5 biggest offseason needs for the Orlando Magic and how to fill them
The Orlando Magic’s offseason is already off to a really promising start.
That is what happens when you strike rich and win the NBA Draft Lottery. A lot of the team’s plans and hopes can fall into place now with the choice of any prospect in the Draft.
That will make it easier to make everything fall in line for the team’s offseason. Because it should be very clear this is a big offseason beyond the draft pick the Magic make.
Yes, in the lead-up to June 23, all attention will be on the Draft. Whether the Magic take Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren or Paolo Banchero, the team will add a quality player to the roster. In all likelihood, the Magic’s draft pick will be the biggest player added to the roster.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has continued to preach a patient approach with his team. Orlando is going to continue rebuilding slowly and focusing on developing the team’s young players internally.
The Orlando Magic have plenty of resources to add to their roster this offseason. But finding players to fill their needs this offseason will be difficult.
That is where the directive from Jamahl Mosley for the team to “level up” comes from. The second biggest addition to the team is likely to be internal improvement — Franz Wagner’s anticipated second season, Jonathan Isaac’s return, Markelle Fultz’s first fully healthy offseason, and Jalen Suggs’ redemption after he recovers from ankle surgery.
The promise of such a young team is the promise of improvement.
But there are undoubtedly things the team will have to address in the offseason too. After a 22-win season, it would be silly not to make some changes and rely solely on internal growth to get better. There are clear gaps on the roster — whether they be positional needs or skill needs.
There will be a lot of overlap on how to fill these needs.
The good news for the Magic is they have all the tools to acquire that. They not only have the first pick in the NBA Draft, they also have plenty of cap room to spend — roughly $30 million even when accounting for the draft pick and non-guaranteed deals on their books.
That gives the Magic a lot of power to do whatever they want this offseason.
The first place to start then is to — once again — look at the team’s current depth chart:
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markelle Fultz | Jalen Suggs | Franz Wagner | 1st Overall Pick | Wendell Carter |
| Cole Anthony | Terrence Ross | Chuma Okeke | Jonathan Isaac | Moe Wagner |
| Devin Cannady | R.J. Hampton |
That at least gives a hint to what the Magic need to get positionally to add to the roster — it also previews the roster crunch that is coming especially if the Magic use both the Nos. 32 and 35 picks in this year’s draft.
Then there are the skill-based needs. The Magic have a lot to improve on considering they finished 29th in the league in offensive rating and 19th in the league in defensive rating. That might be a foundation as this team improves, but there is a lot of work to do.
And the Magic certainly have to add to their roster.
It is going to be a busy offseason. It is not yet clear what the Magic’s goals and expectations are — beyond the generic “continue to improve” — but the team has a lot of tools and a lot of things it needs to do to get better next year.
With the draft coming up first and free agency not too far behind, this will serve as a list of needs the Magic need to address this offseason for any goal they might have for their 2023 season.