3 disastrous mistakes the Magic must avoid making this summer.
1. Make a big move for the wrong star
We know that the time is coming for the Orlando Magic to make a move for an established star to take them to the next level. But this summer is about practicing patience in the pursuit of making that happen.
Hard as it can often be to believe, stars that we never believed were going to become available, then have hit the market overnight. Did you envision Kevin Durant going to the Phoenix Suns? Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks?
Even if that situation was a unique one and the Magic are only interested in a younger star, who would have thought Donovan Mitchell could be traded to a small market like the Cleveland Cavaliers? Mitchell by the way, looking more and more like the one that got away for the Magic.
Timing is everything in this league. The Magic perhaps last year were not ready for a star. But they increasingly look like they could be soon. And that could be the thing that takes them from playoff team to contender.
Still, caution is warranted. Mitchell helped the Cavaliers earn the 4-seed in the East before an embarrassing five-game postseason exit.
With the playoffs now into the second round, there is talk that perhaps Trae Young is not the long-term star for the Atlanta Hawks. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks did not even make the Play-In, and there is no telling how he feels about his current situation.
Luka Doncic, and a player like Anthony Edwards, are certainly players you go all in on. Young, however, is one you likely do not. The Magic know now that in Banchero, Wagner and Fultz, they have a trio of players who alongside a star can compete at a high level.
They also have the necessary remaining players, draft picks and cap space to make a lot of deals work. Rival franchises know this, so it is about realizing what the right opportunity is, and striking accordingly.
The most likely outcome here is the Magic decide to do nothing this summer when it comes to star hunting. They seem likely to use their cap space to shore up depth, perhaps building the pieces for that future star trade down the road.
But they have shocked fans before by blowing up a core that had reached its sell-by date, so if they go all in, it needs to be for the right player. The wrong choice here sets the Magic back years.