OKLAHOMA CITY — Tuesday’s game between the Magic and Thunder marked the last for Orlando before Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline.
With rumors swirling around the league, Jamahl Mosley‘s squad is aware of what could happen before the team steps on the Kia Center court to take on the Nets hours after the deadline.
Wendell Carter Jr., who the Magic acquired from Chicago in a March 2021 blockbuster deal, understands what this time of the season feels like for players.
“Since I’ve been through it before, you try not to think about it as much,” Carter said after shootaround at the former Thunder practice facility in Edmond, Okla., about 20 minutes north of downtown Oklahoma City. “It’s hard to not. We’re humans. We see the things online and things like that.
“But at the end of the day, it’s a business,” he added. “You’ve got to go out there and produce whether you’re going to be here or you get traded.”
Another member of the Magic who’s been traded in the past is veteran guard Tyus Jones, who was sent from Memphis to Washington in 2023 as part of a three-team trade centered around Kristaps Porzingis.
Jones could be on the trade block again given his experience in the league and expiring contract. He’s set to become a free agent this summer after he signed a one-year, $7 million deal with Orlando last offseason.
Moving Jones would also allow the Magic to get below the NBA’s luxury tax line, something the Magic sit roughly $5.6 million above entering the deadline.
NBA national reporter Marc Stein of the Stein Line recently reported Orlando has called several teams to explore the prospect of swapping Jones for some second-round draft capital.
“I mean, you’re aware of it,” Jones told the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday. “You know something can happen. Anything can happen. But at the same time, stressing or worrying about it too much doesn’t really do you any good.
“I just try to continue to stick to my routine, focus and get ready to … go out there out and play, try to help in any way that I can,” he added.
No Magic All-Star
When the league announced the seven East reserves for the upcoming NBA All-Star Game earlier this week, Orlando had no names on the list.
NBA head coaches selected the reserves for the exhibition that’ll take place Feb. 15 in Los Angeles. Each head coach voted for seven players from his conference without regard to position and they were not permitted to vote for players from their own team.
The East reserves included Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Miami’s Norman Powell, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam and New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s last All-Star selection in 2023-24, reacted to the Magic getting left out of the All-Star Game for the second straight season.
“Being there once already, I definitely want to get back, but I wasn’t selected, nobody was selected,” Banchero told the Sentinel. “So, I think it just speaks to kind of how we’ve played this year. I don’t know if anybody had a legit case, which isn’t a great thing. We have a lot of talented players on this team, a lot of guys that are capable.
“I know me, myself, I expect to be there every year, so I’ll be there next year.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Nets
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida