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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 22: Drafting a dream

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Mar 24, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; The basketball court for the NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. The court is made from 397 4’ x 7’ panels of Northern Hard Maple, weighing approximately 188 pounds each. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK
Mar 24, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; The basketball court for the NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. The court is made from 397 4’ x 7’ panels of Northern Hard Maple, weighing approximately 188 pounds each. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via USA TODAY NETWORK /
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Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Mar 24, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) is congratulated by Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) and Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) after he made a basket in the act of getting fouled and shoots and one during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

There is probably an 1100-word column on this topic that I can (and probably will) write once the offseason begins. This Magic team right now is a mess. Like I said in a previous question, it feels like the Magic have reached the end of this road and now have to make some tough decisions that will affect years of this franchise.

At the very least, the Magic could (finally) use some Lottery luck to better cement and fix their future.

And, before I dive into a quick answer, I guess I should note there is a distinction between what the Magic should  do and what they will do.

I think there is a very real temptation and a legitimate course to bag this whole thing and restart from scratch — again. That is tougher to do, of course, because there is no superstar to trade and cast off unwanted contracts. So maybe the two paths I am about to propose are one in the same — there is a happy accident either way.

I think the path the Magic will take is to try to make the most of the roster they have now. They need to get something out of the players on the roster. The reality is the team will probably struggle, get lower in the draft to take better players for another year (including this year’s pick).

That does not mean the Magic will not end up going through that massive rebuild. They may just do it while still trying to field a competitive team. Or at least a team that complements each other a bit more.

The fear that I have had increasingly — and believe more and more after devastating losses and blowout defeats — is the rot with this team is really deep. And I am not 100 percent sure what I mean by that. But it just feels like this core — whatever it is — just is not going to turn that corner and reach even mediocrity.

The years of losing have taken their toll on this core group. At the very least, the Magic have to consider breaking them up and seeing what they can get.

Like I said, what they should do is different from what they will do. After five years without a Playoff appearance, I suspect the Magic are still thinking about pushing for the Playoffs.

They may not go full bore into it like they did this year. They may be smart and look to complement players nd create a two-year plan. But they do not want to be out of the Playoffs fo long.

It is these situations where getting a true impact rookie or potential future star in the Draft would solve a lot of problems for this team’s ultimate direction.