With the flurry of moves the Orlando Magic made this offseason the future of the team seems far less muddled as an identity seems to have taken shape.
When the offseason began, the Orlando Magic had many questions that needed to be answered. The possibilities of what this team could become in the stretch of a couple months seemed endless.
A little more than two months ago, the Magic seemed to be in disarray. Scott Skiles had unexpectedly resigned, Magic fans were still reeling from the Tobias Harris trade, and the Magic were directionless.
Nobody knew where they were headed.
Could they be the Eastern Conference iteration of the Sacramento Kings who have been rebuilding for a decade with little to show for it? Could they magically overhaul their team overnight and morph into a contender like the Heat did in the summer of 2011?
Possibilities bountiful and terrifying loomed over the fan base, and one would imagine the front office to a lesser degree.
Now a couple of weeks into free agency, the Magic seem to have found an identity through overhauling their team, ticking off each box with each new acquisition as they reformed their team.
Next: Frank Vogel
Defense And Tempo
A little more than a week after Scott Skiles’ sudden resignation, the Magic hired former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel. Vogel’s hiring signaled the beginning of Orlando’s identity building this summer.
But questions still remained around which Frank Vogel the Magic were going to get: Were they getting the two-big-man, slow-it-down-and-play-defense Frank Vogel, or the play-up-tempo, more-versatile Frank Vogel?
During Vogel’s introductory press conference that answer seemed to be somewhat answered.
Vogel noted his desire to play fast with the current group the Magic had. Vogel professed he believed Aaron Gordon was an ideal fit as a current NBA power forward. But Vogel did hedge his words saying that in Indiana he changed his style of play based on what the roster construction dictated.
In any case one thing was clear, Frank Vogel’s main focus was on the defensive side of the ball. With the roster Vogel inherited, it was clear there were going to be some changes to the roster to help Vogel build his team in his vision and to his liking.
Next: Serge Ibaka
Defensive Versatility, Shooting and Tempo
The first roster domino fell on draft night as the Magic began their roster transformation by trading Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and Domantas Sabonis for Serge Ibaka.
Many Magic fans met this trade with frustration. Why trade the closest thing to a golden ticket from this painful rebuild for a guy who was the third, possibly fourth best player on his team last year?
Identity.
The moment the Magic committed to trading Victor Oladipo away for Serge Ibaka, the Magic decided what type of team they wanted to be. The Magic want to be an elite defensive team.
Of course, it is a fair argument the Magic overpaid for Ibaka, considering he is on an expiring and could potentially leave the Magic after one season. That said, the price of acquiring one of the league’s top defensive players will normally leave a bad taste, especially if a team is forced to part with a player that gave everything he had to the team during the worst stretch in franchise history.
Ibaka not only is an elite rim protector, but he has the ability to play two different positions, power forward and center. Ibaka also has the ability to switch on pick and rolls and has the foot speed and awareness to handle the task of defending very good players on the perimeter.
This flexibility is what makes Ibaka so valuable and probably boosted his value in the minds of Orlando’s front office.
Another use of Ibaka’s athleticism is his ability to run the floor and finish in transition. This is something Frank Vogel mentioned in his press conference a couple different times.
Another area where Ibaka is dangerous is as a shooter. While Ibaka had a down season shooting wise last year he seemed to find his stroke in the playoffs, as he shot 44.9 percent from deep on 69 attempts.
Ibaka was the perfect player to form the basis of this new identity.
Next: Bismack Biyombo
Doubled down on defensive versatility, tempo
The Magic made arguably their biggest acquisition this offseason with the signing of Bismack Biyomboat four years, $70 million.
Biyombo may have noted the most significant move of the offseason in terms of identity as he in theory replaces — or at least adds competition to — the antithesis of his play style at the center position. Biyombo runs the floor well, he rebounds, he is tough, he is one of the best rim protectors and one of the NBA’s elite defensive pick-and-roll defenders.
A couple things about the Biyombo signing are significant in terms of identity. Between Ibaka and Biyombo, the Magic clearly value rim protection out of their big men. Additionally, Biyombo was said to be Orlando’s number one priority, having met with him just after midnight.
The Magic want their big men to be able to switch in the pick and roll. They want their roster to have defensive versatility.
Common sense would lead to believe Biyombo came to Orlando to start as the team’s current highest paid player. Biyombo likely had similar offers from other teams, teams that could have offered him a starting role. Another thing to note is Biyombo is only 23, which means he can continue to grow with the rest of Orlando’s nucleus.
Next: D.J. Augustin
Tempo and Shooting
On July 1, free agency got underway and the Magic wasted no time, agreeing quickly to a deal with D.J. Augustin.
The first thing to take from the emphasis put on meeting with Augustin is the Magic believed C.J. Watson just was not going to cut it as the backup point guard or that the team needed to add depth to this position. This is strange considering Watson played under Vogel for a few years in Indiana and played rather well, so what could have spurred Orlando’s interest?
Tempo.
Augustin offers an entirely different style of play than Watson. Augustin is regarded as one of the faster players in the NBA and a very good shooter from deep.
The Magic repeatedly stressed their desire to run after they get stops and last season none of Orlando’s reserve point guards were able to keep the pace up. Augustin should not have that problem as he prefers to play up tempo.
One thing to keep in mind about Augustin is he is not only here to play backup point guard. If Elfrid Payton cannot make his mark defensively or show significant improvement offensively, Augustin could easily take over the starting role.
Next: Jeff Green
Defensive Versatility, Tempo and Shooting?
Later on July 1, the Magic agreed to a one-year, $15-million dollar deal with combo forward Jeff Green. This move, while panned by many basketball fans, was just another step in forming an identity for the Magic.
Green, while not great at anything, is an athletic and versatile player who has had good years shooting the ball in his past. Green should be able to defend three positions and run with the rest of the team.
Green also happens to be the only current true small forward on Orlando’s roster.
So why was this moved panned?
Well, for one, a $15-million deal for Jeff Green is kind of terrifying. Green has always been one of those guys that people are hoping will just “get it”. Green has a lot of latent talent but he has never really come all that close to putting it together.
The second issue with the Green deal is he could potentially cost Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon minutes. This is a valid argument, there is definitely a log jam for the Magic at the 2-4 spots on the team. The Magic may need to jettison some players to free up playing time.
The big thing people need to look at here is Green was only a one-year deal. It seems unlikely the Magic plan on making him part of the future unless Orlando’s young players do not show any development this season.
Note Green is also an expiring contract which has the Magic at around $33 million in expiring contracts acquired this offseason.
Next: Fournier, Meeks, and Wilcox
Shooting and Pace
Rounding out the offseason, the Magic added a lot of shooting and guys who want to run the floor on the wing.
The biggest move the Magic made from that standpoint was agreeing to a new contract with Evan Fournier. The new deal ended up being for five years and $85 million. This move became pretty obvious after the Magic dealt away Oladipo
Evan Fournier started to prove himself as a leader for the Magic last season, particularly after Tobias Harris was traded. Frank Vogel suggested Evan Fournier will have a larger role on offense next season, meaning Fournier will likely be the team’s number one option next season, offensively.
The Magic also acquired sharpshooter Jodie Meeks from the Detroit Pistons. Meeks only has one year left on his deal at $6.5 million, meaning that along with Serge Ibaka, the Magic had acquired nearly $19 million in expiring contracts before free agency even began. Salary that could be cleared before next free agency or moved around at the deadline easily.
Meeks is a career 37-percent shooter from deep and has averaged double figure scoring three different times in his career. The best season of Meeks’ career came under the fast-paced offense implemented by Mike D’Antoni in Los Angeles.
The Magic recently acquired 3-point specialist C.J. Wilcox for Devyn Marble and a future second round pick. Wilcox fits in pretty well with what the Magic want to do now, defend and shoot.
Wilcox may not get much playing time but he is definitely more NBA ready than Devyn Marble is. Wilcox shot 42 percent from three on 183 attempts in the last two seasons.
Next: Identity Found
Team Identity
With only six players returning from last season’s roster, the Magic clearly felt that needed to change who they were at their core. Out go players that were inconsistent, not able to run, not defensively versatile.
In came the new identity.
The Magic want to get stops. The Magic want to be defensively versatile. The Magic want to push the pace. The Magic want to be a consistent threat from deep.
Now take a look at Orlando’s roster. There are still a couple of players who do not seem to fit the mold laid out. Will the Magic make more moves that will cement the identity of the team? There is certainly more time left in the offseason for that to occur.
Next: Who is Stephen Zimmerman?
In any case, the Magic more resemble the vision Frank Vogel laid out than they did before the off-season began.