5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency

5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency

How will the Orlando Magic make a path for their rookies?

The Orlando Magic will get to see their rookies in Anthony Black and Jett Howard suit up in Summer League starting July 8 in Las Vegas. Everyone is eager to see them back on the court in game situations for the first time since the NCAA Tournament or NIT in March.

That just gives a flavor of what to expect when they get to the NBA.

Getting that over to training camp in September and October will be the trick.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman likes to talk about giving players a pathway to succeed. Especially rookies.

But this is a loaded roster, especially at guard. And finding a way for Black and Howard to both be in the rotation when everyone is healthy is not an easy thing to do.

As much as Weltman wants to create a pathway for these rookies to play, he has also said the Magic are at a stage where minutes will not be handed to anybody. Everything has to be earned.

Still, you do not invest in a high-level draft pick without putting some thumb on the scale to give them a chance to play. What the Magic end up doing with their guard depth is going to come to a head at some point. It feels unavoidable at this point (see the next slide for more).

The Magic are probably going to go into training camp with this logjam and let camp battles — and injuries — sort things out. But they will need to find a way to make sure Black and Howard get their time and experience to grow. They are likely to be here when the dust settles at some point.

This could mean the Magic get proactive and make a trade beforehand though. They could trade Gary Harris or do something bigger and move Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz or Jalen Suggs for frontcourt help. Everything seems on the table for this Magic team.

The question is, as always, how fast are the Magic looking to move?