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Orlando is in dire need of David Copperfield, David Blaine, or even Chris Angel.
There is no Magic in Orlando.
A Vanishing Act
The Magic opened the season strong, winning 6 of its first 8 games. They then proceeded to drop 16 of the next 20 games played. Presto!
‘Rebuilding’ For the Future
When a star player exits a team, it is common for the organization to enter a ‘rebuild’ phase, where the team is expected to drop games. When Dwight Howard left the team in 2012, the Magic expected to lose a few games.
A few games turned into loss streaks. Loss streaks turned into seasons.
Final. pic.twitter.com/U8C4SdIxn4
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) April 13, 2021
At what point does rebuilding turn into plain losing? After 2 seasons? 3?
Poof! The Foundation is Gone
To add insult to injury, the Magic went ahead with a trade that gave away team leaders Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon.
The asking price? Draft picks and younger talent.
Time to Rebuild? Again?
Center Vucevic lead the team in average points with 24.5. Fournier and Gordon were close behind, averaging 19.7 and 14.6 points per game respectively.
It seems a bit counter-intuitive to let three of the top five goal scorers on the team go.
Aaron Gordon did request a trade, but can you blame him?
Thank you for all the memories, @Double0AG. pic.twitter.com/DpPSjimjUr
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) March 26, 2021
Possibilities Moving Forward
With the loss of Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier, the Magic immediately acquired Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., R.J. Hampton and Gary Harris.
The pressure on these four is mounting as the Magic slide deeper and deeper into darkness.
