NBA Trade Rumors: Orlando Magic Sending Shabazz Napier To Portland Trail Blazers

Frank Vogel is going to be coaching a much different roster than the one that was there when he signed on to become the new head coach. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Orlando Magic will trade Shabazz Napier to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for cash considerations this week.

With the signing of DJ Augustin in free agency, the Orlando Magic are pretty much set at their point guard position. The veteran Augustin will back up Elfrid Payton, which means that there won’t be many minutes left over for another point guard. That made Shabazz Napier an expendable piece.

It also did not help Shabazz Napier that he did not really impress anyone in the NBA with his play last season. Napier averaged 3.7 points, 1.8 assists, and one rebound per game. He was only able to earn 10.9 minutes a game from the Orlando Magic coaching staff. They didn’t really have enough faith in him to give him more playing time.

Add Shabazz Napier to the players that switched teams thus far (15): pic.twitter.com/I8HsWBlpNg

— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) July 6, 2016

According to CBS Sports, Shabazz Napier might become the primary backup to Damian Lillard at the point guard position. Since he would be playing behind the franchise player, there should be less pressure on Napier to earn more playing time.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach CJ McCollum also likes utilizing lineups where CJ McCollum plays the point guard position. McCollum normally starts at the shooting guard position, but he shifts over so that Damian Lillard can get a break. Shabazz Napier would have to play pretty well to take those particular minutes away from McCollum.

Having led the Connecticut Huskies to the NCAA Championship in 2014, it has to be quite disappointing for Shabazz Napier to be joining his third team in the NBA. When he was a highly touted first round pick, the belief was that Napier would quickly develop into a player that would be a major part of the rotation for the Miami Heat.

The Orlando Magic have been quite busy this off season. Earlier in the summer, the Magic traded for Serge Ibaka, as reported by ESPN. They had to give up a starting guard in Victor Oladipo, but the team really wanted more of a defensive presence.

Even with Serge Ibaka on board, the Orlando Magic wanted more defense. Orlando signed Bismack Biyombo in free agency after the big man showed a ton of promise as a replacement starting center for the Toronto Raptors.

Since the Orlando Magic did not receive a player in return from the Portland Trail Blazers, the belief is that the deal was done because management wanted to clear a roster spot. The Magic could be signing another player in free agency in the upcoming days.

The Portland Trail Blazers are considered a team on the rise in the NBA. Management wants to build a team that can contend for the title right now. The Blazers even tried to sign Pau Gasol, as reported by ESPN. Gasol ended up agreeing to a deal with the San Antonio Spurs.

By signing Kevin Durant, the Golden State Warriors have become the heavy favorites to get to the NBA Finals. However, Western Conference teams cannot simply turn over and let them walk over everyone. The Portland Trail Blazers are still going to try to field a team that can provide a bit of a challenge to the Warriors.

It’s very unlikely that Shabazz Napier is going to change the course of the Western Conference. However, if he can finally become a rotation player, the Portland Trail Blazers will be much better off.

[Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]