An early look at Orlando Magic 2017 Free Agency

In the aftermath of an underwhelming NBA Draft Lottery, the Orlando Magic need to make the most out of free agency one step at a time, making low-risk signings.

The Orlando Magic will pick sixth in the NBA Draft next month. That is not a bad place to be. But falling outside of the top five, the organization should not expect a home run.

Orlando also does not have a ton of cap space. They will have a reasonable amount of flexibility, but only Jodie Meeks and Jeff Green are becoming unrestricted free agents. Per Spotrac, the Magic will have around $35 million in space under the league’s luxury tax, and if they renounce the cap holds of Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks, Damjan Rudez, Marcus Georges-Hunt and Patricio Garino (which seems likely), they will have around $15 million in cap max space.

Again, not a ton of space, but reasonable flexibility.

It is enough to warrant approaching this offseason with caution. Chances are, ownership will not want to go too far into the tax unless a major opportunity presents itself. Nor should they.

In the draft and free agency, the Magic need to hit singles and doubles that add up to a winning formula instead of swinging for the fences. Acquire talent, try to build a winning formula, but do not invest too heavily in a roster just yet.

The Magic likely will not enter next season with any big-time names like Chris Paul or Markelle Fultz. The path for them requires patience and prudence — making good deals that will put the franchise in a solid position in the long run.

Depending on who they draft, they will likely need shooting help, a stable point guard option and cutters. An ideal free agency candidate for the Magic should be a player that can defend opposing power forwards while playing the perimeter on offense – complementing Aaron Gordon’s strengths and covering for his weaknesses.

Here are a few realistic names that could fill one or more of these roles.