2017 NBA trade deadline: Reggie Jackson an option for Magic, according to report

The Orlando Magic have already made one major move ahead of the 2017 NBA trade deadline, and they may not be finished dealing: as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes, Reggie Jackson is “in play” for the Magic and a handful of other teams in need of help at point guard.

Jackson, now with the Detroit Pistons, made a name for himself in the 2013 NBA playoffs when he started at point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder after Russell Westbrook sustained a season-ending knee injury. In nine starts, the sophomore averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor. He put together another solid season-plus for OKC before it dealt him to Detroit, where he’s starred ever since.

But as Lowe writes, Jackson is struggling to return to form as he recovers from a lingering knee injury which caused him to miss the first 21 games of this season. Indeed, the Pistons have played “better, and with peppier spirit,” according to Lowe, with the career backup Ish Smith running their offense.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to understand why the Magic might have interest in Jackson. He’s a proven NBA starter at age 26 and is under team control through the 2019 season. Further, as we have discussed ad nauseum here on OPP, point guard is a serious position of need for Orlando. Elfrid Payton has yet to fulfill his potential, and coach Frank Vogel’s other options are D.J. Augustin and C.J. Watson, neither of whom is particularly dynamic or creative as a playmaker.

It’s important to note, as Lowe does, that Detroit may wait until the offseason to make a decision on Jackson’s future. But if it concludes the time has come to move on from the Boston College product, it’s fair to expect the Magic to have some interest.