Following the Orlando Magic’s five-game first-round playoff series loss to the Boston Celtics, their president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, pledged to make offensive upgrades. According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, a dynamic 25-year-old shooting guard is a potential trade candidate to bolster the defensive-minded squad’s backcourt.
Playing without starting point guard Jalen Suggs (knee), Orlando struggled to match up against Boston’s firepower. It got blown out 120-89 during Tuesday’s series-ending Game 5 road clash, garnering little scoring contributions outside of star forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The Magic’s offensive woes came after they opted to remain inactive at the 2025 trade deadline, instead banking on internal development from their young core. However, their Round 1 steamrolling appears to have served as a wake-up call for their front office.
Anfernee Simons Pegged As Possible Orlando Trade Target
In Stein and Fischer’s “Sunday Best” column, they named the Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons as a potential Magic offseason acquisition. The duo cited the seven-year pro’s connections to the city of Orlando and fit age-wise alongside the team’s cornerstone duo.
“As a new offseason beckons, another Trail Blazer has been increasingly projected as an Orlando target: [Damian] Lillard’s former Blazers backcourt mate Anfernee Simons,” Stein and Fischer reported. “The 25-year-old is an Orlando native who would certainly blend in nicely from a timeline perspective alongside Banchero (22) and Wagner (23).”
Simons is coming off another strong offensive campaign. Across 70 games, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.1 3-pointers per game, shooting 42.6% and 36.3% from deep. As such, he could provide a sizable boost to a Magic team that finished dead last in nightly triples (11.2) and 3-point percentage (31.8%).
Simons Matches Weltman’s Description of Magic’s Ideal Offseason Acquisition
During Thursday’s season-ending press conference, Weltman outlined the type of scoring-driven player the Magic covet.
“What we need is proven shot-making, proven offensive play, someone that’s going to come in and help augment our weakness,” Weltman said. “Clearly, we need to get better offensively. Clearly, we need to shoot the ball better. Those are the goals, and that’s the lens we need to look at as we enter the offseason.”
Weltman added that the franchise will look to make “roster upgrades” via “swapping” rather than in free agency, given its salary-cap restrictions.
READ: Dwight Howard Pushes Magic To Sign Respected Sharpshooter To Assist Paolo Banchero
Simons has one year remaining on the four-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2022. He is owed $27.68 million next season, more than all but two Orlando players (Wagner and Suggs). Nevertheless, given his age and skill set, Simons could be an ideal long-term fit for the up-and-coming squad.
