Patience with a plan
The Magic must have patience in order to build a sustainable winner going forward.
The biggest mistake the old regime made was losing patience in building a young core and going all in on expensive veterans. That strategy set the franchise back big time.
It often takes a while to build a sustainable winner, especially from the lacking roster the Magic currently have. The Warriors and Rockets know that building a contender is a long process, and the Utah Jazz may be benefitting soon from their patience.
Smart teams do not just throw big money at lower-tier free agents with the hope of a quick rebuild. That is reserved for teams like the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and, quite frankly, the Magic last summer.
The Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets threw a lot of money at free agents because they were a middle-tier playoff team hoping to extend their window. They had varying success. The Magic are not close to that point, so they should be patient with who they go add to their roster.
The upcoming draft will be extremely important going forward to begin anew.
The Magic need to hit on the draft pick, and specifically try to maximize their chances at drafting a star player. They will not get out of the gutter with a low-ceiling player. The team needs to maximize their chances of building a strong core for the future through the next few drafts.
The Magic will need to build through the draft, maximize their chances at drafting a star, make sure the young players fit together to establish a core going forward and take their time with this rebuild.