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Orlando Magic happy with offseason, others like it too

By Philip Rossman-Reich

SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during the game against the Orlando Magic on November 29, 2016 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Jonathon Simmons #17 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during the game against the Orlando Magic on November 29, 2016 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The summer activity is about done and the Orlando Magic seem pretty happy with the work they did. The early reviews are pleased with Jeff Weltman’s work too.

The Orlando Magic were expected to be fairly quiet this offseason.

They had a little bit of cap room, but nothing to change their franchise significantly. They were not going to get out and change the starting lineup without a trade.

Orlando was going to work around the fringes to add players to the roster and bolster the team’s depth. They were going to have to be opportunistic when chances arose. But largely, everyone was expecting the Magic to be quiet.

That quiet got everyone a bit frustrated to start the offseason. Everyone was begging for the Magic to make offseason moves and all they had to show for themselves was a $6-million signing of Shelvin Mack.

That changed with a flurry of moves in mid-July.

The team struck to sign Jonathon Simmons, a promising defender with the San Antonio Spurs who got turned unrestricted onto a depressed market with a lot of money already spent. They then turned and signed veterans Arron Afflalo and Marreese Speights to minimum deals. The Magic’s patience was rewarded.

At the very least, it seemed the Magic had bolstered their bench in the short term and laid the foundations of their identity in the long term.

By all accounts, it was a very good summer for the Magic.

As things begin to die down, Jeff Weltman spoke to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com about the work he and John Hammond accomplished this summer:

"“We’re never going to be pleased and we’re never going to be content,” Jeff Weltman told OrlandoMagic.com. “We’re always going to be looking to improve and looking for opportunities to get better. But we’re very happy to have the guys that we were able to bring in. We feel like we’re getting high-character guys, we’re getting good players and we’re getting them at the right time in their careers.”"

Weltman said getting a balance of young players and veterans is tricky to pull off. That is not an easy thing for any general manager to do. Rob Hennigan professed to trying to do that in his time with the team.

But it feels like Weltman was able to put the Magic in a good position this year.

Orlando let free agents Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks and C.J. Watson walk and brought back in Jonathon Simmons, Arron Afflalo and Marreese Speights. The team likely will reduce D.J. Augustin‘s role for Shelvin Mack.

Nobody needs statistics to see that is an improvement. There is potential to improve.

And generally, the reviews for the Magic’s summer are strong. Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider gave Orlando a B- for their offseason:

"“A three-year, $18 million deal for wing Jonathon Simmons that is partially guaranteed the final season was a better investment of Orlando’s cap space. The Magic also snagged stretch-5 Marreese Speights for the minimum, adding a spacing option in the frontcourt, and got solid value drafting Jonathan Isaac with the sixth pick.”"

His lone complaint is the Magic’s two-year, $12-million contract with Mack. Pelton does not view that as a major upgrade at backup point guard. And indeed, the Magic now have $13 million per year committed to backup point guard. It is not a good use of resources.

Most Magic fans view Mack as an upgrade over Augustin. But how much is still a big question. Mack is not a game-changing point guard. The disagreement there is a matter of preference.

And early in the summer, the Magic were seeking to steady the ship more than add players to improve the team for the next season. The Magic’s strategy clearly changed as opportunities to add quality veterans like Simmons, Afflalo and Speights emerged.

That may still not be a good argument for giving Mack such a large contract.

Orlando still did some good work this summer. There is no doubt the team made some major signings. The Simmons signing for three years and $18 million was a steal. Many anticipated he would fetch much more on the market, even as a restricted free agent.

And getting good veterans like Afflalo and Speights, two rotation players last year, feels like a steal.

That does not mean the Magic will automatically take the leap everyone expected. Orlando is still working with the same starting lineup and virtually the same team that struggled throughout last season. Nothing is guaranteed.

Next: Orlando Magic's evaluations include Playoff dreams

But Orlando at least did some good work. And as the offseason activity comes to a close, the Magic can be pretty pleased with what they did. And recognize they still have a lot of work left to do.