The Orlando Magic will have a full roster entering training camp, leaving plenty of questions for how the team finalizes its roster in training camp. The team has overbooked its flight and someone is about to get kicked off.
On Monday, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported (Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel has since confirmed) that the Magic have signed guard Kevon Harris to a two-way contract, filling the final open spot on the Magic’s roster.
After averaging nearly 16 points for Timberwolves in summer league, guard Kevon Harris has agreed on a two-way NBA contract with the Orlando Magic, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 25, 2022
Harris had a standout Summer League with the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 15.8 points per game while shooting 57.7-percent from the floor and 45.8-percent (11 for 24) from beyond the arc while appearing in all five of their games.
Minnesota went 2-3 in Summer League. Harris had some impressive performances, scoring 17 points in a Summer League loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on 7-for-14 shooting and 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Summer Leauge finale against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Orlando Magic added Kevon Harris to their final two-way contract slot, filling their roster and leaving questions to sort through in training camp.
Harris played for Raptors 905 last year, averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 47.3-percent from the floor and 34.3-percent from beyond the arc. He also added 5.8 rebounds per game for good measure.
He scored 41 points in two playoff games last year for good measure and shot 14 for 25 in those two games.
Orlando went out and grabbed a scorer with its second two-way contract player — adding him to the veteran know-how of Admiral Schofield to bolster the Lakeland Magic roster and add some support to the main roster.
Harris also checks the versatility box for the Magic. He is a 6-foot-6, 216-pound guard. He has good size and athleticism to guard pretty much anyone on the perimeter. But his main thing is his ability to score.
With Raptors 905 last year, Harris was adept at working off the dribble, using his size to get to the basket and finish at the rim or set up his step-back jumper. In transition, he was effective at getting to and finishing at the rim. That part was on display during Summer League too.
He was a dominant scorer in college too at Stephen F. Austin, averaging 17.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game in his senior year. That included a 26-point effort in an upset win over Duke.
Harris can score. And on a baseline, this is something the Magic positively need. Harris has performed well when teams can just turn him loose and let him score.
Harris is still proving himself as a spot-up shooter and someone who can work off the ball. There is no doubt he knows how to use his size well to set himself up. But that would not be his role necessarily in the NBA.
That is always the struggle.
Harris still has to prove he can fit into an NBA role and prove that he can defend at a high enough level. But he has remained on the fringes of the NBA waiting for a chance on a main roster. He will get that at least partially with the two-way contract.
Like everything else, the Magic are going to sort through things in camp.
And there is now a lot to sort through in camp.
Harris’ place as a two-way contract player seems safe — although teams can swap out two-way players pretty easily. But it would be unusual to sign someone to a two-way contract in the summer only to swap them out after training camp.
It is not unusual to see this kind of swap before the January deadline when new two-way contracts cannot be signed.
It was at least potentially assumed the Magic were holding that final two-way contract spot open for players they would bring into training camp or as a way to keep Devin Cannady in the fold when the team has to cut its roster to 15 players.
Now that spot is gone and the Magic’s roster is full. They will face a difficult choice before the end of training camp.
Orlando currently has 16 players under contract along with these two two-way players. That means the team will have to cut one player before the end of camp to get down to 15 players.
On top of this, the Magic have 15 guaranteed contracts on their books already. Devin Cannady and Jonathan Isaac are the only players on a non-guaranteed deal — their guarantee date is reportedly Jan. 10.
It is extremely unlikely the Magic will cut ties with Isaac at this point, but that remains an option if his recovery has completely stalled out. It feels safe the team will give him this year to complete his rehab and return to the court.
Cannady has been a nice story for sure. But he struggled in his Summer League run. Then again, the Magic know exactly what they are getting from Cannady and are not going to be deterred from one bad Summer League showing.
The other option for the team could be finally finding a Terrence Ross trade partner. But doing so and only getting draft picks in return could prove difficult at this point of the offseason — and a sudden about-face after seemingly insisting on a first-round pick or something of value through the trade deadline, the draft and much of the offseason.
The team could also look to cut out players with non-guaranteed second years like Bol Bol or players set for free agency in 2023 like Moe Wagner.
Neither seems likely. The Magic are especially thin at center where both players would help.
Orlando’s roster will reach its head at the end of training camp. And that will be a decision that gets sorted through late September and October.
Harris though completes the Magic’s roster at this point. Every spot the team can use for the start of the season is accounted for, at least for now.
In Harris, Orlando got a solid scorer who will support the Lakeland squad and give the main roster another offensive threat. The rest is still undecided now that he is on the roster.