The Orlando Magic are headed in the right direction, but adding more scoring to the mix is always a good idea.
The franchise could take a massive offensive leap by cutting ties with an underachieving guard and acquiring a New Orleans Pelicans bucket-getter later this season.
“It's probably not time to hit the panic button yet on the (Kentavious) Caldwell-Pope signing, although the veteran shooting guard has been awful to start the season for an Orlando team still in need of offensive help,” Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz wrote Monday.
"Caldwell-Pope averaged just 7.1 points and shot 22.4% from three in his first 13 games. Playing him alongside Jalen Suggs has been good defensively, but this roster still lacks three-point shooting (30.6%, dead last overall) and offensive creation.”
“A veteran combo guard like (CJ) McCollum would solve a lot of these issues. The 33-year-old should be returning shortly from a right adductor strain and was averaging 18.8 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 3.3 made threes in his four games to begin the year.”
“A near 40.0% shooter from three for his career, McCollum would thrive as both an on- or off-ball threat for a young Magic team in the backcourt next to Suggs.”
Swartz’s blockbuster trade idea would send Caldwell-Pope, Goga Bitadze, a 2025 second-round pick to the Pelicans for McCollum.
Regarding consistency, McCollum is one of the best in the business in Year 12.
The Lehigh product has notched at least 18 points and shot above 36% from three-point land since the 2015-16 season.
McCollum is a reactionary ball handler, meaning he’ll rarely execute dribble moves just for the fun of it.
If he drives to his left and immediately gets cut off, he’ll employ a forceful pound dribble and either pull up for a mid-range jumper or cross over to his right while forcing his defender to open up.
Unfortunately, McCollum is dealing with a frustrating thigh injury that’s sidelined him for 10 games, but he’s averaging 18.8 points per contest on 38.2% shooting from downtown.
While the Magic have yet to reach the halfway point of the 2024-25 season, Caldwell-Pope’s struggles in the early going could spell doom for the organization.
Pairing Suggs, a guard enjoying the best season of his career from a scoring standpoint, with a prolific scorer in McCollum would provide Orlando with a more stable backcourt moving forward.
While a potential trade for the 6-foot-3 guard probably isn’t in the works, it’s certainly a concept worth exploring this year.
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