Are the Orlando Magic still interested in T.J. Warren?

On April 3rd the Orlando Magic accidentally had a list leaked of players on a white board that they are interesting in trading for or signing in free agency.

The scandal deemed “Whiteboard-Gate”  by mockers on twitter, was not all that damaging to the Magic, but it did give some insight into the thought process and direction the Magic are leaning this offseason. The lists on the board were labeled Hybrid Trade, Hybrid Free Agency, and Spread Bigs. The term “Hybrid” refers to  players that can play multiple positions, which at a close glance at the hybrid trade list you see a very particular name that should make all Suns fans eyes pop: T.J. Warren.

Warren absolutely falls under the category of hybrid. He played a majority of his minutes at small forward butlast season 30% of the time he played at power forward and even played a few brief stints at shooting guard. For this flexibility Warren is most likely the NBA’s best kept secret.

Following the All-Star break Warren posted 18 points and 8 rebounds per game while shooting a staggering 56% from the field. He also logged 35 minutes per game. However, even with the extended playing time and his great stats, his production was hidden from most behind phenom Devin Booker and borderline All-Star Eric Bledsoe. He’s a weapon any team would love to have.

The big question is, what do the Magic have to offer to Phoenix if they really want to make a push to trade for him? Warren is a great young player but how far is Orlando willing to go?

The only player of interest might be Nikola Vucevic. An offensive center that doesn’t get into foul trouble and can, to a minor degree, contribute in the defensive end, may be attractive. Although personally I would rather gamble with Len for the same money. Other assets such as Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, and Terrence Ross may have some value but none really fit our team. The Suns do not need 17 million dollar Fournier because they have Booker; they do not need Gordon because they have Chriss and Bender; they do not need Payton because they have Bledsoe, Ulis, and possibly Fultz/Ball;  and they do not need Ross because they already have a better player in Warren himself. The only real asset the Magic has is the 5th pick in the draft, although I do not see the Magic offering up the 5th pick for Warren.

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Trading the 5th pick would not make much sense on their part. But what do I know. They are the franchise that signed Bismack Biyombo to a 4-year $17M deal to be a back up. The franchise that drafted Mario Henzoja 5th overall in 2015 when they could have had almost 15 significantly better players including our rising superstar, Devin Booker. This is also the franchise that traded Victor Olidipo, Ersan Ilyasova, Domantas Sabonis, and Serge Ibaka for Terrence Ross and the 25th pick in the upcoming draft.

All-in-all, at least recently, the Magic do not have the best track record of making good decisions.

It is important to note that the Magic did fire their GM Rob Hennigan after the season ended.

The Magic’s official response to “Whiteboard Gate” was that the list was no more than brain storming and that those lists have been there for months. This could be true but it is also the exact response you would expect.

Next: To Keep or Not to Keep T.J. Warren

The Suns really value T.J. greatly and with his extension on the horizon I do not expect the Magic to pry him away unless it is for a huge haul.