After the Orlando Magic made the postseason in 2019 and 2020, they made a massive trade the following season, which is now one of the most lopsided deals in recent memory. At the 2021 deadline, the Magic sent Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, and Nikola Vucevic packing, which put Orlando into a complete rebuild. In the most lopsided deal, the Chicago Bulls received Nikola Vucevic and Al-Forouq Aminu from the Magic in exchange for Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., and first-round picks in 2021 and 2023.

Four years later, this is a trade that benefited the Magic significantly more and has now set this organization up for long-term success.

Why the Bulls made this trade

Having made the All-Star team in 2019 and 2021, Vucevic was a hot commodity for teams eyeing a center as the Magic were moving in a different direction. Chicago was a team that had promising young pieces like Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, and Zach LaVine, and wanted to continue to build around them.

The Bulls, after having won 31 games during the 2020-21 season, decided to make another big-time splash by acquiring DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs in a sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason.

Chicago now had a ‘big-three’ of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic as they tried to ascend into a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Since that trade, the Bulls have only made the playoffs one time, which came in the 2022 postseason, where they lost 4-1 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, top players like Lauri Markkanen, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan are no longer in Chicago. Simply put, the Bulls failed to build a contending roster after going ‘all-in’ with their roster.

Orlando’s return

After the Magic traded away their core players from the old regime, they decided to move in a different direction by hiring head coach Jamahl Mosley during the 2021 offseason. Mosley was tasked as a first-time head coach by establishing a culture and identity in Orlando, while also simultaneously developing a plethora of young players.

In the 2021 draft, the Magic selected Jalen Suggs with their lottery pick and Franz Wagner with the lottery selection they got from the Chicago Bulls.

When you look at Orlando’s 2023 first-round pick from the Bulls, it ended up being another lottery pick where they took Jett Howard with the 11th overall pick. Now you can make the case that the Magic whiffed on the Howard selection, who has not developed into the player and shooter that Orlando envisioned him to be, but the Magic still won this trade by a long shot.

Wendell Carter Jr. may not have been the multi-time All-Star that Nikola Vucevic was, but Carter’s been a very solid and productive player for the Magic throughout his time here. Carter Jr. has been a big part of the success of the Orlando Magic by being a defensive anchor down low, who can guard on the perimeter, stretch the floor, and be a solid screen and roller.

Franz Wagner’s development

The biggest reason the Magic won this trade was because they landed and developed a franchise cornerstone piece in Franz Wagner, who has overachieved and exceeded all expectations since coming into the league.

In his rookie campaign, Wagner wound up having a very successful season where he averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from 3-point range in 79 games.

From there, Wagner has continued to be one of the best young point forwards in the game, who can attack downhill, create for others, and be a very versatile defender. Wagner and Banchero have shown not only to be cornerstone pieces for Orlando, but they’ve also shown that they can lead this team to the playoffs and become playoff risers.

The Magic have done a tremendous job of building this thing from the ground up, organically developing and acquiring talent to make them a top team in the Eastern Conference. They have a roster that features top-end talent with a core of Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Desmond Bane, with a ton of depth surrounding those guys.

If it weren’t for an abdominal injury that sidelined Franz Wagner for 20 games last season, he was well on his way to making his first All-Star game, and the sky is the limit for Wagner and the entire Orlando organization moving forward.