With the unfortunate circumstances of last night's game between the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks taking place, in which All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson tore his right labrum, it appears general manager Otis Smith has been placed in a bit of a dilemma.
For the majority of the season, the Magic have been able to get away with fielding two point-guards on the team (based purely on position). This is mainly due to the fact that Nelson and his back-up, Anthony Johnson, have both been durable so far this year (for the most part). However, given the severity of Nelson's injury and the fact that he may be out for the rest of the season, let's just say Orlando fans are bracing for the worst right now in regards to what Johnson is currently able (or unable) to bring to the table as the starting point guard for the foreseeable future.
With the trade deadline looming ever closer, it would seem that Smith may be forced to make a move to acquire another point guard. It's an acquisition many within this community (including myself) have been pleading for Smith to execute for a while now, but he's been reluctant to make it given his satisfaction with the current roster setup (can't blame him). But it would seem Smith has no choice but to add insurance on a roster depleted at the point-guard spot at the moment.
So with all that said, imagine you're Orlando's general manager. What trade would you make to solve the Magic's depth problem at point guard?
Need some help deciphering which players are available?
You can refer to Chad Ford's recent article on ESPN.com highlighting possible point-guards that could be moved at the trade deadline.
Also, you can note some suggestions Kevin Pelton from Basketball Prospectus made in 3QC's exclusive interview with him a few weeks back. Here's some names Mr. Pelton threw out there:
It's a tough fit, because you've only got about 15 minutes a night available behind Nelson and the depth at shooting guard makes it unlikely you'll see a lot of two-point lineups. Earl Watson would be a guy who would be an upgrade, but he would be unhappy with that role and makes too much money to put in such a limited role. Kyle Lowry would make more sense if he could somehow be pried away from the Grizzlies (maybe they'd have better luck luring Fran Vazquez to the U.S. with Marc Gasol on the roster and would be interested in his rights? No? OK). C.J. Watson, as discussed lately, makes sense. One wild-card option would be Ronnie Price of Utah, who has put up solid numbers in limited minutes over the course of his career and is out of the rotation when the Jazz is healthy (which is never, this season).
To help formulate your trade ideas, I suggest using ESPN's Trade Machine. Once you have a trade proposal in mind, go ahead and post your offer in the comments section so that it can be examined & discussed.
Fire away with those trades!