The Orlando Magic have brought back every key rotation piece from last season, securing Khem Birch on a two-year deal to boost their depth.
The Orlando Magic understood throughout last year they had a small margin for error.
It was not just on the court where they had a particular way they had to play and any deviance could lead to disaster or an offense that had to operate in a certain way to be effective. Off the court, the team had a lot of unproven players and only a few players who could play at near-elite levels. An injury was always a danger for the team.
Orlando was able to get through most of the 2019 season healthy. The only major injury came to Mohamed Bamba in late January. It happened at the one position the Magic could afford the injury and had some depth.
That depth came in the form of Khem Birch. He waited his turn at the end of the bench and stepped right into the lineup, providing the team a big boost of consistency and maturity to the bench. Orlando knew it could rely on Khem Birch and allow Mohamed Bamba all the time to return to 100 percent.
Birch had clearly earned his keep in the NBA. The injury likely kept Birch in the NBA as he reportedly considered asking out of his contract so he could return to Europe and get playing time.
Orlando will have to deal with the same issues in figuring out how to get Khem Birch playing time behind Mohamed Bamba and Nikola Vucevic.
The Magic promised to take care of their own and bring back much of the same roster. They have completed that promise, bringing back the last remaining player from their rotation last year still left on the market.
Birch is returning to the Magic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The second-year center will sign a two-year deal worth $6 million.
Free agent F Khem Birch has agreed to a two-year, $6M deal to return to Orlando, agents Mike George of @OneLegacySports and Jeff Schwartz of @excelsm tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2019
The Magic have said all summer they valued continuity. That certainly related to the team’s main free agents in Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross. Spending so much on them certainly put it up in the air that the would re-sign Birch.
Bamba’s return put Birch’s return at risk. After all, if the plan is to play Bamba as the backup center, where would Birch find his minutes? It would be hard to sit him on the bench once again for extended periods of time.
Birch will certainly get his chance to earn minutes. Bamba is still young and prone to mistakes. Defensively, he still has to get his timing and understanding down — no matter how much studying he did in the offseason.
Birch then is the ultimate insurance policy — an extremely capable reserve center who can defend at a high level and give the team a base of consistency when called upon.
Last year, Birch averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 12.9 minutes per game. During the team’s Playoff run, Birch averaged 6.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 15.5 minutes per game.
The Magic had a +3.2 net rating with Birch on the floor, including a 102.7 defensive rating, a mark nearly five points per 100 possessions better than the team’s season average.
Birch had a clear positive impact on the team, especially defensively. He had a better understanding of positioning and the schemes than the rookie Bamba did. It was really a matter of time before he pushed his way onto the court. No matter how long it took the Magic to scale back the rookie Bamba’s minutes.
Bringing Birch back will keep the Magic under the luxury tax, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. That was important for the team. Waiving and stretching Timofey Mozgov‘s contract was likely done solely to fit Khem Birch under the luxury tax for the Magic.
The two-year $6M Khem Birch contract keeps Orlando under the luxury tax threshold. The Magic now project to be roughly $675K under the tax and $4.5M below the luxury tax apron. The roster is now at 14 players. https://t.co/kklPuA4pTS
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 10, 2019
But more importantly, it gives the team some depth at center. The Magic have three options at the position they will feel extremely comfortable with this upcoming season.
Depth, even with the headaches and supposed roster logjams it creates, is never a bad thing. Coach Steve Clifford will have competition in practice and options should something go wrong or depending on matchups.
Birch is a reliable defender and capable reserve center who can do spot starts when called upon. This is a luxury the Magic are certainly happy to have.
And this contract certainly is not onerous should the team decide to move on or make some larger move.
Orlando has now returned every player from its rotation, adding Al-Farouq Aminu, Markelle Fultz and Mohamed Bamba to the fold essentially. The team has made winning and returning to the playoffs a priority. The Magic do not want to take a step back.
Bringing Birch back into the fold will certainly help with that goal.