The Orlando Magic are likely keeping one player off their training camp roster as they prepare for the season. Who that will be is uncertain.
The preseason is over.
The Orlando Magic will have their full attention on Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Practices leading up to Wednesday’s game will be intense and physical. The Magic are trying to use these last moments to get themselves into final shape for the regular season.
Monday will present the next deadline for the team. That is the roster cutdown day. Teams have to shed the extra players that are on Exhibit 10 contracts and get down to their 15 plus 2 two-way contracts.
Orlando’s roster is already pretty full.
Everyone can pencil in D.J. Augustin, Evan Fournier, Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic as the team’s starters. The rest of the nine-man rotation likely comprises Markelle Fultz, Terrence Ross, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mohamed Bamba. Michael Carter-Williams, Khem Birch and Wesley Iwundu will provide some added depth and compete for playing time.
The Magic fill out the rest of the roster with Melvin Frazier Jr. and two-way contract signees Josh Magette and Amile Jefferson. That is 13 active roster players plus their two-way players.
After the preseason has been completed, it is still very unclear what the Magic might do with these last roster spot.
The team has two roster spots open to add another player. The Magic usually prefer to leave one roster spot open just to stay flexible. And the Magic are going to be careful with that extra roster spot to avoid flirting with the luxury tax. The team has a few million dollars to stay clear of the tax line.
The Magic are not about to add anyone major.
But it still feels likely the Magic will promote one of their G-Leauge-bound players to a full contract and carry them on the main roster.
But where they might go is unclear.
Orlando did not play their Exhibit 10 contract players — DaQuan Jeffries, Hassani Gravett, Vic Law, B.J. Johnson, Isaac Humphries and Jon Davis — much at all. They were largely left on the sidelines, playing the final moments of games.
The team already cut Gravett (he will most likely play for the Lakeland Magic this season). And Davis did not even play in the Magic’s final preseason games after he was added to the roster.
All of these players are likely spending the year in Lakeland in some form or fashion. The players who get cut will immediately get optioned to Lakeland after they clear waivers.
But which player will get the chance at the main roster is still a mystery. Most of the evaluation for these players took place in practice, away from the public and media viewing. So it is hard to get a sense if any impressed enough to get a standard contract.
The thought throughout the offseason was the Magic would give that last roster spot to Jeffries.
He was a leading candidate to get a two-way contract after his strong showing at Summer League. But he reportedly turned down the two-way offer seemingly betting he could make the main roster.
In the preseason, however, Jeffries did not score in roughly 28 minutes of action in the preseason. The Magic certainly prioritized Melvin Frazier Jr. in the preseason (11 minutes per game, 3.8 points per game). But it was hard to say a whole lot about how Jeffries — or even B.J. Johnson, who also could compete for that last roster spot — played or his prospects.
It is better to think about what the Magic need from that last roster spot.
The team already has point guards in D.J. Augustin, Markelle Fultz and Michael Carter-Williams. Josh Magette is sort of an emergency fourth point guard should there be injuries on a two-way contract. But Magette does not quite fit the Magic’s overall philosophy favoring positional size.
A point guard would certainly fill a need here. Especially if he can play off the ball as it seems that is at least part of the plan with Carter-Williams. If that is the direction they want to go.
Similarly, the Magic are already pretty loaded in the frontcourt but could look there to add some depth and versatility.
They have three rotation-caliber centers on the roster, plus Amile Jefferson on a two-way contract. The team is loaded with power forwards, but they float between each position so often that the team is lacking something.
Orlando could use a more traditional stretch-4 player. Someone who has the size to defend teams that still play two traditional bigs. Jarell Martin played that role last year. When the team called on him, he was able to provide a nice spark for a short time. Those minutes were productive.
Isaac Humphries is the closest thing to this on the Magic’s preseason roster. He had a strong run in Australia after his time with the Kentucky Wildcats and has played well at the G-League level.
But Humphries is not quite the answer either.
Orlando could easily convert Jefferson’s two-way contract into a full roster contract and use him for added forward depth. His lack of 3-point shooting is probably the only thing keeping him from jumping into the league.
Orlando Magic
The Magic could then sign one of their Exhibit 10 players to a two-way contract to replace Jefferson.
Really, the big thing the Magic could hunt for to fill in this last roster spot is some more consistent 3-point shooting. Finding a 3-point shooting specialist even just for practice would be really valuable. That remains the biggest weakness for the team.
It is hard to say the Magic have anyone on the roster that fits that.
Law was a solid shooter in college, but hardly consistent at 36.8 percent from beyond the arc with the Northwestern Wildcats in his career. Jeffries shot 36.6 percent last year from beyond the arc for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and 37.7 percent for his collegiate career. Johnson shot 44.4 percent for the Lakeland Magic last year.
It is hard to get a handle on what the Magic are looking for and who is ahead because the battle for this last spot has all happened behind closed doors.
It seems the Magic are probably considering three options for their last roster spot. They will either sign Jeffries or Johnson or convert Jefferson’s deal into a full-roster contract.
Johnson has familiarity with the Magic organization from his time in Lakeland last year. Jeffries clearly believed his bet on himself would work in refusing the two-way contract after Summer League. And Jefferson is already a dominant force in the G-League just seeking a NBA chance.
Each would fill some role for the Magic and give them some need. It is just about what the team feels like it needs most for the course of the season.