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5 biggest offseason needs for the Orlando Magic and how to fill them

By Philip Rossman-Reich

What the Orlando Magic do with Terrence Ross -- and replace his role -- will be key aspects of the offseason. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
What the Orlando Magic do with Terrence Ross -- and replace his role -- will be key aspects of the offseason. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, Orlando Magic
R.J. Hampton broke out for a big fourth quarter as the Orlando Magic stunned the Utah Jazz. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Orlando Magic’s 2022 Offseason Needs

Veteran Help

The Orlando Magic have their share of cap room to spend and they should at least plan on spending some of it. The only problem is there are few free agents to spend it on.

As noted in the previous slides, there just are not good options in this free-agent class for the needs this team has to fill. And the team needs to fill at least a few of these with players who can continue helping this team grow.

With so few teams with cap room and so few quality free agents available, expect this to be an active offseason for trades.

This is likely where the Magic will play facilitator. They may try to rent their cap space, taking on a bad contract in order to get the player they want in a trade. That is probably the most productive way to use their cap room.

But like those other skills mentioned, the Magic need to add a veteran presence to their team.

As things stand, the Magic’s current average age on their roster is 23.5 years old. The Magic have only one player currently under contract older than 30 years old (Terrence Ross). Their second-oldest player? Devin Cannady.

Youth is not necessarily a bad thing. And the Magic should not add age just to add age, but the team does need a bit of experience and seasoning. No one would doubt how valuable Gary Harris was on the team as a source of stability.

This is where the argument for keeping Harris really takes hold. He is a great shooter — he made 38.4-percent of his 3-pointers last year and was even better from the corners, particularly the right corner. Harris would be valuable as a spot starter or even just a veteran to stabilize lineups with his shooting and defense.

The team just needs a veteran who knows what they are doing, can be a voice in the locker room and set a good example for how to prepare and work.

The bigger trick is finding a veteran who will stay invested in this team and believe in the bigger vision. Orlando should not be looking for a one-year stop-gap here. They need someone who is going to contribute to this team and foster its growth.

Markelle Fultz has a lot of veteran qualities to him. But he just turned 24 years old. He has played only one full season in the NBA. It is hard to call him a veteran despite the calming effect.

This too is part of the problem with the Magic’s current roster. They have a starting lineup that is and should be filled with only young players. That will make it hard to entice a veteran player to join the team.

But Orlando needs a veteran to keep some stability.