today’s episode of Lockdown Magic is brought to you by our friends over at Olop olip is a new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda but want something that supports their health which is two to five grams of sugar and nine grams of prebiotic fiber in every can olip is reimagining soda in a way that’s better for your gut tradal sodas are loaded with sugar like 39 grams in a regular Coke or 44 grams in an orange Fanta ollie Pop flips that switch with just a fraction of the sugar no artificial sweeteners and gut friendly ingredients like Oly Smart a blend shown to support digestive and overall health it’s soda that tastes like the real thing but actually does something good for your body in fact I’ll go ahead and say this i’ve got the Ollie Pop right here this is the vintage cola flavor i was I look I haven’t had soda I haven’t been a regular soda drinker since since high school i I cut soda out of my life i have a ginger ale here and there um I I They sent us these they sent us these and and you’ll have your chance to get a free Ollie pop here in a second but I tried this vintage cola it I don’t know if this is how cola is supposed to taste or if this is just an Ollie pop thing it feels like I’m drinking a gingerbread cookie it it it’s it’s really it’s really fantastic i was skeptical they sent us all samples on the Locked Onet i’m willing to give it a try they pay me i’ll give it a try i’m a fan i’m a huge fan especially of this vintage cola flavor i haven’t tried all the flavors they g they gave us i had they gave us a apple which is interesting um but Olly Pop is a great soda alternative get your free can of Olop just buy any two cans in store and they’ll reimburse you for one head to drink.comlocknba to claim your free can and find Olipop near you that’s drinkly.comlockdonba okay we’re going to hold our hands through this because I never thought that I would even be in a situation where I would consider Jordan Pool as the option for the Orlando Magic but I sit in on Magic group chats i sit in on Magic discussions i hear what Magic fans are talking about and yes Jordan Pool’s name comes up there are people that support the Jordan pool ga pool pool there are people that want a pool party and frankly the Magic are so desperate for shooting so desperate for guys who can score score in bunches i can’t say no to the idea i can’t dismiss the idea hat out of hand as much as I want to when you look at Jordan Pool’s numbers last year especially with the Washington Wizards you see a player that took some meaningful steps 20.5 points per game shot 37.8% on 9.1-point attempts he’s averaged more than seven three-point attempts per game in his last four seasons that’s two with Golden State two with Washington he averaged four and a half assists per game last year even added 1.7 stocks for good measure that kind of looks like a player the Magic kind of want the the the big detractions with Jordan Pool are purely kind of aesthetic yes he’s playing for the Wizards the Wizards are not a good basketball team their offense was worse than the Magics last year so again shooting alone isn’t going to solve the problem but what do the Magic need and what do the Magic like the Magic need shooting jordan Pool is a good shooter he can go on serious runs as a shooter and maybe if he’s not playing the main offensive role maybe he won’t get nine threes a game maybe he’ll drop back down to seven but he’ll get higher quality shots theoretically and then there’ll be games where he takes over that’s something the Magic need the Magic like playmakers and guards who are big for their position they’re not traditional guards the Magic probably need a traditional point guard i’m not going to sit here and say that that that’s not a good idea the Magic probably need a traditional point guard but they probably don’t mind going into the season with as many potential ball handlers and creators as possible paulo can handle the ball fron can handle the ball jaylen Suggs can handle the ball jordan Pool can handle the ball between those four players the magic of four different guys who can organize and set up the offense either none of them may be good enough to do it on their own and maybe that becomes a problem in the playoffs but theoretically theoretically that makes the Magic a better team right right it’s all theory of course but then you start diving a little bit into the numbers the Washington Wizards last year had a 105.8 offensive rating with Jordan Pul on the floor it was 104.8 yes the Wizards were somehow worse offensively with their best player and look I I like using these the onoff stats just to get a a picture and I I think they tell you some things they don’t tell you everything washington was a bad team jordan Pool was playing with bad players so that isn’t all on him and certainly he is not designed to be the number one guy on your team he’s not designed to be the best player on your team so those numbers may not mean very much but then you get into the reputation issues jordan P makes bad shot decisions he takes bad shots he was you know again maybe it’s a factor of him being with the Wizards and if he came to Orlando and Paulo and Fron put him in his place and said “Hey you’re third on this pecking war pecking order you know fall in line.” Maybe he takes better shots maybe he makes smarter decisions maybe being back in a winning environment changes him because he was really effective for the Golden State Warriors when they won the championship during their playoff run in 2022 he averaged 17 points per game shot 39.1% on 5.8 threes per game bump that up by a three get that to six or seven attempts the Magic would gladly take that version of Jordan Pool the Magic would gladly take that version of Jordan Pool but of course we all understand why he was traded from Golden State to begin with and while that was now three years ago that’s still a red flag to be on a team with that much success and I’m not going to blame a guy for wanting to for wanting to take the money and wanting to say I especially a young player who says I believe I can be the number one guy on a team i want to test myself i’m not going to blame a guy for that but Jordan Pool was apparently so disruptive on a winning team potentially not valuing winning that Draymond Green punched him like again Draymond’s the one at fault i’m not sitting here blaming Jordan Pool but you also got to understand your role there’s a way to do that and if you watch Jordan Pool in Washington there were a lot of times where he did not look like a serious basketball player where it looked like he was gunning for his own stats and if Steph Curry Klay Thompson and Draymond Green can’t get Jordan P to act serious Paulo Vanero Fron Vagner don’t have that clout yet that would be my big concern and frankly that is my big concern with even thinking about Jordan Pool is is whether winning is important to him and yeah he’s played for the Wizards the last two seasons we don’t know that answer we know he can put up numbers we know we know his offensive potential but we don’t know if winning is important for him and then you look at some of the offball stuff jordan Pool last year shot just 36.6% 6% on 4.1 catch and shoot three-point attempts per game now that probably goes up being a being a secondary player playing off of other players but something to think about really the only thing that I think works in Jordan Pool’s favor as far as far as him over the other players that we’ve talked about is somewhat ironically his contract jordan Pool is set to make 31.8 8 million next year now that is more than what Anthony Simons is going to make anthony Simons I believe is at 28 million but he’s got two years left on his deal 31.8 next year 34 in 2027 theoretically that gives the Magic some cost certainty because if the Magic go for an Anthony Simons go for a Kobe White go for a Colin Saxon go for an Austin Reeds all of those players are on expiring contracts the Magic would have to would be acquiring a player blind with really a very limited time to decide we’re going to hand that player a25 to $30 million contract a fresh 25 to$30 million contract and set ourselves somewhere else the only thing that I think of that that is a positive with pool is you’ve got two years to make that decision and again this is why perhaps the Magic should have done something at the deadline regardless because then you get that early information you get a year and a half before you decide have to decide on extension talks the Magic could get pool he could be successful on a playoff team or more success or more visible on a playoff team and flip him again but I don’t know like honestly I don’t know pool does have a lot of the skills the magic need and want but there’s a lot of baggage that comes with them so what about the other names that people keep bringing up to me that I’m just like uh no we’ll talk about bigs big bigs coming up here in just a moment but first today’s episode of Lockdown Magic is brought to you by our friends over at FanDuel the NBA finals are in full swing and every game is delivering highlight worthy performances major momentum shifts and can’t miss moments whether it’s a game-winning shot or a breakout player there’s never been a better time to get in on the action fanduel makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off and live with player props performance trends and same game parlays fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big whether you’re looking to take advantage of a player on a hot streak or looking to get in on the action at halftime with live in-game prop bets or live midgame prop bets and more FanDuel has the action you’re looking for if you’re new to FanDuel it is the perfect time to sign up head to fanduel.com and place your first $5 bet if it wins you’ll get $200 in bonus bets make every moment more with FanDuel official sports betting partner of the NBA there are a lot of names out there like there are a lot of players entering this trade trade market we are expecting that this is going to be a very busy offseason there’s already even been some talk that the Kevin Durant trade is imminent like it might happen before the finals end um and again now we’re looking at a long finals with the Pacers up 2-1 we’ll see what happens in game four on Friday um and so it it’s very clear the Magic are hunting for guards like I don’t I don’t think I’m breaking news there it’s very clear the Magic are looking for some guard help and that’s where a lot of our focus has been on we think that the Magic need guards i mean like their guards were pretty terrible in the playoffs like Cory Joseph did the best he could kavius call the Pope really struggled jaylen Suggs was out Cole Anthony struggle in the playoffs the Magic guard situation is is pretty bleak and so whether it’s adding to Kell Alexander Walker in free agency and trading for a guard we think that’s the direction the Magic are going but there are a lot of other players out there and boy there have been some doozies that have hit my mentions i want to get to two today just to just to put these names to rest because they are just straight up nos for me dog that’s that’s a straight up no for me dog um the first is Lori Markin now Lori Markin’s name popped up most uh most clearly in the Kevin O’Connor show uh the other day on on Yahoo Sports um Kevin O’Connor and Chris Manx of Sports Illustrated were having a discussion about Lori Markin and availability and trade potential and Kevin O’Connor was the one that brought up the Magic and that’s where he mentioned that the Magic have been trying to package Jonathan Isaac and Cole Anthony together perhaps uh to make a trade and Okconor just kind of did the thought experiment look I’m not against thought experiments right now this is thought experiment time this is time to think about okay let’s game this out what does this look like how do we do this um it’s fine to explore things right now we’re still in this this exploratory phase of of the off seasonason of like okay what’s possible what’s out there and he said you know Isaac and Cole gets it kind of close to where Lori Markin is salary-wise the Magic need shooting they need shot makers markin is a former all-star he’s got the name look there’s two sides to this coin there’s two sides to this segment first is just because you’re a star doesn’t mean you’re the right answer for the Magic i get a lot of Trey Youngs there’ll probably be some Trey Youngs in the comments i am not a believer that Trey Young is the answer for the Magic because a the salary you’re paying another player a near max salary that’s going to be really tough to stomach your second apron you better be winning the championship with that team on top of that Trey Young becomes your system trey Young is not a bit player on a team he is not playing off the ball very often he hasn’t done that in Atlanta maybe he can maybe he can’t he didn’t do it at Oklahoma he’s He is your system and his defensive shortcomings even on a good defensive team like Orlando are really hard to hide and so I don’t see the Magic wanting to do anything really to interfere with Paulo and Fron at the end of the day this project is Paulo and Fron leading the way so the Magic aren’t going to trade for a ball dominant guard so throw your Trey Young out throw your LaMelo ball out honestly throw out those players who are just they they need the ball to be successful trey Young as a spot-up shooter better last year than he was a year ago two years ago taking more of him obviously that’s not his game trey Young does not fit the magic to me the same is true for Lori Markin as much as this is a thought experiment and and and credit to Kevin Okconor and and Chris Manx they did the thought experiment they talked it out and they said like I don’t know if this is it because you know Lori Markin would then have to play alongside Paul and Fron he’s not really a center not a great rebounder you know Fron probably should be playing the two for very long it it doesn’t make positional sense and that’s even before getting into Lori Markin’s salary Lori Markin and Lori Markin had down year last year is playing with back injury shot 34.6% 6% from three only averaged 19 points per game had backto-back seasons averaging 20 points per game before that um better than 39% from three in the previous two seasons he had a down year last year because of a back injury played only 47 games but Markin is owed a lot of money i’m talking a lot of money $195.9 million over the next four seasons that’s $46.4 million in 2026 you are a second apron team if you require Lori Markin and if you’re a second apron team you better be winning and competing for championships the Magic aren’t ready to do that the Magic are not there yet lori Mark just again Lori Markin I think Bulvvada had the Magic third in the odds to acquire Lori Markin throw him out he is not an option for the Orlando Magic doesn’t make positional sense doesn’t make offensive sense doesn’t make financial sense bad idea the other bad idea I keep running across and this is the next phase dump the nostalgia guys like like nostalgia is great for jerseys not good for acquiring basketball players i see a lot of fans pitch the magic reacquiring Nicole Vuchovich and look if you’ve listened to this show for the length of time that I’ve been doing this show you know Vuch is my guy i will defend Nicoolah Vuchich to the end of the earth that dude put in in his time with this team gave everything he could for this city gave everything he could for this franchise put him in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame i I like I I think that is my one controversial take on the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame uh probably Evan Fornier because I think I I respect those guys i think Evan Forier Aaron Gordon and Nicole Vuvich should all be in the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame despite the lack of team success they had um but Nicole Vuvich absolutely should be two-time all-star um I don’t think the Magic should touch him like a expiring contract so it just stumping salary he’s coming off a pretty down year uh uh by his standards certainly average 18 and a half points per game 10.1 rebounds per game so solid there 40.2% three-point shooter on 4.4 attempts per game like he can still do all those things but like he was in Orlando his defense just isn’t there anymore if it was ever there you know Steve Clifford did a great job billy Diamond did a great job covering for Nicolola Vuchic’s defensive weaknesses but the fact of the matter is Orlando needs a strong defensive center orlando needs a center who is going to be able to defend the perimeter and defend the paint effectively because despite Paulo being a better defender and and he’s improved greatly as a defender Paulo is not a stopper they need someone in the paint they need that versatility they need they need strong defenders around Paulo and Nicole Vuchic would change the character of this team’s defense not to mention he is a rental they’re not resigning him they’re not keeping a 32 33 year old center and so again nostalgia is beautiful sometimes it’s also really dangerous sometimes and I think this is an instance where it would be dangerous for the Magic that’s been a name that I’ve seen you know bandied about among Magic fans i I I don’t like it so as we close out this episode as we close out the names that we want to avoid and not really think about but we kind of have to let’s part with this there are those obvious names there are these obvious names but honestly in all likelihood there’s something we’re not thinking of there’s a player out there that is available that we don’t know about maybe it is Drew Holiday that contract worries me with him maybe Derek White is available cj McCullum is another player that’s been pushed around and and New Orleans talked to me about him during the lockdown mock draft and I said “No I’m not really that interested in C.J mccullum anymore.” Um there are players out there that we’re not thinking about that we’re not approaching that we’re not discussing with the level of seriousness that perhaps the Magic Front Office is but here’s the thing Orlando is balancing a lot of needs and a lot of principles and ultimately the Magic are going to have to balance what they’re willing to give up to get what they need it does sound like the Magic are willing to sacrifice a bit of their defense to make their offense better but they’re not throwing the baby out with the bathwater they know their defense is their ticket and if they drop from second to fifth to make their offense 15th or higher that makes them a 50- win team that makes them a better team what they won’t do is willingly drop their defense to 10th while only seeing their offense jump up to 18 19 20 that’s the difficult balance they have to make that’s the difficult thing in front of them and unfortunately even among the guys that we’re talking about know about or think we know about that sacrifice that debate is present in all of them and so frankly while the names we talked about today are probably hard nos or very comfortably no the magic have to realize that even the guy they say yes to isn’t going to check all the boxes i want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Magic you can of course find me on Twitter philipr_omd and on blue sky phipr you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast hit your tune in Google Play Spotify Odyssey and all follow me on podcast to your podcast enabled listening device for the latest on the Orlando Magic be sure to check out Orlando Magic.com you can find us on Twitter OM Magic Daily don’t forget you can also check out Lockdown Magic on YouTube just search for Locked Onagic for even more Orlando Magic content be sure to check out my Patreon page i am doing my player evaluation series i’m going to try and wrap that up next week because we can get deep into draft stuff over the next few weeks but I am moving away from my player evaluations here um you can find that at patreon.com Orlando Magic Cub pinned to the top of that page are the 12 players I would target if I were the Orlando Magic i would limit myself to those 12 players there’s maybe one or two I would add to that list now that I thought about it a little bit more but I have 12 players that you need to know for the draft you can find that again at patreon.commagicub as always thank you for your Now that you’re done listening to me go make locked on NBA big board your second listen of the day the NBA draft expert Raphael Barlo reacts to every workout interview and rumor leading up to the NBA draft find Locked on NBA Big Board on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts that’s going to do it for me today though i want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Locked on Magic next week on Locked On Magic we’re going to talk about Fran Vagner he’s committed to play Euro Basket now I’ve seen people react to that you’re wrong you should do it we’ll talk about Fran Vagner what he has to do this off seasonason to get to the bottom of his shooting we’ll talk about that next week but until then have a great weekend for Orlando Magic Daily Locked on Magic this has been Philip Rosmanrike we’ll see you all again next time for another episode of Locked On Magic

The Orlando Magic have some obvious targets they could pursue this offseason to give them an offensive spark. But in the NBA, it is rarely the obvious target that teams end up chasing. Who else could they chase and what risks do they bring to the team?

I break down two names that have gotten whispered connections to the Magic this offseason. Both should give Magic fans some shudders — Jordan Poole and Lauri Markkanen.

0:00 Intro: Friday the 13th trade candidates
5:47 Flaws in popular Magic trade targets
11:55 Analyzing Jordan Poole as potential Magic target
19:35 Pros and cons of trading for Jordan Poole
26:13 Why Lauri Markkanen doesn’t fit the Magic
28:45 Avoiding nostalgia: The case against Nikola Vučević

Tune in for an in-depth analysis of the Magic’s trade

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29 comments
  1. Reaves has been horrendous playing with Doncic and LeBron, he is basically one of the best pick n' roll ball handlers, but playing off the ball is just average at most, and is a massive target on defense, please don't go after him. The absolute dream would be Derrick White.

  2. Do you see a framework for Walker Kessler to end up in Orlando? If we can pull off something like that and sign Alexander in FA, I’d be really confident saying Orlando would be a contender next season

  3. If ain’t Trae young Magic is dumb 😂😂. If they truly want to WIN NOW go get Trae no matter what it takes.

    He answer everything yes his defense is not the best but the he would improve us way more then any of these service men players we are rumored with. You see Miami heat they do what’s needed to get somebody they want they would trade herro if needed to be

  4. If ain’t Trae young Magic is dumb 😂😂. If they truly want to WIN NOW go get Trae no matter what it takes.

    He answer everything the magic needs a true flor general yes his defense is not the best but the he would improve us way more then any of these service men players we are rumored with. You see Miami heat they do what’s needed to get somebody they want they would trade herro if needed to be.

    Magic have a chance to control the east for at least the next five years if they get Trae young.

  5. The Magic will not bring in a disruptive player that messes with the team’s energy. On another note JI needs to go, for a guy that big and that strong to just stand on the corners and shoot 3’a all day long , it’s not going to work.

  6. So your saying Trae young needs the ball to be successful then means Poalo and Franz needs the ball also to be successful too. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a problem for a ball dominant guard. Poalo himself said he needs a table setter because maybe he feels he would be more dangerous off ball. That’s the problem with Magic they always forcing players be something else.

    If Magic not ready for second apron now. What will make them ready if not now because the way it’s looking by that time salaries will be so high we couldn’t add a viable players to the team that will put us in second apron

  7. Jordan Poole is not a polarizing player. He is a very hard working, very well liked guy. Somehow you're projecting what happened with an idiot like Draymond Green on to him like it was his fault. It was not. All the Magic need to do is ask Moe about him.

  8. Just so people know, Jordan Poole is good friends with a lot of the Magic team. Franz, Mo, Anthony Black, and Jett Howard. He's also worked out with Paolo. Despite what floats around about him is he is beloved by the young core at Golden State and by his teammates in Washington.

    His stats are the same as Coby Jones and better than Anfernee Simons. He would be a good fit.

  9. Trae Young, who cares if you’re paying luxury tax. Is the goal to win championships or not? Warriors paid more luxury tax over the last 12 years; but they’ve also won more championships than anybody in the last 12 years.

  10. Great show Philip. You seem to get a little uneasy about maybe moving Franz. Max player can’t shoot has value? Not sure he and Palo are a good pair. There both stat stuffers but would a star point guard be a better pairing for Palo, team?

  11. It's sad that there's this perception Poole is a devisive player. BY ALL ACCOUNTS he is a hard worker and a great teammate. It's funny that you don't know that he is good friends with half your team! Franz, Mo, Jett, Anthony, Jalen. The Magic even posted him swapping jerseys with Jett on their IG page this season.

    He would be a good fit for Orlando. Don't forget he was critical to the Warriors 2002 championship and the Warriors have now admittedly struggled without him.

  12. So what we're not going to do is allow you to spread misinformation. Jordan Poole was not punched because he was disruptive. He was punched by Draymond because the Warriors chose to pay him instead of Draymond. That is documented in a ESPN article by Kendra Andrews who covers the Warriors.

    Jordan Poole averaged 20ppg off the bench and 26ppg when he started in place of Steph the season AFTER the punch.
    He played all 82 games and helped the team make the playoffs again that year. Again this was AFTER the punch. Sounds like winning WAS important to him.

    Just so you know, the Warriors have struggled without Jordan Poole and in an article by Anthony Slater in the Athletic said the Warriors are now looking for a "Jordan Poole-type playmaker who can help Steph" By all insider accounts the Warriors kniw they made a mistake in trading him.

    I hate that people like you report incorrect information and don't take the time to learn the facts.

  13. Walter Clayton Jr, will be available at #16. Draft him. I think he'll grow into a legit starting PG on Paolo's timeline.

    Trade Goga for Buddy Hield.
    Try to trade for Collin Sexton for a 6th man role.

  14. Thank you for some level headed analysis. Lauri would be an absolute disaster because you would have to start him or Paolo at 5 and neither of them want to set screens and box out. I saw someone on Reddit say what does WCJ do better than Lauri and I'm like well everything on the defensive side he does better. Obviously Lauri is a great offensive player, but we need a guard, if you can get a guy like Myles turner as your center who blocks, rebounds AND can shoot 3s please do, but let's not nuke our defense just so we can plug in another star. Teams aren't being built around 3 huge names and no depth anymore. You can't win with 3 all stars and whatever league flotsam that washes up on the shore.

  15. If Aaron Gordon can learn to shoot 43% from 3 pointers as he did this year why can't we hire whoever taught him to improve the players we have .Paolo has improved but Franz needs serious help. Suggs, Carter, Isaac too. We do not need much but we do need Mosley to hire an offensive scheme assistant coach because Mosley's offensive knowledge is close to zero.

  16. If we not going after tre young or lamelo ball we just getting another guy, which doesnt do nothing for us…at that point you mind as well finish developing anthony black

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