What if? (Wemby edition)

Skybox · Post #1 » by **Skybox** » Sat Apr 8, 2023 12:53 pm

How do the chips fall IF ORL is blessed by the lottery Gods for competing with honor until the last week of the season?

You MUST select Wemby at #1…then what? assume CHI pick sticks at 12

Does it trigger any trades? I’d love to have WCJ backing up 4/5 and still getting major minutes, but is that the best use of WCJ vs trading for backcourt help? Obviously, Victor is not riding the bench.

With the best young frontcourt in the league (imagine if Isaac is okay too

), a bucket of cap space, future picks to play with, who do you select at 12?

I’d draft Grady Dick, Hawkins, Sensibaugh, or Howard at 12

It’s tempting to say FVV in FA, but I might consider pushing my cap space to next summer’s deeper FA class, with the thought that ORL would be a dream destination for a young lead guard. Dangerous move, imo, would be throwing $20m re-up at Fultz and then getting into the no-way out jungle of extensions we see just down the road (unless Fultz miraculously starts hitting high-volume 3’s at a league average %. I’d really take a look at what WCJ and/or Fultz with future first(s) could bring back too ((Poole? Simons? Sharpe?)…quite a summer vision.

What would you do with #12 and what trades or FA moves could it trigger?

Skybox · Post #2 » by **Skybox** » Sat Apr 8, 2023 1:12 pm

Honestly, 2024 FA list isn’t that inspiring…

Hogified05 · Post #3 » by **Hogified05** » Mon Apr 10, 2023 5:29 am

If we win the lottery the first thing I would do is call Dallas for Luka. I'd rather have the known Mega star then the potential one. Vic's feet would scare me. Obviously take him if Dallas says nah, but Vic is no guarantee. Close but big dudes that move like him injuries would scare me.

JoshuaPotter · Post #4 » by **JoshuaPotter** » Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:11 pm

To be fair, you draft him, pick up a SG from the CHI pick assuming it conveys and probably run it back with the current roster because unless we get a FVV I do not see us getting better in that category. At least not without giving up pieces which we potentially have an abundance of.

We are in a precarious position. Healing from injuries made us a .500 team on paper but I think the position that GM's are going to take is that injuries are just part of a season and we are unmistakably the 6th worse in the league.

The pieces we would like move after acquiring Wemby is WCJ / Bol bol / G Harris at the very least. As long as we have Franz I do not see us parting with Mo which just is what it is in my brain so long as Mo comes off the bench as he should for the remainder of his career.

The irony is I do not see us doing this right away if at all.

drsd · Post #5 » by **drsd** » Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:02 pm

Skybox wrote:Honestly, 2024 FA list isn’t that inspiring…

And-1

Plus: the Magic is soon going to be in Cap-nightmare zone. This is the off-season for Orlando to push chips in the middle.

..

MasterGMer · Post #6 » by **MasterGMer** » Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:51 pm

drsd wrote:
Skybox wrote:Honestly, 2024 FA list isn’t that inspiring…

And-1

Plus: the Magic is soon going to be in Cap-nightmare zone. This is the off-season for Orlando to push chips in the middle.

..

I agree, if we have Wem, it is a totally different outlook. We could just sign Gary Trent and do not have to spend 30M+ on FVV

But Wem would change the entire franchise in a split second

Skybox · Post #7 » by **Skybox** » Tue Apr 11, 2023 1:44 am

MasterGMer wrote:
drsd wrote:
Skybox wrote:Honestly, 2024 FA list isn’t that inspiring…

And-1

Plus: the Magic is soon going to be in Cap-nightmare zone. This is the off-season for Orlando to push chips in the middle.

..

I agree, if we have Wem, it is a totally different outlook. We could just sign Gary Trent and do not have to spend 30M+ on FVV

But Wem would change the entire franchise in a split second

Not sure that Wemby is our next point guard…not a lot in common with FVV. In fact, the best young frontcourt in the league would skip some growing pains with a PG like FVV.

drsd · Post #8 » by **drsd** » Tue Apr 11, 2023 2:02 pm

Hogified05 wrote:If we win the lottery the first thing I would do is call Dallas for Luka. I'd rather have the known Mega star then the potential one. Vic's feet would scare me. Obviously take him if Dallas says nah, but Vic is no guarantee. Close but big dudes that move like him injuries would scare me.

And-1

If the Magic could trade the overall #1, the Bulls pick, and Mavs-choose any of three PGs for the rights to Dončić, that is the easiest - YES DO IT - trade a GM would ever need to think about.

Not only is Orlando an immediately better team, there is still cap space to hire a sharp-shooter to be one of the most balanced, talented starting five rosters in the league!

/.

Last Guardian · Post #9 » by **Last Guardian** » Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:01 pm

Wemby has a chance at being one of the most impactful defenders ever especially if he gets to play for Mose who gets the most energy out of everyone. I’m not trading him for anyone if we are lucky enough to get him.

I can’t believe people are suggesting trading this once in a lifetime prospect for someone who can barely make the playoffs.

jonbob17 · Post #10 » by **jonbob17** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:50 pm

I have a fair amount of concern about Wemby's health long term. That is just based off past results of tall athletic players...or really just super tall players in general.

I do think Wemby is the best, most unique prospect in a long time. If we were to luck ourselves into the top pick. I would be really interested in what team was at pick 2. I think that Wemby is such a good prospect the price to move up from 2 would be rather large, and i really like Scoot.

For Instance - Would Detroit do something like Cade + 2 for Wemby plus a future pick. Cade + Scoot + Suggs... I don't know, I could see Cade as playmaking 2 guard .

San Antonio - Vassell + future first(s) to move up to 1 from 2. Would need a third team to move those picks on to.

Houston - Could we pry away one of their "underperforming" recent picks. Jalen Green + Scoot for Wemby, sounds like a lot...but it could look incredibly silly one way or the other 5 years from now. Jabari?

I don't know. I guess it depends on how much the hype on Wemby builds into the draft. To be hones I am not sure what side i am on either...it's only the injury risk that makes me question Wemby. If he stays healthy, I do think he is probably going to be one of the best players in the league, and probably pretty quickly. A line up of Suggs, Franz, Paolo, Wemby, seems like it could be other worldly on both ends, all young on cheap deals for several years, add a top 15 PG to the mix, that would be an insane starting 5....maybe as soon as next season.

I think winning this lottery would put us on a trajectory of being an all-time-great young team. Not sure if any GM would have the stones to trade Wemby, but if they did i think they they could get a haul for moving one pick back. Is Scoot worth it?

jonbob17 · Post #11 » by **jonbob17** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:56 pm

drsd wrote:
Skybox wrote:Honestly, 2024 FA list isn’t that inspiring…

And-1

Plus: the Magic is soon going to be in Cap-nightmare zone. This is the off-season for Orlando to push chips in the middle.

..

Why are the Magic going to be in cap nightmare zone? We have one of the best cap sheets in the league. We will eventually have to pay our guys but we can go above the cap or tax line. I do agree we need to add some salary, but that is mostly to maximize our payroll in our prime seasons. It would be nice if the players we add match our timeline, but we will need some tradeable players with decent salary on this season before the end of next season.

Ralof · Post #12 » by **Ralof** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 4:58 pm

heard Wembanyama would get a billion dollars income for the team who draft him,just for selection and first year.
would be not even a basketball decision at that point.

you get Wembanyama,you simply keep him,keep the rising team we had this last season and watch what he is.

Creativetran · Post #13 » by **Creativetran** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 6:18 pm

Last Guardian wrote:Wemby has a chance at being one of the most impactful defenders ever especially if he gets to play for Mose who gets the most energy out of everyone. I’m not trading him for anyone if we are lucky enough to get him.

I can’t believe people are suggesting trading this once in a lifetime prospect for someone who can barely make the playoffs.

Have you seen team around Luka since he's been there? I would trade Wemby for him in a heart beat. We have no idea how good he's going to be, he isn't putting up the kind of numbers Luka did AND Luka did it against MUCH better competition.

Also I seriously worry about the long term health of a 7'5 guy.

Magic#1 · Post #14 » by **Magic#1** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:07 pm

Creativetran wrote:
Last Guardian wrote:Wemby has a chance at being one of the most impactful defenders ever especially if he gets to play for Mose who gets the most energy out of everyone. I’m not trading him for anyone if we are lucky enough to get him.

I can’t believe people are suggesting trading this once in a lifetime prospect for someone who can barely make the playoffs.

Have you seen team around Luka since he's been there? I would trade Wemby for him in a heart beat. We have no idea how good he's going to be, he isn't putting up the kind of numbers Luka did AND Luka did it against MUCH better competition.

Also I seriously worry about the long term health of a 7'5 guy.

Luka is probably the only current player I would consider trading Wemby for. It's crazy to think about trading the player they are calling the best prospect since 'Bron but you put Luka on our current roster and that's a championship contender in another year or two. Not to mention Mosley is the coach who developed him.

drsd · Post #15 » by **drsd** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:45 pm

jonbob17 wrote:Why are the Magic going to be in cap nightmare zone?

In 2024, there are major internal deals. Then moving forward, add maxing out F-Wagner and Banchero, the team better hope those two don't get super-maxed.

Said another way, the only players the Magic has under contract after the 2024/25 season is Carter, Houstan, and Banchero.

This team is going to be very expensive, very soon.

..

Last Guardian · Post #16 » by **Last Guardian** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:56 pm

Creativetran wrote:
Last Guardian wrote:Wemby has a chance at being one of the most impactful defenders ever especially if he gets to play for Mose who gets the most energy out of everyone. I’m not trading him for anyone if we are lucky enough to get him.

I can’t believe people are suggesting trading this once in a lifetime prospect for someone who can barely make the playoffs.

Have you seen team around Luka since he's been there? I would trade Wemby for him in a heart beat. We have no idea how good he's going to be, he isn't putting up the kind of numbers Luka did AND Luka did it against MUCH better competition.

Also I seriously worry about the long term health of a 7'5 guy.

Sure, nothing in life is guaranteed. He could bust. But any team would be absolutely nuts not to keep him and see what he becomes. There is potential and then there is godly potential.

Post #17 » by **UCFJayBird** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 8:10 pm

I'm glad I wouldn't have to make that choice, lol. Wemby is, by all accounts, the greatest draft talent since Lebron. The biggest difference of course being that his size and frame lend him to significantly greater injury risks than a player of Lebron's size.

So for me, I wouldn't be upset if the Magic rolled with him, but I also wouldn't be upset if, given the Magic's injury history, they traded him for Luka. It'd make a lot of sense given our current roster makeup, it would turn us into an immediate contender since I don't think we'd have to give up anything else besides the #1 pick and maybe some salary fodder.

I think if push came to shove, I think if I could get Luka for just the #1 I'd do it. If they wanted more I'd probably balk at it. At least with Luka you know what you're getting. Wemby could wind up being the best pick since Lebron, but Luka IS already an MVP caliber player putting up historical numbers, he'd fit better with the current construction of the team, etc.

But who cares anyway, we're going to win up with the 6th or 7th pick regardless.

jonbob17 · Post #18 » by **jonbob17** » Wed Apr 12, 2023 8:48 pm

drsd wrote:
jonbob17 wrote:Why are the Magic going to be in cap nightmare zone?

In 2024, there are major internal deals. Then moving forward, add maxing out F-Wagner and Banchero, the team better hope those two don't get super-maxed.

Said another way, the only players the Magic has under contract after the 2024/25 season is Carter, Houstan, and Banchero.

This team is going to be very expensive, very soon.

..

Every team is expensive, there were four teams under the salary cap this year, and most teams cozied up to the tax line in the 140-150 zone .

And maxing out Wagner and Banchero, it's not like they are max contracts, they are rookie extensions, they would be 25% of the salary cap. That should be a bargain if they continue to develop, and if they somehow were to hit supermax even better, they would huge production on the court. The thing about their contracts is they allow us to go well over the cap.

We need to be thinking how we spend money the next two years ahead of the rookie extesnions.

The Magic have the 2nd highest projected cap space this offseason...granted it would take waiving some guys that probably ain't happening especially given the awful FA class.

MasterGMer · Post #19 » by **MasterGMer** » Wed May 10, 2023 2:20 pm

What could be a realistic trade package if we land in NO.7 or 8 and in order to get to NO.1 for Wemby?

Franz + Both of our FRPs this year + Gary Harris?

VFX · Post #20 » by **VFX** » Wed May 10, 2023 2:36 pm

MasterGMer wrote:What could be a realistic trade package if we land in NO.7 or 8 and in order to get to NO.1 for Wemby?

Franz + Both of our FRPs this year + Gary Harris?

There is no chance the #1 pick this season is moved.

There isn’t a value equivalent.