Orlando Magic Trade Deadline Breakdown: What’s Actually Possible | Cap Reality vs Trade Targets
With three weeks until the NBA trade deadline, the Orlando Magic face major constraints due to the luxury tax, salary matching rules, and future apron restrictions.
The Magic are currently ~$5.6M over the luxury tax, making salary dumping a near certainty to avoid repeater tax penalties long-term.
Orlando’s core four (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs) are effectively untouchable due to salary size, poison pill rules, and roster stability.
Most realistic trade flexibility comes from the Magic’s “middle class” contracts: Jonathan Isaac, Goga Bitadze, Tyus Jones, and Jett Howard.
Tyus Jones ($7M expiring) is the most likely trade candidate, with Jett Howard ($5.5M expiring) as a potential sweetener in tax-relief deals.
The video explains why popular fan targets (Anthony Simons, Naz Reid, Walker Kessler, Malik Monk) are financially unrealistic under current CBA rules.
Detailed breakdown of first apron vs second apron restrictions, including why aggregation rules will severely limit Orlando’s flexibility starting next season.
Explores realistic bench upgrades like Ayo Dosunmu, Moses Moody, Naji Marshall, and Jusuf Nurkić—showing exactly what contracts must go out for each deal to work.
Highlights how the Desmond Bane trade and second-round pick usage have quietly limited Orlando’s remaining trade capital.
Concludes that Orlando is more likely to dump salary, hit the buyout market, and preserve long-term flexibility than make a blockbuster move.
00:00 Intro
1:15 Trade Economics
5:07 Magic Salaries
16:08 Salary Cap Breakdown
17:32 Apron Trade Limitations
22:55 Ayo
26:57 Anfernee
30:30 Moses
33:18 Naji
36:48 Kel’el
39:19 Naz
42:02 Jusuf
45:28 Outro
#orlandomagic #orlandomagicpodcast #NBATradeDeadline #MagicRumors #NBASalaryCap #LuxuryTax #NBAAprons #MagicNation #PaoloBanchero #FranzWagner #NBATrades #MagicFans
8 Comments
great video
After three – 4 years, if we haven't won a championship, we probably should break up the team before the repeater tax hits … lets stop being scared and go for it.
Commit
If a billionaire can’t afford (or won’t stomach) repeater tax during a legitimate title window, that’s an ownership failure …. not something fans should internalize
The repeater isn’t a prison sentence.
Repeater tax does not trap you the way people pretend it does
….. The dirty secret
– Teams escape repeater tax all the time
– You can dump salary in one summer
– You can trade stars
– You can reset the clock intentionally
The Tyus Jones move already proves Orlando chose its path.
– Orlando didn’t have to spend $7M on a backup PG
– didn’t have to hard-cap themselves
– didn’t have to limit trade flexibility
They did it anyway.
Go Magic !
Weltman, all trust goes to you
Don't mess up lol
Have a productive weekend, Edwin.
Surprised Gafford wasn't included here as an option.
Ayo is my favorite of the players you mentioned. Desmond will be sad to see Tyus go, so I'm not sure that's a given. I think Jett & JI are more likely, but I guess we'll see
Sure we will give ya'll Ware for Paulo or Franz😂😂😂😂 good video bro alot of fans don't understand how crazy this CBA is and can get