With the underwhelming 2014-2015 Orlando Magic season mercifully completed the off-season has now officially started in The Magic Kingdom.
25-57.
This disappointing mark summarizes everything that went wrong for the Magic this year. Going into the year the Magic were perceived to be an up-and-coming team. While many thought they were not ready to make the Playoffs, a significant jump in wins was expected. Sadly, what the organization, and what the fans wanted to see, did not pan out the way it was expected to.
This upcoming offseason is a crucial juncture for this rebuilding Magic squad.
Do they believe in Tobias Harris as an essential part of this team’s future? Do they trust Nikola Vucevic with being the franchise center for the future? While Vucevic may have signed an extension just this past August, this particular draft and free agency class is rich with centers who fit a different mold than Vucevic. Who will the Magic hire as their head coach to mold and shape the team’s style of play moving forward?
This particular exercise involves picking three players whether it be through the draft or via free agency that will help the Orlando Magic reach their goal to make the 2016 NBA playoffs. With this in mind, I would like to set a few personal parameters for this exercise.
1. Restricted free agents were not included in my plans. The reason for this is simply because I do not believe teams will let notable restricted free agents such as Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, or Khris Middleton walk no matter the dollar figure offered, the salary cap is going to raise a lot in the near future so these contracts will not be nearly as crippling as others believe they would be.
2. As far as the Draft is concerned, I am not hanging onto any hope the Magic hop into the top three, nor will I cling to hope that somehow someway Karl-Anthony Towns would drop to the fifth pick.
With those parameters set, let’s get started.
Next: With The 5th Overall Pick In The NBA Draft The Orlando Magic Select...
With The 5th Pick in the 2015 NBA Draft the Orlando Magic Select Kristaps Porzingis
There are probably quite a few of you out there that just audibly said to yourselves, “Who in the heck is Kristaps Porzingis???”
Kristaps Porzingis is a 19-year-old, 7-foot-1 power forward out of Latvia. Porzingis has drawn hyperbolic comparisons to future Hall of Famer and current Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki. Where these comparisons stem from is what makes Porzingis such a great fit for the Magic.
Porzingis is an excellent shooter who measures 7-foot-1 and can seemingly get his shot off over just about anybody. While the Magic signed Channing Frye this past offseason, that move blew up in Orlando’s face thanks to Frye’s lack of lateral quickness and rebounding.
Porzingis definitely shares some of the same concerns as Frye as far as rebounds are concerned. However Porzingis can improve a lot with added strength.
A lot of Porzingis’ troubles on the glass are directly related to him being boxed right out of the play by stronger guys that have a lower center of gravity. Porzingis differentiates himself from Frye on the glass from a desire standpoint. Porzingis averaged three offensive rebounds per game in Europe per 40 minutes. If Porzingis is able to add some strength it should help him improve his overall rebounding.
On the defensive side of the ball where Channing Frye failed Porzingis also appears to be an improvement. Porzingis is not an elite rim protector but his lateral quickness allows him to help on defense a lot more than Channing Frye can. Porzingis oozes potential and would be a great fit next to ……
(Dream Scenario: Orlando Wins the Lottery and Drafts Karl Anthony-Towns)
Next: The Orlando Magic sign center....
The Magic Sign Center DeAndre Jordan
So now you are probably under the impression that I have completely lost my mind.
Listen, I have made it no secret that I do not believe Nikola Vucevic is the kind of center this team can win championships with. The era of the finesse scoring center that cannot play defense is over. Of the 16 teams in the playoffs, only the Brooklyn Nets start a center that is renowned as a defensive liability.
From a contractual standpoint, the Magic would likely have to offer DeAndre Jordan a max contract, but I believe that he would be worth the cost.
Jordan is the perfect fit for this team. He rebounds (NBA rebounding champion this season at about 15 per game), blocks shots (fourth in blocks per game at 2.2), and he does not need the ball in his hands on offense (usage rate of 13.3 percent).
While Jordan’s moniker as a defensive anchor is somewhat overstated, he is a massive improvement to Nikola Vucevic. Jordan allowed opponents to shoot 48.5 percent at the rim compared to Vucevic’s 53.7 percent.
The Smoking Cuban
One of the most impactful things the signing Jordan would do is free Orlando’s offense. With Nikola Vucevic being the focus of Orlando’s offense at times, it takes the ball out of the hands of Orlando’s most talented players, Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton. With Jordan inserted into the lineup instead of Vucevic you allow Orlando’s youthful backcourt to do what they do best, make plays with the ball in their hands.
Sure, there will be questions of what Orlando should do with Vucevic but I do not see why Orlando cannot trade him to a team like the Thunder who could use him as a cheaper alternative to Enes Kanter.
(Dream Scenario: Orlando offers Kawhi Leonard a max contract and San Antonio does not match)
Next: The Orlando Magic Sign Reserve Guard....
The Magic Sign Reserve Guard C.J. Watson.
ZZZZZZZZZZZ.
I may have put you to sleep with this one but just hear me out.
What has Orlando lacked under Rob Hennigan thus far that has absolutely killed them?
A competent backup point guard.
No offense to Luke Ridnour, Ronnie Price, Willie Green or even Victor Oladipo, but those guys were either playing out of position or were way past the point of being replacement-level NBA players. These guys would come in and the majority of the time Orlando’s offense completely stalled out and other teams went on back-breaking runs.
C.J. Watson is coming off of a career year in Indiana where he averaged 10 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game in 25 minutes.
Watson also fills Orlando’s need for shooting, Watson shot 40 percent from three last year with Indiana.
Another aspect that Watson brings to this Orlando team is playoff experience. Watson has played in 48 playoff games (16.7 mpg) including five starts, this experience would be invaluable for a Magic team attempting to make the playoffs.
At 30 years old and coming off of a career year, Watson is probably looking for one last decent contract but Orlando can probably nab him if they add some cash to the deal or add an extra year.
(Dream Scenario: Jameer Nelson opts out of his deal with Denver and returns to Orlando)
Next: Aftermath
With These Additions There Are Still Questions That Need To Be Answered About Orlando’s Roster.
Now with these additions there are bound to be a plethora of questions in regards to Orlando’s roster.
Q: What happens to Tobias Harris?
A: In this case signing DeAndre Jordan eliminates Orlando’s ability to re-sign Harris unless they want to go deeper into their potential future cap space or….
Q: What happens to Nikola Vucevic?
A: If the Magic were able to trade Vucevic in a deal with lopsided salary, the Magic would be able to re-sign Harris. In this scenario the drafting of Porzingis likely relegates Harris to a 6th man role in the future. .
Sir Charles In Charge
Q: What happens to Channing Frye?
A: IF Orlando can find a buyer for Frye then they will absolutely deal him. While Frye’s play seemingly diminished any value he has, that may not be the case. Remember that Frye’s contract is de-escalating in value, meaning that his contract will only continue to decrease.
At the same time as Frye’s contract decreases, the NBA salary cap is expected to jump up, which makes Frye’s contract seem more of a bargain. For as poorly as Frye played defensively he was still a legitimate stretch-four option for many teams.
In the end, these moves help shore up some of Orlando’s most glaring deficiencies.
Jordan and Porzingis address Orlando’s weak interior defense and lack of athleticism inside. Watson and Porzingis help the Magic from a shooting perspective. Watson helps the Magic bench immensely by providing it with a player that can run the offense and also score off the bench with some level of consistency.
With these glaring weaknesses addressed, the Orlando Magic would be in great position to make the 2016 NBA playoffs.