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:

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.

Orlando Magic’s 2022 Offseason Needs

Primary Scorer

The biggest need for the Orlando Magic still remains the most important piece of the puzzle for any team trying to rebuild. They need a true centerpiece player and a primary scorer.

Watch the NBA Playoffs and the teams that advance and win critical do-or-die games are the ones that have a player who can shoulder the load and get tough shots against defenses loaded up against them.

If the goal is to make the Finals one day, the Magic need one of those.

Even on a smaller scale, Orlando made the playoffs because Nikola Vucevic emerged as an All-Star-caliber scorer. He is the lone 20-point-per-game scorer for the Magic since Dwight Howard left. There is clearly a big hole to fill there still.

As good as Cole Anthony was last year — a team-high 16.3 points per game — his inefficiency leaves a lot of question.

Anthony’s strong first quarter of the season — 19.6 points per game and 41.6-percent shooting through his first 16 games — is at least some hint that this primary scorer might already be on the roster.

Wendell Carter had a strong finish to the season — 17.8 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game in the final half o the season — and showed plenty of ability to stretch the floor. Fans were demanding Franz Wagner get more touches, even though he finished second on the team in field goal attempts per game despite his fairly pedestrian usage rate.

Markelle Fultz was a driving force for the team throughout the final quarter of the season.

There are potential scoring bursts from those players. But the team needs to find that starring player.

The first pick in the NBA Draft is obviously the easiest place to go first. That is where a lot of people envision getting their star player.

All three of Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero have the potential to be that starring player. There is a reason they are all at the top of the draft class. They all score in different ways and create different things for their team, but they all could easily be the best player on the team.

For now, Banchero is probably the best player as a primary scorer. That is what he was and excelled at while playing at Duke in a way that none of the other prospects did.

That does not mean that neither Jabari Smith nor Chet Holmgren could get there either. They both have the talent and the ability to get there too.

But this is something the Magic need.

Of course, the draft is not the only path for Orlando to get that kind of primary scorer either. The team has enough cap room to make a play on a max contract.

They are betting long shots to chase the big free agents on the market. But at least someone is setting decent odds they could sign Zach LaVine.

Orlando has the money to throw around. But more likely than not, the Magic will rely on the draft to fill this vital need. The top pick is supposed to develop into a star player. The team will be leaning on that selection to do that.

Orlando Magic’s 2022 Offseason Needs

Backup Center

Looking at the Orlando Magic’s full depth chart, it is abundantly clear that the biggest immediate need to complete the roster will be at center.

The team is likely to start its draft pick alongside Wendell Carter, leaving that gaping hole behind them. Maybe Chet Holmgren fills that and serves as a backup if Jonathan Isaac starts quickly. But that also seems fairly unlikely.

The decision regarding Mo Bamba is a big one for the roster. If the Magic decide to re-sign him then they have committed that cap room to keep him and have locked up their backup center. But it seems unlikely he would take a demotion unless the Magic give him a big contract for his troubles.

As has been reported, it is feeling increasingly likely the Magic will let Bamba walk in free agency. They do not seem likely to re-sign him. That means the team will need to find a backup center and add some center depth at that. The only other center the team has on the roster is Moe Wagner at the moment.

Orlando certainly could head to the draft to add some center depth. There are some interesting center prospects that could go early in the second round like Khalifa Diop, Ismael Kamagate or Walker Kessler.

All certainly could help the team. But rookies are always a bit raw and centers especially need more time to develop.

More likely the Magic will seek a trade or free agency to address this need.

But even free agency finds the team short on center options. The best backup bigs available might be limited to Thomas Bryant, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. Bryant is at least somewhat intriguing, but injuries have largely derailed his career. The other choices are not going to inspire a ton of confidence.

The Magic may have to do as they did when they signed Khem Birch and find someone overseas ready to make the trip over to the NBA.

That may lead the Magic back to Bamba, matching his contract just to keep him as an asset. The team needs some mid-tier salaries to be able to trade down the road. If Bamba is willing to accept a role off the bench and still be involved with the team, then there is still clearly a place for him.

He may well be the best option for the Magic.

This could be a major storyline for the offseason. Orlando has to find a backup center somewhere. That is the biggest immediate goal for the Magic and something they have to fill adequately for next season.

Orlando Magic’s 2022 Offseason Needs

3-Point Shooting

Among the skills the Orlando Magic must add to their roster is 3-point shooting.

The team finished 29th in offensive rating and 28th in 3-point field goal percentage (33.8-percent). The Magic did this despite modernizing their offense in a lot of ways. Most notably, the team ranked 11th in the league in 3-point attempts per game.

Do not expect this to change. The Magic will still want to take a lot of 3-pointers and make that a key part of their offense moving forward. There is no going back from this style.

The trick and the question is whether the team can shoot it more efficiently.

With the Magic’s current roster make-up, pretty much every non-center the team acquires should have the ability to shoot from the outside. The Magic need to find outside shooters.

And that need only gets bigger with the likely trade of Terrence Ross.

Orlando certainly could look to add a shooter in a trade for Ross — perhaps the Miami Heat sell low on Duncan Robinson, although those four years topping off at $19.9 million in 2026 feels far too steep to entertain. There will be other shooters that come on the market. There is a team out there seeking a veteran flamethrower like Ross.

The Draft is not going to provide a lot of hope for shooting either. The best shooter would be late-Lottery pick Malakhi Branham from Ohio State. Otherwise, it could be slim pickings to find shooting in the draft.

Retaining Gary Harris would help the team in a number of ways (more on that in a bit). But the free-agent class is also short on shooters. Players like Taurean Prince, Jeremy Lamb or Tyus Jones could fall in the Magic’s price range.

It is easy to see how slim the pickings are and the urgency in which the Magic find shooting — and the right shooter — to find measurable success this season.

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.

Orlando Magic’s 2022 Offseason Needs

Wing Depth

The other big weakness that is clear on the Orlando Magic’s roster is a lack of wing depth.

The Magic appear to be set at forward — they have a foursome of good young forwards to rotate through in Franz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke and (presumably) their first overall pick. The last thing Orlando will need is another forward.

The team will need to address the backup center spot. But the team will also need to add some general wing depth, especially at shooting guard.

Re-signing Gary Harris would help in this regard. That might well be one of the priorities for the Magic this offseason.

Outside of him? The options in free agency are not great.

Tyus Jones is more of a point guard and would be undersized for what the Magic are likely looking for. Taurean Prince is a solid veteran who has had a major drop-off and likely fits better at power forward than at small forward. Jeremy Lamb has the reputation as a good shooter but is coming off his worst shooting season of his career.

These are not great options in this very skimpy free-agent class.

But Orlando needs to add some wing depth to help bolster this team this year. Even if it is someone just for spot minutes.