There are reports coming out of Memphis that Derrick Rose will declare for the NBA Draft. If this is indeed the case, the Magic need to do everything in their power to get him to Orlando. He would be the perfect fit for the team.

The Magic are a solid squad, but they are still missing a couple pieces that would be push them closer to the top in the NBA. What’s the most glaring hole? The lack of a top of the line point guard. I still can’t understand for the life of me why Otis Smith gave Jameer Nelson a 6 year, 36 million dollar deal before the season started. That deal doesn’t even kick in until next year.

Jameer Nelson is a solid NBA backup point guard, he is by no means a frontline starter. So here is what I am proposing: The Magic should put together a package for whichever team gets the pick that would land Rose, (probably #2 or #3)

That package would include Nelson, a couple first round picks, and….Hedo Turkoglu. In exchange the Magic would receive the draft rights to Rose, and probably one or two really crappy contracts, to make the numbers work.

A couple things to consider: First, I love Hedo. He should have been an all-star this year and he has had an outstanding season. He’s in the prime of his career, at age 29, and is a bargain at about six million dollars a season.

It would be tough to let him go, but it would be the best thing the Magic could do. Rose would give the Magic something they have been missing for a long time…a real-life point guard, who looks to pass first, and gets others involved. The last time the team had one of those players, the guy also came from Memphis….his name was Penny Hardaway…and he helped lead the Magic to the Finals….a place they won’t be going as long as Nelson is at the helm.

The addition of Rose would also get Rashard Lewis back to his preferred spot of small forward, giving the Magic this starting line-up next season: PG–Rose, SG–Maurice Evans. (assuming the team re-signs him), SF–Lewis, PF–Battie, C–Howard…

Assuming that Smith decides to re-sign either Dooling or Arroyo…the team becomes set a point guard….at shooting guard…Dooling, or Bognas would continue to spell Evans….Smith could use the mid-level exception to bring in a replacement for Evans, or a quality 2/3 to come in for Lewis….

Battie would hold down the four spot, and if Adonal Foyle re-signs, he would provide a solid 10-12 minutes a game. The five spot is reserved for Howard, who is only getting better.

This trade would give the Magic a young, and talented nucleus, of Howard, Lewis, and Rose, and would make them a powerful contender for years to come. Rose will be 20 years old when the season starts next season, and Howard will still be just 22….the possibilities with these two on the same team are endless.

So, can it work? I don’t know. The numbers would have to work, and there can’t be many teams that would be ecstatic about adding Nelson. The Magic have a great bargaining chip in Turkoglu, but that might not be enough. As a long-time NBA fan though, one of the many things I’ve learned is that there is always a GM who is stupid enough to make a bad trade.