The Portland Trail Blazers need forward depth, length and shooting. We’ve bleated on ad nauseum about the front office’s overstocking of diminuitive guards, but how do you fix the problem?
Trading one or more of said guards to a team with a similar abundance in the frontcourt would theoretically make the most sense. Granted, the Blazers probably have to give up a little extra to secure the rarer talented two-way forward, but there are teams that fit the bill.
Enter the Orlando Magic.
The Magic are about
to embark on an interesting season. They sacked head coach Jamahl Mosley and replaced him with San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney in the hope he might be able to turn the franchise’s underperforming playing group around.
Their two highest paid players Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero man the two forward spots, but they’re still lacking a real facilitator that optimizes the long, athletic roster.
The young core has failed to go beyond the first round of the NBA Playoffs but with Wagner, Banchero, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs all earning more than $3o million until at least 2029, this appears to be their team. They own the highest payroll in the Eastern Conference, sitting above the first apron and not far from the second.
They also gave up most of their draft assets to pry Bane away from the Memphis Grizzlies 15 months ago and will have to contend with Anothony Black’s restricted free agency next summer.
But what happens if the Magic continues to fail in an Eastern Conference complete with 12 teams legitimately vying for postseason action? If by January, Orlando is flagging in or even below the Play-In picture, then it might be time for them to part with one of Wagner and Banchero and change direction at February’s trade deadline.
To snag either 6’10 forward, the Blazers would probably need to part with multiple first-round picks and a decent amount of salary. Notably, the Blazers also own the Magic’s unprotected 2028 first round pick, garnered in the 2025 draft night-deal with the Grizzlies that finished with them trading down to get Yang Hansen.
To even come close right now, the Blazers would need to offer two or three picks, Jrue Holiday and filler but I’m still not sure that gets it done. There might be another way. The Blazers took a gamble, buying low on Ja Morant in June. The former Grizzlies lynchpin could very possibly fail to return to form and remain an overpaid, underperforming ex-star.
But what happens if he does rehabilitate his worth, even if it’s at 80 percent of his All-NBA form? In that scenario, the Blazers could decide to keep him as Damian Lillard’s successor, they could also trade him to a team in need of real point guard help.
Asking Morant to revive his career in four months might be unrealistic. But if he does, he conveniently earns an almost identical annual rate to both Wagner and Banchero at $42 million, with only two years remaining on his deal. In any trade, the Blazers probably still send the Magic’s pick back and maybe another, but a transaction begins to make a lot more sense.
Let’s take a deeper look at Wagner and Banchero.
Franz Wagner
Age: 25
Measurements: 6’10, 7’0 wingspan
Contract: Four years, $185.6 million
2025-26 stats: 34 games, 20.6 points, 34.5% 3pt, 48.1% FG, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals
Wagner has one less year on his deal and is probably more in the realm of what the Blazers need, given his versatility and slight superiority from beyond the arc. While he can operate with the ball in his hands, he can also move without it, allowing Lillard and Avdija to do their thing. He’s not an awful defender and boasts a competitiveness this Blazers team could use.
Wagner is yet to make an All-Star appearance but the former No. 8 pick is probably one healthy season from being in serious discussions. He’s someone who can do everything at an above-average level and is still young enough to boost his shooting splits.
But it’s his body that we need to be wary of with the young forward suiting up in only 94 games over the past two regular seasons. Personally, it’d be a gamble worth taking given his age and potential.
In Portland, Wagner pushes Toumani Camara to shooting guard and takes one of the two forward spots alongside Avdija. A starting unit of Lillard, Camara, Avdija, Wagner and Donovan Clingan is balanced, talented and competitive in the Western Conference.
Paolo Banchero
Age: 23 (24 in November)
Measurements: 6’10, 7’0 wingspan
Contract: Five years, $239.2 million
2025-26 stats: 72 games, 22.2 points, 30.5% 3pt, 45.9% FG, 8.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks
Though the former No. 1 pick and Seattle native might have been previously billed as the face of the Orlando franchise, he may be more poachable now, given his inconsistent output and contract. On the court, he puts the word power in his position, deploying a huge frame to bully opponents while boasting point guard skills.
He can operate in both sides of the pick-and-roll, in the post and on the perimeter where he can competently facilitate or charge at the rim. Unlike his German teammate, Banchero is an All-Star but he’s yet to take the next step. Last season, among forwards, he ranked eighth in assist rate and fourth in defensive rebounding. While his three-point shot isn’t terribly reliable, he managed to rank 18th from the corner.
Banchero would form one of the more formidable frontcourt combos alongside Donovan Clingan. But I’m not sure how well he works with Deni Avdija. Both need the ball, as do Lillard and Scoot Henderson.
While talented, Banchero complicates this team, which needs forwards who can shoot and operate both on and off the ball. He’s also almost exclusively a four, unable to toggle up to small forward like the more agile Wagner.
Conclusion
The Blazers should be keeping an eye on the Magic through the first three months of the season. If Orlando fails to improve on their current situation by the deadline, the Blazers may be in a position to capitalize and capture one of Wagner or Banchero.
If Ja Morant were to miraculously rehabilitate his value, it makes a lot of sense for both parties to hit go on a deal involving one of the Magic’s talented two-way forwards. Wagner would be my preference but if it was Banchero returning to the Pacific Northwest, the Blazers might be able to work it out. It’d just be trickier playing that many guys who are optimized with the ball in their hands.
