Is Bamba the odd man out?

[PrimeThyme]

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I still firmly believe Bamba is going to become a very good player in this league one day. Maybe not in the next couple of years, but I think eventually, as he puts on size and continues to develop his game offensively, he will be.

I'm just not sure it's going to be with us. It's easy to forget but Vuc is still only 28 and clearly has his best years ahead of him. I really see a Marc Gasol type trajectory for Vuc as Gasol had his all-star seasons and best years after he turned 27. The coaching staff and FO also loves him. Its hard for me to see a world where resigning Vuc isnt their top priority this offseason.

If thats the case, do they look hard at moving Bamba within the next year? Even though developing the youth is at the core of what we are doing, all of our youth is not created the same. Even though Isaac is raw and arguably still a project, he can already really contribute to a winning team with how much he affects the game defensively. Same with AG.

Bamba however, is a long way away from playing any real significant minutes on this team imo. He is just too raw. Not to mention the fact that we have Birch who is another young player we absolutely need to keep around long term which is just another reason why I think Bamba is more expendable.

I just think management could view the longterm core of this team 3-6 months from now (especially if they resign Vuc) as Isaac/Fultz/AG/Vuc/2019 draft pick and Bamba could be the odd man out. If there is a deal out there that could net us an upgrade at SG I could see them moving Bamba.

[Nemesis21]

No. Get rid of Vuc. Explore Gordon trades.

[SOUL]

I don't think so. I personally wouldn't commit to Vuc more than 2 more years, but there's no rush in Bamba playing 30 minutes until he can handle it. As long as he is INVOLVED in the offense in the minutes he does play, I don't see a rush to move him unless it's a deal we can't turn down.

Birch is as solid of a backup as they come, but we can't become enamored with guys like Briscoe, Birch, etc, and pretend like they would be better options than legitimate lottery picks that are still coming into their own. Bamba has shown some really impressive stuff in glimpses, but obviously his body needs to get stronger and he will need to hone in on a lot of his skills. We're not moving away from that because Birch needs minutes. I argue he can even find minutes with both Vuc and Bamba. Maybe not many, but certainly not DNPCD type stuff.

[j_n]

I would re sign vuc for a 4-5 year contract and decide who to trade when/if Bamba is ready to start.

Vuc is going to age well given his size and skill set, if we can get him on a fair deal he will be an asset for many years, if we're still up and coming in 2 years we can trade vuc for someone that fits our time line, or we could trade Bamba for a team looking to unload a star player and rebuild with youth.

[MoMM]

I would re sign vuc for a 4-5 year contract and decide who to trade when/if Bamba is ready to start.

Vuc is going to age well given his size and skill set, if we can get him on a fair deal he will be an asset for many years, if we're still up and coming in 2 years we can trade vuc for someone that fits our time line, or we could trade Bamba for a team looking to unload a star player and rebuild with youth.

Agreed.

As for Birch, he is not that young, he is already 26, I see that we will trade him soon in case we re-sign Vuc (I hope so), because Bamba will need PT next season and we don't have PT for all these 3 centers. Birch/Bamba can become something like we had in the past with D12 and Gortat as his backup, but at least they will get more PT than Gortat, because Vuc can't play 40mpg like D12 used to play for us.

[Skin]

We have to stop thinking we are a legitimate win now team. Chasing the playoffs is nice but this team is severely limited compared to the legitimate contenders. Vuc is not leading us to a championship.

Our real future is tied to the ultimate development and success of Fultz, Isaac, Bamba and our 2019 1st round pick. For now we could also include Gordon, but he's another guy who may or may not be a part of our team if or when our rebuilding core reaches their climax.

[basketballRob]

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I still firmly believe Bamba is going to become a very good player in this league one day. Maybe not in the next couple of years, but I think eventually, as he puts on size and continues to develop his game offensively, he will be.

I'm just not sure it's going to be with us. It's easy to forget but Vuc is still only 28 and clearly has his best years ahead of him. I really see a Marc Gasol type trajectory for Vuc as Gasol had his all-star seasons and best years after he turned 27. The coaching staff and FO also loves him. Its hard for me to see a world where resigning Vuc isnt their top priority this offseason.

If thats the case, do they look hard at moving Bamba within the next year? Even though developing the youth is at the core of what we are doing, all of our youth is not created the same. Even though Isaac is raw and arguably still a project, he can already really contribute to a winning team with how much he affects the game defensively. Same with AG.

Bamba however, is a long way away from playing any real significant minutes on this team imo. He is just too raw. Not to mention the fact that we have Birch who is another young player we absolutely need to keep around long term which is just another reason why I think Bamba is more expendable.

I just think management could view the longterm core of this team 3-6 months from now (especially if they resign Vuc) as Isaac/Fultz/AG/Vuc/2019 draft pick and Bamba could be the odd man out. If there is a deal out there that could net us an upgrade at SG I could see them moving Bamba.

You should've had an option on whether the Magic will resign Vuc considering we have 4 other centers. Birch and Jefferson may not be under contract but I think they're restricted.

I think a likely scenario is they let Vuc and Ross go and sign 3 or 4 players to more team friendly deals.


We could sign Reddick, Darren Collison, KCP, and Len all for less than what Vuc and Ross might get.

[NavalAviator94]

No. Get rid of Vuc. Explore Gordon trades.

Troll!

[swarlesbarkley]

If Fultz does become the player he was projected to be coming out of college AND Isaac develops into a 20/10 guy, we can compete with a core of Fultz, Isaac, Gordon, and Vuc. Bamba could be worth more in a trade for us to acquire some more bench depth or a SG (if our draft pick this year doesn't pan out).

The silver lining in this whole thing is right now is the best time to be building. The warriors are so good. Unless something drastic happens, they are winning this year and next year. That gives us a good 3 seasons to keep building and letting our guys develop before having a realistic chance at a championship.

Funny, though, before the deadline I was wanting a Vuc trade (still think it's a risky move to let him walk for nothing), but Fultz could change the whole trajectory of our team.

The flip side of this is if Fultz has no NBA future. If that's the case, then we are a lot further away and we should keep Bamba and try to get something for Vuc after re-signing him this summer.

[VFX]

Birch is the odd man out regardless. He’s a more than serviceable backup.

Bamba should straight up be traded if management doesn’t plan on him starting in two years. Either that, or they drafted a career backup and didn’t scout him properly as the 6th pick.

I believe in Bamba and think he suits the game. I would hate to see him traded because Orlando feels making playoff appearances is more important than the long term.

[MagicFan101]

Absolutely not. Not yet at least. Have we learned nothing from the disappointing rookie year of Isaac compared to the player we have seen recently?

[Knightro]

What's the rush?

Even if (when?) Vucevic resigns, I don't see him getting more than a 2+1 or a straight 3 year contract. Assuming he makes it all the way to the end of that contract without being dealt, Bamba will be all of... 23 years old.

I overwhelmingly say keep Mo for now. There was nothing wrong with the way the Magic were using him this season before he got injured.

Let Bamba play 18-20 MPG a game next season behind Vuc. Mo gets to continue to improve his body and expand his skill set without the pressure of being forced to play bigger minutes than he's physical or mentally capable of handling.

It's too early to say if he's 100% part of the long-term core, but there's no reason to deal him now. Being an 18-20 MPG backup for the next couple of years isn't the worst thing in the world for a player as physically raw as he is.

[Raider_MXD]

We could sign Reddick, Darren Collison, KCP, and Len all for less than what Vuc and Ross might get.

The difference is that we have Bird rights for Vuc and Ross whereas we need cap space to sign other free agents. The Magic will have $87 Million commited to salaries next year plus a couple of million for draft picks and the cap sits at $109 million, so going for free agents of other teams instead of re-signing our own will result in a downgrade. Unfortunately we do not have Bird rights for Birch because he only was on a two year contract, so he could be the odd man out.

[basketballRob]

We could sign Reddick, Darren Collison, KCP, and Len all for less than what Vuc and Ross might get.

The difference is that we have Bird rights for Vuc and Ross whereas we need cap space to sign other free agents. The Magic will have $87 Million commited to salaries next year plus a couple of million for draft picks and the cap sits at $109 million, so going for free agents of other teams instead of re-signing our own will result in a downgrade.

Just because you're spending less doesn't mean you're downgrading. Ross and Vuc stock will be high and we may not want to commit long term high salaries to them.

[PrimeThyme]

Absolutely not. Not yet at least. Have we learned nothing from the disappointing rookie year of Isaac compared to the player we have seen recently?

I think some people have. FWIW, I'm not advocating for Bamba to be traded. I would take the longer approach as well and continue to develop him. I just think its a real possibility that he could be moved in the next 1-2 years if Vuc is indeed resigned.

[MagicFan101]

Absolutely not. Not yet at least. Have we learned nothing from the disappointing rookie year of Isaac compared to the player we have seen recently?

I think some people have. FWIW, I'm not advocating that Bamba should be traded. I would take the longer approach as well and continue to develop him. I just think its a real possibility that he could be moved in the next 1-2 years if Vuc is indeed resigned.

For me, being traded and being “the odd man out” don’t have to mean the same thing.

For example:

If Bamba is critical to a trade package which nets us an all-star SG to pair with Fultz in the backcourt then that is a strong move to make for the team which says nothing negative about Bamba ... in fact it speaks to his value around the league.


On the other hand:

If we show him the Elf treatment and kick him out the door for a bag of stale peanuts then yes, these labels can co-exist.


But no player is untouchable on this roster ... for the right price.

[NavalAviator94]

We could sign Reddick, Darren Collison, KCP, and Len all for less than what Vuc and Ross might get.

The difference is that we have Bird rights for Vuc and Ross whereas we need cap space to sign other free agents. The Magic will have $87 Million commited to salaries next year plus a couple of million for draft picks and the cap sits at $109 million, so going for free agents of other teams instead of re-signing our own will result in a downgrade. Unfortunately we do not have Bird rights for Birch because he only was on a two year contract, so he could be the odd man out.

Just for clarity, we have "early bird" rights on Birch as he's been with the team 2 years; Early Bird allows for up to 175% of previous salary or 104.5% of league average salary, whichever is higher. Still, it's likely he's gone with as well as he's playing and he deserves it somewhere.

[Catledge]

I don't understand why people are so hung up on signing Vooch to a short deal that would end while he is still good. Even if Bamba matches Vooch's level, we would still want to be able to trade Vooch for talent at a different position.

In any event, if we have an opportunity to trade Bamba and/or our FRP (assuming we don't get lucky in the lottery) for an allstar-level guard, I think we should do that. If, for instance, Bradley Beal or Jrue Holiday became available, I would look to add one to the core of JI, AG, and Vooch.

If that kind of deal doesn't present itself, then I'd just hang on to both Bamba and Vooch for a while longer. One thing that I absolutely would not do is lose Vooch for nothing.

[OrlandO]

I don't think a decision has to be made between the two just because Bamba was recently drafted and Vuc is up for a new contract. Vuc is an all-star, his teammates rely on his skills and consistency, and he's the backbone of an inside-out system that Clifford loves. Bamba is a project who's so frail his leg cracked after playing limited minutes for half a season. For a front office that's invested in both the present and future, what's the rush for them to run either out of town? Re-sign Vuc to a decent deal if he's willing and continue developing Bamba behind him... work it out later if/when there's an actual decision to make between the two.

I'm more interested in moving picks and a player like Fournier for a guard.

[tiderulz]

a great center is not needed in todays games. you need great wings. Shoot, many teams go small ball in the playoffs anyways. Not sure why Orlando drafted Bamba to begin with. look at the top teams in each conference. Philly has what is assumed the best big man in the game, and they are 5th in the EC. GS was winning before Cousins got there, OKC uses Adams as an after thought, Houston was winning a defensive only center in Capela. It just isnt a needed position anymore.

add to that taking a center prospect who isnt great defensively, needs stamina and body work and has a questionable motor. I do think the front office didnt think Clifford would make Vuc better and thought he would stumble and they would let him go this summer. Now i think they are afraid to let that happen and it could stunt the development of Bamba.