RealGM

Hawks get:
Alex Caruso
Wendell Carter Jr.
2025 Top 4 Protected Orlando Magic First Round Draft Pick (Unprotected in 2026)
2025 Top 5 Protected Denver Nuggets First Round Draft Pick

-Gives: AJ Griffin, Clint Capela and Dejounte Murray

Why: The Hawks take the downgrade at guard from Murray to Caruso, but still would have that role filled while upgrading the fit at center with more of a stretch big in WCJ and get two 2025 1sts while saving money.

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Bulls get:
23rd Overall Draft Pick (via Orlando)

-Gives: Alex Caruso

Why: The Bulls must look themselves in the mirror and start rebuilding. In this deal, they don't take back any salary and add a 2024 1st. That's about the ceiling of a Caruso return IMO.

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Magic get:
Dejounte Murray
Clint Capela
AJ Griffin

-Gives: Wendell Carter Jr., 23rd Overall Draft Pick, Top 4 Protected '25 1st and Top 5 Protected Nuggets '25 1st

Why: The Magic add some veterans to their locker room, a nice young wing prospect and get much better defensively while having a legit pro run the offense in Murray to make things easier for their young guys. Capela makes things easier on the defensive end.

Think it will be 20 but doesn’t really matter! Reckon if you put pick 50 onto it will frost the cake for Chicago. ( not that it matters the bulls will run it back and sign him again for 10years!) lol

Donkedave wrote:Think it will be 20 but doesn’t really matter! Reckon if you put pick 50 onto it will frost the cake for Chicago. ( not that it matters the bulls will run it back and sign him again for 10years!) lol

looking like lottery pick ..magic need 2 of 3 from bucks/sixers/bucks.franz hurt...not good if playin 2 magic killers heat then hawks..lol
will not be favored in any game

orlando_joe wrote:

Donkedave wrote:Think it will be 20 but doesn’t really matter! Reckon if you put pick 50 onto it will frost the cake for Chicago. ( not that it matters the bulls will run it back and sign him again for 10years!) lol

looking like lottery pick ..magic need 2 of 3 from bucks/sixers/bucks.franz hurt...not good if playin 2 magic killers heat then hawks..lol
will not be favored in any game

I’ve been out of this game for way too long! Totally forgot about the finals potentially being a factor on the position of a team that should go further but gets knocked out!

Caruso is great fit with Trae but he’s about to be 30 and meh offensively. I’d pass for hawks rather have one great asset than a collection of mediocre ones.

Ball4life32 wrote:Caruso is great fit with Trae but he’s about to be 30 and meh offensively. I’d pass for hawks rather have one great asset than a collection of mediocre ones.

What team would give one great asset for Trae and what would that asset be?

Skip Atlanta

Caruso for the 23rd pick is probably an overpay, but he is such a good fit that I think it would be worth it for the Magic.

AaronB wrote:Skip Atlanta

Caruso for the 23rd pick is probably an overpay, but he is such a good fit that I think it would be worth it for the Magic.

Last thing ORL needs is another defense-only guard for our collection. Spare me the shooting %, he's averaging a career-best 12ppg, so he's clearly not the kind of threat ORL needs.

I like the OP, but I think taking on Capela's $$ is a bit much or at least worth one less frp from ORL. I love Murray and Griffin for WCJ and picks...I'd rather take my chances on chasing a FA vet C or Claxton with the money than Capela.

I'd think take out Griffin and re-route Caruso to Orlando.

2 1sts + tons of cap savings for ATL
Chicago gets a 1st for Caruso

Orlando adds quality vets to the Suggs, Franz, Paolo, Black core

Murray - Suggs - Franz - Paolo - Capela
Black - Howard - Caruso - Mo

That would be a quality rotation

Some of you don't watch the NBA. Caruso, shooting 40% from 3, yeah not much but he plays a little defense.

The Bulls need to get more, like a 2nd round pick to help everybody get what they want. The $9M of cap space maybe helps but getting Moritz Wagner who doesn't look to play that much behind Capela should be considered.

ChettheJet wrote:Some of you don't watch the NBA. Caruso, shooting 40% from 3, yeah not much but he plays a little defense.

The Bulls need to get more, like a 2nd round pick to help everybody get what they want. The $9M of cap space maybe helps but getting Moritz Wagner who doesn't look to play that much behind Capela should be considered.

The Magic aren’t trading Mo and risking pissing off his brother.

tmorgan wrote:

ChettheJet wrote:Some of you don't watch the NBA. Caruso, shooting 40% from 3, yeah not much but he plays a little defense.

The Bulls need to get more, like a 2nd round pick to help everybody get what they want. The $9M of cap space maybe helps but getting Moritz Wagner who doesn't look to play that much behind Capela should be considered.

The Magic aren’t trading Mo and risking pissing off his brother.

so you think the Magic are tied to Mo for the rest of his NBA career?

tiderulz wrote:

tmorgan wrote:

ChettheJet wrote:Some of you don't watch the NBA. Caruso, shooting 40% from 3, yeah not much but he plays a little defense.

The Bulls need to get more, like a 2nd round pick to help everybody get what they want. The $9M of cap space maybe helps but getting Moritz Wagner who doesn't look to play that much behind Capela should be considered.

The Magic aren’t trading Mo and risking pissing off his brother.

so you think the Magic are tied to Mo for the rest of his NBA career?

I wouldn't do it without thought but also not accepting some BS idea of a hostage situation for a 12th man making $8m per...I like Mo, but ORL is not going to give him any more raises or have any more of an obligation...they rewarded him for his part on a tank team with that fat, short deal...but when money gets tight and the team is playoff-relevant, he's just another asset. If his defense improves to just ok...he can be impactful. For now, he's just another occasionally good player like much of ORL's roster after the first 4 (Paolo, Franz, Suggs, Isaac) - and I'd add that Suggs is new to that list and Isaac, while immensely impactful, is always a volatile bet to rely on. I hope Mo works out...his PnR offense, taking charges, and general offense, is occasionally really exciting and impactful...I hope he can become more than an occasional flash...kind of like when Houstan hits 5 3's and is the answer to all of our problems...and then vanishes again for a month.

Really good teams have short rotations and don't play their second unit like a hockey line change...ORL is heading there. Having the best 10-15th men in the league is not a thing anymore. For all the bargain hunting ORL fans who want to cheap out on acquiring really good starters...start your frugal moves at the other end of the bench.

tiderulz wrote:

tmorgan wrote:

ChettheJet wrote:Some of you don't watch the NBA. Caruso, shooting 40% from 3, yeah not much but he plays a little defense.

The Bulls need to get more, like a 2nd round pick to help everybody get what they want. The $9M of cap space maybe helps but getting Moritz Wagner who doesn't look to play that much behind Capela should be considered.

The Magic aren’t trading Mo and risking pissing off his brother.

so you think the Magic are tied to Mo for the rest of his NBA career?

Career? No. But until Franz signs a contract he doesn’t have to sign (his second non-rookie deal), yes, I bet Mo is retained. That’s likely another five years. They don’t have to overpay him or anything, just keep him around.

The Magic have bigger problems to solve than a relative making appropriate money on the bench. And I’m pretty confident they will, very soon.

tmorgan wrote:

tiderulz wrote:

tmorgan wrote:
The Magic aren’t trading Mo and risking pissing off his brother.

so you think the Magic are tied to Mo for the rest of his NBA career?

Career? No. But until Franz signs a contract he doesn’t have to sign (his second non-rookie deal), yes, I bet Mo is retained. That’s likely another five years. They don’t have to overpay him or anything, just keep him around.

The Magic have bigger problems to solve than a relative making appropriate money on the bench. And I’m pretty confident they will, very soon.

confident they will solve them? you are in the minority. every Magic fan has seen for 2 years we need an upgrade at either SG or PG (PG preferably as I dont view Suggs as a PG). but the front office sits on their hands. Even needing shooting and SG help, our lottery pick (Howard) has spent almost the entire year in the G-league.