Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 17: So many questions, need more questions!

Before this season, I would have said the long-term plan was to continue developing the young assets, keep making progress and stay open to striking it big when the time came. The Magic could remain patient and continue to improve.

Throw those long-term plans out the window.

The Magic pushed their chips in. Their long-term plan is to make the Playoffs in 2017 and use that to leverage themselves into bigger free agents or to become more attractive when that star comes available.

Yes, Orlando is still trying to develop some young players — Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon especially for this year. But the plan, from what I see at least, is to make the Playoffs and figure things out from there.

The Magic are trying to make the Playoffs with an imperfect roster now and then they will smooth out the edges to make the team better.

Let’s say they get into the Playoffs this year, but it looks like Nikola Vucevic works better than Bismack Biyombo. Maybe then  they look to move Biyombo for more assets. Or what happens if Mario Hezonja has surpassed Evan Fournier?

The Magic should still have flexibility to make deals and improve the roster. They just need to find a core that works. It is no longer just draft your core and let them grow. The core is going to be the team that makes the Playoffs and who becomes important to that process.

If there is frustration over what the Magic have done this season, it has been that the team seems to have abandoned the long-term plan for a short-term sell out for the Playoffs. After that, the team will figure out a clearer plan.

If the team does not make the Playoffs . . . well, that is going to take a lot of examination for what comes next.

Next: Helping out Biz