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Orlando Magic Daily Podcast Episode 53: The offseason mega preview

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 26, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (left) drives past Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (middle) as center Dewayne Dedmon (3) looks on during the second half of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (left) drives past Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (middle) as center Dewayne Dedmon (3) looks on during the second half of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Orlando Magic have some big decisions to make this offseason. It is undoubtedly a huge one. As June begins, we break it all down on the podcast.

The calendar has flipped to June. The offseason has become a very real thing for the Orlando Magic — and for most of the teams in the league. Yes, the NBA Finals are still going on but June is officially draft month and the the teams will begin reshaping themselves.

The Magic have really been preparing for this offseason since February. When they traded Tobias Harris to the Detroit Pistons, they cleared a significant amount of cap space and signaled a desire to push forward and make a big splash this summer.

Related Story: Frank Vogel: Orlando Magic need some tough guys

Even with a 10-win improvement, the magic have a ton of questions and a ton of issues to resolve ahead of the 2017 season. There are some definite roster improvements to make and a number of directions the team can go.

Rest assured though, it is still an important one. This could be a franchise-defining summer setting up where the team might head in its rebuild and determining whether it takes that big step into the Playoffs or gets cast aside somewhere else.

The summer has a lot to prepare for. We have been diving into it in earnest throughout the early part of the offseason as the Playoffs went on. With the Draft kicking into high gear, it is time for us to kick into high gear.

After publishing his offseason manifesto last week, we sat down and chatted with our Zach Palmer to cover everything about the Orlando Magic’s upcoming offseason, including his plans and thoughts about what is going to come:

On this Episode:

  • Recapping what went wrong in the 2016 season and how the Orlando Magic get from 35 wins to 45 wins in 2017
  • How much of a boost does Frank Vogel bring?
  • How rebuilding could have been different with Scott Skiles over another year of patient rebuilding
  • Where a potential draft pick fits in with the current Orlando Magic
  • A review of the draft prospects
  • How do we assess project players like Skal Labissiere and Deyonta Davis?
  • What are the Orlando Magic’s most immediate needs?
  • What options are available to trade the pick?
  • Is it time to take risks to take a step forward? Can they keep biding their time?
  • How important is it to bring in a big player at the draft to go after the big names?
  • Development this summer and what the Magic’s core has to do to get better
  • Is it time to solve the Nikola Vucevic question?
  • Finding role players and players who can succeed without the ball and bringing roster balance
  • What to expect from Summer League, sans Mario Hezonja

There is obviously a lot to get to when it comes to the summer. So feel free to digest this in your own time — it is a mega-preview, after all.

The next big date on the Magic’s offseason calendar is June 23 for the NBA Draft. Orlando will undoubtedly have many draft prospects in before then and hire a new coaching staff for Frank Vogel before then too.

Free agency opens July 1 with the moratorium ending July 6.

Next: Mock Draft Roundup: Three weeks to go

As we say in the podcast, by the end of July — less than two months from now! — we will likely know everything about who the 2017 Magic will be. At least roster-wise.