I think I have been pretty on record with who I like in this NBA Draft. Through several mock drafts I have run, including the Locked On NBA mock draft, I have taken Dennis Smith. I have probably been firmly in his camp for some time.
That is not to say I do not like the other players in this Draft. If the Magic end up taking Jayson Tatum or Jonathan Isaac — or even Malik Monk, I will not be too upset. I think all of those players have star potential and the upside to contribute to the team in a meaningful way. The most important thing in this draft is to get a player who can one day become the team’s star.
At the end of the day, I think Smith is the guy who does this best. I think he has the most diverse skills and the chance not only to become a star but to become a player who makes others around him better. More importantly, I think he fits the current roster really well. Whereas a player like Tatum or Isaac could hinder Aaron Gordon‘s continued development.
It plays into the bigger picture as I view it for Orlando.
If I am the Magic, my approach to this offseason is to be willing to take a step back to find players who fit together better. But ultimately the goal is to be ready to compete for the Playoffs by 2019 — 2020 at the latest. I do not think fans want to wait too much longer. So creating fit and flexibility are vital this offseason.
Part of this is because of the Magic’s cap situation. The Magic will have roughly $16 million to spend in free agency this summer. I do not anticipate them being overly active. Especially with four draft picks to select form, that is four roster spots the Magic will have to use. Things dry up quickly.
I would expect the Magic to make a few trades — Elfrid Payton seems like a good candidate to move and Nikola Vucevic might be thrown in there too — and they may be willing to take on salary using that cap space if it creates that fit or flexibility. I have not looked at players that fit that bill quite yet.
But in free agency, the Magic are probably looking for a small forward on the cheap. Maybe they look at a guy like Gerald Henderson (noted Magic killer) as a cheap option. Jonathon Simmons might be an option but could go for a bigger price than the Magic are willing to spend.
Otherwise, if the Magic do look to spend all their cap room, it would not surprise me if they throw some money at restricted free agents Otto Porter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Tony Snell. It sounds like all three could be outside the Magic’s price range.
In other words, I am not expecting the Magic to be overly active in free agency. I think they will bide their time some and look to work the trade market more either to free up cap space or, more likely, to shuffle the deck some and exchange some talent.
So focus much of the improvement for the Magic this offseason on the draft especially and trades after that.