The Orlando Magic were riding high at the end of the season.
They felt confident they had successfully leveled up, going from 22 wins to 34 wins in the 2023 season. They had the Rookie of the Year in tow and plenty of youth to believe that they are on an upward trajectory.
Fans are clearly excited about what the team will become. Everyone is eager to see what happens this offseason.
The first stage of the offseason ended with Thursday’s NBA Draft. Orlando came away with two Lottery prospects in Anthony Black and Jett Howard.
The draft though still raised a lot of questions. Fans were a bit surprised with both picks — whether it was because the players seemed to duplicate players already on the roster and muddied up the depth chart or because the team seemed to reach on a player with a skill set it clearly needed.
As the Magic get ready for free agency, they still have work to do to complete their roster. They still have a lot of work to do.
The Orlando Magic have moved past the NBA Draft and done their work to add key players to the roster. Now comes free agency and the big questions to help complete the roster.
But the picture is a bit clearer now.
That is what the draft domino falling does for this team. Now those remaining needs are a bit clearer even if some of the roster is a bit muddier.
Then there are the extension questions that will color the end of the offseason. The Magic are planning their future as much as anything this offseason no matter who the team ends up adding to complete this roster.
The Magic will be weighing a lot of different things now that the offseason has moved on to free agency. Orlando will have to be active and engaged to improve the roster and get it over the finish line to be a playoff team next year.
Orlando currently has 13 players under contract (and one two-way player in Kevon Harris) and somewhere between $20-$25 million in cap room depending on what they do with some non-guaranteed contracts this summer. So there are not many roster spots left to use even with the resources to do something big this offseason.
That is the ultimate goal. It is seemingly the way for this team to “level up.” They were the last team eliminated from postseason contention in the regular season last year.
With the draft in the rearview mirror, we look ahead to free agency and the questions remaining for this offseason.
5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency
What will the Orlando Magic do with Gary Harris?
The first big decision for the Orlando Magic will come on June 29 when Admiral Schofield and Michael Carter-Williams can have their contracts fully guaranteed. Those two decisions feel fairly simple. It is not likely either will be back next season.
The next big decision comes on June 30. That is when Gary Harris, Bol Bol and Markelle Fultz can have their contracts fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. Jonathan Isaac’s guarantee date comes Jan. 10.
All four of those players seem likely to remain in Magic uniforms. Still, there is always that off chance the Magic decide to go in a different direction.
Keeping Fultz, despite the new glut of guards, feels like a sure thing. Harris though has always had a bit of mystery about him. There are at least a few teams already circling to try to grab Harris should the Magic let him go.
Why would the Magic let go of the final $13 million of his contract? Well, that would be a sure sign the team is going for some big fish in free agency. Eliminating Harris’ contract would take the Magic’s projected cap room from $23.9 million to $36.9 million.
There really are no players worth that much — not even James Harden, who is probably looking for a salary above that space — especially for where the Magic are sitting developmentally.
The truth is too that Harris is too valuable as a trade chip simply to let loose into free agency. Whether the Magic might look to trade him this offseason as a way to ease their guard and wing logjam or wait for the trade deadline, there will inevitably be a market for Harris.
The Magic’s guard logjam might also be insurance for Harris, who has played more than 60 games just three times in his nine-year career and cleared 70 games just once.
Harris may not be long for his time with the Magic. He still serves a very valuable role as the team’s best shooter — 43.1 percent from deep last year on a shockingly low volume of 4.5 attempts per game — and one of the few veteran players on the team with playoff experience.
Keeping Harris this offseason seems like a simple decision. The Magic should be able to accomplish its free-agent goals without letting him go.
5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency
How will the Orlando Magic fill the backup center role?
Orlando Magic have discussed the guard logjam the team’s draft picks have created nonstop since last Thursday’s NBA Draft. There will be a lot for this team to sort out. Depth is never a bad thing and the Magic want internal discussion.
That puts all the free agency focus on the frontcourt and making sure it is shored up enough to help the team take the next steps.
To me, no need is more urgent or immediate than the backup center role. And while both Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze performed admirably, they are not players I would rely on alone.
If Orlando spent its draft in part to ensure that the conditions that led to their 5-20 start — if point guards go down, they have plenty of ball handlers to step up now — then the rest of free agency needs to be shoring up the roster for expected injuries.
The fact is: Wendell Carter is not someone the Magic can rely on for 82 games. He has never played more than 62 games in a season (he hit 57 last year). That means the Magic should be planning for Carter to miss at least 15-20 games.
That means the Magic need a starter-caliber center to fill that gap. They cannot be down such an important position for very long.
It would not be surprising if the Magic spend a good chunk of their free agency focused on this spot. And they have options.
They could go with veteran big man Mason Plumlee. He may not inspire a lot of excitement and is certainly a short-term option. But he knows what he is good at. He will set good screens and hold his own on the glass while finishing the occasional lob.
Dallas Mavericks big man Dwight Powell could also fill this role as a solid screen setter and rim runner who can fill in as a starter.
They could go for up-and-coming bigs like Drew Eubanks, a solid shot blocker in limited minutes for the Portland Trail Blazers last year, or Neemias Queta or Chimezi Metu.
They could go with journeymen like Jock Landale or Mike Muscala. Both are players who have had their moments in the league as one-dimensional bigs. But neither has made a consistent enough mark worth targeting at the highest level.
They could look to go to a hybrid big — more on them in a bit. Or there are some veteran options that might consider giving a young team like the Magic a chance.
Orlando will have its work cut out for it to fill this spot. But bringing back both Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze does not feel like the best option. Then again, the further down this list the Magic seem to get, the better it might be to stick with what they know and hope Carter’s injuries are limited.
5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency
How much are the Orlando Magic going to rely on Jonathan Isaac?
This seems like the ultimate question every year of late right? Is Jonathan Isaac going to be healthy and actually step on the floor?
Isaac made his triumphant return to the court last year after three years recovering from two separate major knee injuries. He played in only 11 games before a hamstring injury forced him back to the surgeon’s table.
That surgery was described as not serious and he was expected to be back in time to have a full summer and certainly to be ready for training camp. But there is no such thing as a minor injury when it comes to Isaac anymore. The team is still going to be so careful with him.
The Magic’s forward group has some depth to it but how reliable is that depth? Obviously, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are the team’s unquestioned starters. Behind them, Jett Howard and Anthony Black work more with the guard groups but could fill in at small forward.
At power forward? The team right now would be relying on Jonathan Isaac, Chuma Okeke and Bol Bol to fill those minutes. Bol had a solid season last year but showed a lot of his flaws. Okeke has had his moments but has really struggled with injuries despite his defensive potential. Unless those players have improved behind the scenes, the Magic would be relying on Isaac to man that backup spot.
There have been rumors the Orlando Magic will be among the many teams chasing after Boston Celtics restricted free agent Grant Williams this offseason. He provides some defensive tenacity and solid 3-point shooting to the team that signs him.
If they miss on him, a sharpshooter like Georges Niang might make sense too, even if he is limited to just being a shooter.
If Orlando is truly ready to move on from Jonathan Isaac, veteran Harrison Barnes might be a solid versatile option to bring into the fold. It is not clear whether he would want to take on such a smallish role with a team like the Magic. It would likely take an overpay to get him.
If the Magic want to keep the versatility kick they are on with seemingly every other position, Trey Lyles could be a good grab too. He could fill in as a versatile, but undersized center, but works best as a playmaking fulcrum from the power forward spot.
Other options might include former Wekiva High School alum and Philadelphia 76ers big man Paul Reed.
There are some options out there to boost both the forward and center spots. The Magic should be able to take a flyer on someone, although they may not move newspapers.
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?
5 questions for the Orlando Magic entering free agency
Do the Orlando Magic extend Cole Anthony or Markelle Fultz?
When the free agency dust settles, the Orlando Magic will likely turn to their own roster to complete their offseason.
Perhaps the team does it sooner and just gets it done as a statement of intent and get teams to start calling about their players. But the Magic have some business to take care of with their own roster.
Both Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony are extension eligible with their contracts set to expire at the end of the 2024 season. Fultz will be an unrestricted free agent while Anthony would enter unrestricted free agency if the team does not come to an extension agreement.
Before the draft, it felt like the Magic would likely try to secure one or both of these players and just take care of their business before the season started and eliminate any drama.
Adding both Anthony Black and Jett Howard has complicated the situation some more.
The Magic are now loaded with guards. And it feels like the Magic either cannot afford to keep both players or have their backup plan should one of those players be on the way out — in the short or long term.
Certainly, it feels like the equation has changed now and it is not clear whether the Magic will look to extend one or both of them for that matter.
What the markets would be for Fultz and Anthony are also both tough to estimate.
Fultz is coming off a three-year deal that will pay him a closing yearly salary of $17 million. To keep him would likely mean bumping his salary above $20 million. While he had a strong end to last season, Fultz has a lot to prove. It depends on how comfortable the Magic are in investing in him.
Anthony is coming off his rookie contract. He is likely seeking a salary in the $15-20 million range. He may also have the goal of ultimately starting in the NBA rather than playing the Sixth Man role the Magic are likely slotting him for.
The Magic have carefully managed their books to create financial flexibility. Even with the prospect of a rising cap and the need to position themselves for future trades, the Magic are running out of time to be big spenders in free agency.
That might increase the need to be aggressive this offseason.
Everything plays with each other. And it is not clear what direction the Magic will go. But it will reverberate beyond this offseason and lead us right into training camp.