7 players the Orlando Magic gave up on too soon
4. DeShawn Stevenson
One of the best examples of players the Orlando Magic gave up on too soon, DeShawn Stevenson was the right player who was on the roster just before he was truly required.
Stevenson played 163 games for the Magic, and after two seasons opted to forgo the final year of his deal to sign for the Washington Wizards. He was 24 years old at the time.
This was 2006, and only three years later the Magic would be losing in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Adding another layer here, Stevenson himself would go on to be an underrated defensive cog for the Dallas Mavericks, as they got over the hump in 2011 by beating the Miami Heat.
Were the Magic one player short in 2009, and was that player Stevenson? He was not quite what he would be in 2011, but there is no doubt he would have helped slow down Kobe Bryant.
If you take a look at his career earnings, there is little doubt the Magic could have afforded to keep him around to allow him to morph into the defensive difference-maker he would go on to become.
It is strange that the front office didn’t recognize what they had in Stevenson at the time.
Perhaps there were issues behind the scenes that would have made his departure inevitable. But the Magic were heading towards contention when he left, and Stevenson 100% would have helped.