Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic are heading into one of the most important offseasons in recent memory. After a successful 2022-23 season, in which the team saw a 12-game win improvement, Paolo Banchero won Rookie of the Year, and Franz Wagner took another major step in his development, the Magic are now in a perfect position to build their roster around these two young stars and look to establish themselves as a potential playoff team in the Eastern Conference next season.
To help facilitate that, the Magic have two lottery picks, 6th and 11th, and they have salary cap space to allow them to find some talent in free agency and help them address some of their weaknesses. The Magic could also look to explore the trade market to see if there is a potential trade scenario that could help them improve their roster. The Magic have a plethora of assets at their disposal, such as young talented players, current and future draft picks, salary cap space, and affordable contracts that could be enticing to a team looking to trade a disgruntled star or simply one that may be seeking a fresh start with a team on the rise.
The most important decision for the Magic front office to make over the next few weeks is going to be to decide whether they want to stay the course and continue to build through the draft or if they feel it is the right time to speed up the rebuild process and look to acquire a veteran player or two that can help solidify the Magic chances at making the playoffs next season. There’s no wrong answer here; the front office can stay the course and add two more young talented players in the NBA Draft with the 6th and 11th pick and give this team another year or two to continue to grow and continue to develop. The issue with this decision, however, is that there would be too many young players that would demand playing time.
The Magic already have Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr, Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs as part of their young core of players that need to get minutes. You can even add Caleb Houstan, Bol Bol and Chuma Okeke to that list. Then there’s Jonathan Isaac and Gary Harris as well. That’s 11 players not counting Mo Wagner, who is an unrestricted free agent, but has earned the right to return and continue his career in Orlando alongside his younger brother.
If the Magic front office decides to stay the course, where do the minutes come from? Adding two talented rookies is certainly a promising and exciting opportunity, but does it make sense? Is it the right decision to make when assembling a roster that is hoping to compete for a playoff spot next season and maximize the talent of Paolo and Franz?
The other option is to package the picks and either move up in the draft and get a player that the front office identifies as a true difference-maker for this team, or to to explore the trade market for a veteran that fits with this roster and can serve as a leader in the locker room. This would ensure young players can still get minutes while also providing the team a boost on and off the court.
Who could that player be? Is Jaylen Brown a realistic target? How about Bradley Beal and his pricey contract? Would Damian Lillard consider coming to Orlando to play with Paolo and Franz? Those are trade conversations that the front office would need to have with teams around the league to see if there is a veteran player available on the market that could be a realistic target and most importantly, that would want to come to Orlando.
That is what makes this offseason so interesting. The Magic front office has the assets and flexibility to choose which way they want to move forward. The time to start making some serious decisions is getting closer and closer. This roster showed great promise last season and should only get better with each player putting in work in the summer and another year of experience under their belt. How do the Magic “level up” from where they are currently at is what is going to be interesting to see as the offseason progresses.
No matter what the front office decides, this team will certainly be better next season, and making the playoffs should be a realistic expectation. Adding the right pieces to the roster will play a crucial role in that. It will be an interesting summer for Magic fans, but one that ultimately will bring even more excitement to City Beautiful as the Magic get ready to look past the days of counting down the days until the next NBA Draft lottery. Those days should be over now.
