According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Orlando Magic could trade Wendell Carter Jr.
Stein is hearing that Carter Jr. “is a player to monitor” as the NBA’s February 8 trade deadline approaches.
“Wendell Carter Jr., meanwhile, has appeared in only 13 of the Magic’s first 34 games, losing 20 games to a fractured left hand and moving into a bench role upon his Dec. 20 return,” Stein wrote in his latest NBA trade rumors column. “Orlando’s frontcourt depth (via Paolo Banchero, brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, frequent starter Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac) and the eventual need to sign Banchero and Franz Wagner to lucrative extensions has led to the belief in some rival front offices that Carter is available in this trade window. As the league’s Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches, I keep hearing that Carter is a player to monitor.”
The Magic are 20-15 on the season. They are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Orlando is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic Updates
Carter Jr. is averaging 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.5 blocks this season while shooting 42.5% from the field, 40.6% from beyond the arc and 69.2% from the free-throw line. The Duke product is making $13.1 million.
The Magic acquired Carter Jr. from the Chicago Bulls in the Nikola Vucevic trade in March 2021. Carter Jr. signed a four-year, $50 million extension with Orlando in October 2021. The big man is averaging 14.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Magic.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic Updates
An Atlanta native, Carter Jr. has career averages of 12.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Magic. It will be interesting to see if the center stays with the Magic past the trade deadline.
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