The Orlando Magic have decided to leave the roster largely unchanged for the 2021 season. But that does not change the team’s long-term outlook or need to change.
The Orlando Magic came into the NBA’s annual free agency period with the potential for a roster shakeup.
The team returned to the playoffs for the second straight year, confirming its 2019 run was no fluke. But the team is not satisfied with its playoff cameo. The Magic struggled with injuries throughout the entire 2020 season and floundered to a 33-40 overall record, eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The Magic’s dreams of competing for homecourt advantage quickly evaporated. And the team’s future feels more uncertain with Jonathan Isaac out for the 2021 season.
The team felt ripe for change. There is no standing still in the NBA and the Eastern Conference was set to improve even before the free agency gun went off.
But with the Magic’s limited cap flexibility and a full roster little change should be expected through the remainder of the week. The team is essentially running the same roster back.
The Magic very well could have made the changes that everyone sought. There were opportunities to make deals. But the team ultimately decided to stick with its roster as its best change to make the playoffs. The team did not see a deal that made sense for the team’s future in the end.
Where does this leave the Magic? And what comes next?
To recap, we will look into the negotiations made at the start of free agency and the rumors surrounding potential trades to analyze where the Magic can go from here.