Magic Must Resist Urge to Make Giannis Trade Amid NBA Rumors

The rumor mill surrounding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been red-hot throughout the NBA season, with different teams linked to the former league MVP and champion.

A new team has entered the conversation, with NBA insider Kirk Goldsbury reporting on the Bill Simmons Podcast that the Orlando Magic are interested in trading for the 31-year-old. While it may appear on paper that Antetokounmpo is the missing piece to put the Magic over the top and make them a legitimate contender for an NBA title, the team must resist the urge to make that trade happen.

Sure, Giannis is still averaging 27.6 points per game, with 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. He is still a game-changer at the forward position and one of the elite players in the NBA. Every player has a shelf life, though, and Antetokounmpo has been asked to carry his team for so long that one has to imagine the wear and tear of being the guy every season is bound to have an effect on him.

That the Magic would have to give up multiple future No. 1 picks to get him, and potentially a player such as Pablo Banchero, a 23-year-old forward with a bright future ahead of him, only makes the potential trade that much riskier. After all, Giannis would improve the Magic on paper, but would the team be significantly better than the Boston Celtics or New York Knicks in a loaded Eastern Conference?

If the answer is not an emphatic "yes," then the trade is not one the Magic can or should make.

The return on investment based on the potential haul it would take to acquire the former NBA MVP is not nearly enough to justify mortgaging the team's future. The Magic would essentially be jeopardizing the long-term future of the organization in hopes that Antetokounmpo could turn back the clock, dominate the league as he had five years earlier, and bring them their first NBA Championship.

Anything less would be a massive disappointment and a devastating reality.

The Magic must hold onto their draft picks and young players, resist that urge to make the trade, and continue to build the team the way it has over the last few years. It is a better model and one that could prove more fruitful than a short-term fix with no guarantee of success.