Magic Reportedly Open to Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony Trades for 'Upgrade' amid Rumors
The Orlando Magic are "open to trading Cole Anthony and Jonathan Isaac with their [first-round pick]" for an "upgrade," per Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports on the latest edition of his podcast.
O'Connor mentioned that rumor amid a chat with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated regarding the likelihood of the Utah Jazz dealing forward Lauri Markkanen and whether Orlando could be involved and interested.
Isaac, who turns 28 on October 3, played in 71 games last season. He averaged 5.4 points on 41.4 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 15.4 minutes per game. He has four years and $59 million remaining on a contract that runs through the 2028-29 season.
The 25-year-old Anthony played in 67 games last year, starting 22. He averaged 9.4 points on 42.4 percent shooting, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists. The former UNC star has played five seasons, all with the Magic, who selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He has one year and $13.1 million left on a deal that includes a 2026-27 player option.
Orlando is coming off a 41-41 season that saw the Magic finish as the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed despite a host of injuries to key players, including leading scorers Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who missed a combined 58 games.
The Magic's defense is exceptional, ranking second in efficiency, per Basketball-Reference. But Orlando does need an offensive upgrade (27th in efficiency).
So perhaps the Magic could be in the trade market this offseason. They do have two first-rounders in the draft to package in a deal (No. 16, No. 25), so perhaps that helps en route to getting something done.
