Orlando Magic players start their summer with some R&R

Several Orlando Magic players said they would take some time off after the season ended to recharge. Some have gotten around to start the summer.

The Orlando Magic’s season ended earlier than any player on the team wanted it to. If the players had their way, they would be preparing for games this weekend (probably at home) and the pressure and pageantry of the Playoffs.

That dream will have to wait another year. Instead, the Magic are on vacation.

After the season ended last week, many players said they would take some time off before diving back into the grind of preparing for the next season and making individual improvements.

Consider these first weeks of uncertainty to be the team’s chance at a little vacation. And it seems like several Magic players have taken advantage of the extra time.

Aaron Gordon has flown the most afield, taking a trip to Lithuania to watch his brother Drew Gordon play in the Playoffs for Lietuvos Rytas. Rytas finished third in the league and are in the middle of a series with Pieno Zvaigzdes.

Aaron Gordon saw Drew score 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting in Rytas’ Game One victory Saturday. He has averaged 10.4 points per game this season.

Gordon spoke to Rytas’ YouTube page after practice Thursday.

Gordon has a vacation to Hawai’i planned later this year and plans to split time between Orlando and his home in San Jose for his offseason training. Last summer he played in a pro-am in San Jose and hosted a dunk contest in Venice Beach, Calif. It is not clear yet if Gordon will head out that way again.

While Gordon went overseas for his travel, other Magic players have traveled domestically.

As Evan Fournier said at exit interviews, he traveled to Utah for some backpacking and a little bit of a mental reset in the middle of the natural beauty of the Beehive State. He went hiking around Zion National Park (which if you have never visited Utah and the Big Five National Parks, you should definitely do that):

While probably seeking some isolation, Evan Fournier did share some images of his trip on SnapChat before returning to Orlando a few days ago.

Fournier may spend some more time in Orlando before heading to Paris for his basketball camp in July. It also appears he will play in Eurobasket this August and September. That may not be fully resolved.

Bismack Biyombo too opted for some North America travel.

He made a surprise trip up to Toronto for Game Two fo the Toronto Raptors’ series with the Milwaukee Bucks. He told the Raptors’ local broadcast he loves the energy in the Playoffs and is excited for what the Magic have to build on to get there.

Finally, Nikola Vucevic stayed a little closer to home with his early offseason vacation.

Nikola Vucevic, a noted Star Wars fan, took in last weekend’s Star Wars Celebration at the Orange County Convention Center. Like many around the world, he was probably geeking out at the trailer for The Last Jedi. No word yet if his opinion on Kylo Ren has changed (it probably has not):

Obviously, everyone wishes they did not have this free time to start their vacations. The season was bitterly disappointing.

Next: 2017 Orlando Magic Season Review: A season of miscalculations

The recovery process from the season and the preparations for next season begin soon. It is good for them to take a few weeks off to reset. And it seems like several Magic players are already resetting their batteries before they get back to work.