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5 players the Orlando Magic could sign with extra roster spots

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Vic Law has had a stellar rookie season earning a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Vic Law has had a stellar rookie season earning a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Jeff Weltman, Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has some tough choices to make to boslter the team’s forward depth after Jonathan Isaac’s injury. (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Transaction Window

As Bobby Marks of ESPN details (subscription required), this will be a period for teams to convert two-way contracts and replace them with new two-way players to bring to the campus setting.

Teams will be able to have their two-way players in place to replace any injured players or players who choose not to participate in the resumed season (Davis Bertans and Trevor Ariza are the most notable player to decide to skip the bubble without an injury).

Players have until Wednesday to notify their teams whether they will play or not.

Teams will be able to sign substitute players for any players who decide to skip out beginning July 1. And they will be limited to signing players who were not otherwise in a FIBA-sanctioned league this season (that is how players like J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford could get included).

After the seeding games to finish the regular season, teams will be able to sign players with 0-3 years of experience to replace any players who tested positive for the virus.

This then means there is at least a small expansion of rosters. Teams can bring their 15 players plus their two two-way players to the mini-camp. Then teams can replace any injured or sitting out players.

That will give the Magic some unexpected cap flexibility.

Orlando has a full 15-man roster at the moment with two two-way players. The only potential openings on the roster will come with expected injuries for Jonathan Isaac and Al-Farouq Aminu. If the team decides they will not be able to play when the season resumes, they should be able to get their absences excused and have the open space to sign two more players.

What they or any team should do with this added flexibility is still up in the air.

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The only reported agreements are with players and teams that already had a previous relationship — Anthony Tolliver with the Memphis Grizzlies and Joakim Noah with the LA Clippers. And the surprise signing of Corey Brewer to the Sacramento Kings.

There are a lot of expected two-way contracts to be converted to full-time (potentially multiyear) contracts such as Luguentz Dort with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This all makes sense. With such little time to prepare and get back into playing shape, coaches and teams clearly want to bring players in that they and their team are familiar with. They do not want to be teaching players from square one.

The Magic have a full roster already. While they are down two players at power forward in Isaac and Aminu, the team has done an OK job filling in with Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark with James Ennis playing the 3 to give the team some balance. For sure, Orlando could add some depth.

But it is hard to see them being players for any of the higher-profile names. The fact of the matter is players like Smith and Crawford are likely going to focus on joining contending teams rather than playing for teams like the Magic scrounging for playoff scraps.

Instead, Orlando is going to have to focus on using these roster spots not merely to supplement their roster for this year but also plan some for next year, hoping they can use these roster spots as a stand-in for Summer League prospects.

That should be the goal, at least. The Magic will have plenty of options to review as they look to bolster their roster.