YosemiteSam wrote:Trade idea from The AthleticRockets receive: Jonathan Isaac
Magic receive: Jock Landale, Reggie Bullock, two future second-round picks
Who says no? Magic
I’m aware of the adage that the best coaches can mold players to fit their style or adapt to their available tools. But it’s hard not to look at someone like Isaac and not think he was crafted in a lab for Udoka.
Isaac, with a defensive impact in the 100th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass, remains in a class of his own. Orlando is a whopping 13.5 points per 100 possessions better on defense with him on the floor. He takes all the right angles, has strength and, at 26, is one of the league’s most versatile and impactful defenders across multiple positions. It’s not that Isaac is a wing who can also protect the paint. He’s a big who shuts down anything in the paint and can also switch out on the perimeter and wreak havoc.
Detractors will point to his outside shooting, which has regressed this season, but Isaac is only shooting slightly below league average on open 3s. That’s not great, but you can work with it. Elsewhere, the potential fit alongside starting center Alperen Şengün, with Isaac’s elite cutting ability, makes the move all the more intriguing. Isaac is also an average roller, but that quality is still something different from what Houston currently has offensively. I would still start Jabari Smith Jr. at the four, but Udoka could get creative with his in-game lineups with Isaac. Good luck trying to score on Isaac, flanked by Smith, Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. It’s not happening.
I just don’t see why Orlando would let him go, especially with the kind of season they’re having. The Magic are the team I could envision grabbing a first-round upset from a contender. Bullock and Landale simply wouldn’t get minutes for them. I can see a specific subsection of Rockets Twitter cringing at the prospect of relinquishing more second-round picks, but Isaac could be worth it.
NBA writer Josh Robbins: I would think the Magic would say no to this offer. Certainly, it’s better to receive two second-round picks than not to have them. Perhaps they could provide the grist to make future trades. But I don’t think they would bring sufficient utility to Orlando unless they would fall early in those years’ respective second rounds.
Yes, the Magic would benefit from having more shooting. But I don’t think Reggie Bullock would provide enough of an upgrade there to merit such a trade from Orlando’s perspective. If Magic officials want to bring in a long-range shooter of Bullock’s ilk next summer, they can do that in free agency, potentially at a low price point.
When Isaac is healthy enough to play, he provides a massive defensive jolt. He’s a game-changer on that end, especially down the stretches of close games. The Magic have invested so much time, effort, emotion and, yes, salary in Isaac over the years that team officials would like to see him turn the corner (from an injury perspective) in their uniform. Given his 2024-25 salary is non-guaranteed, his salary is not onerous long term. That contract could have value this summer in potential trades that, ideally, could command a better return than that from Houston in this hypothetical offer.
best part about this is he says
Who Says No: Magic... so everything after that is a waste of time reading
