Mo Bamba
Now this one is a little bit different from the rest. Bamba isn’t a player who’s been playing a few years on a bad team; instead, he’s only in his second year (after an injured first year) on a middling to decent team.
That said, the Magic just gave Vucevic a 4 year deal, and they have a crowded frontcourt. Vuc, Aaron Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Jonathan Isaac and Mo Bamba will all be competing for minutes there.
Bamba played only 47 games last year before falling victim to a fracture tibia, but he showed some flashes of why he was drafted so high. At 7’1″ with an absurd 7’10” wingspan, he racked up 1.4 blocks and 5 rebounds in only 16 minutes a game.
Also tantalizing is him shooting 30% from 3 on 1.5 attempts per game. That doesn’t exactly make him a sniper, but he can’t be left all alone outside the arc.
The Clippers have a definite need at the center position, with Zubac the only true big man with NBA experience on the roster. Mo Bamba could step in and have a ton of opportunities for minutes, while also working with the coach who turned DeAndre Jordan into a defensive and rebounding force.
Of course, Bamba wouldn’t come as cheap as I think the others in this list would. The Clips would probably have to give up a player or two in a deal, but I think that Bamba could be a great addition to the squad, and such a deal might be worth it.
From the Magic’s perspective, taking Bamba seemed to many like a sign that Vucevic was out the door, so now the pick makes a little less sense with Vuc sticking around. If they could recoup some draft capital or assets in return for Bamba, they may be willing to move on and make their frontcourt a bit less crowded.
This one is definitely the least likely. It could very well be that the Magic are happy with Bamba as just the backup center for the foreseeable future. Nothing is making them move Bamba with Vuc locked in, and they may keep him. Mostly here, I’m saying let’s kick the tires on Mo.