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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 42: Preparing for a fun season

ByPhilip Rossman-Reich|
Markelle Fultz and the Orlando Magic find themselves squarely in a postseason push and have every reason to keep going for it. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Markelle Fultz and the Orlando Magic find themselves squarely in a postseason push and have every reason to keep going for it. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 16: Bol Bol #10 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on March 16, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns beat the Magic 116-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 16: Bol Bol #10 of the Orlando Magic dribbles the ball during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center on March 16, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns beat the Magic 116-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Vol. 42

Roster Choices

"Should we have kept Bol Bol over Chuma Okeke? It was like rookie year for Bol and he showed us more than Chuma in less amount of time. -J Cross on YouTube"

This was an interesting roster choice, and I definitely believed there was at least a chance the Orlando Magic might cut bait on Chuma Okeke once their roster was filled out. To the point in the previous slide, I would have a little bit more faith in Bol Bol at power forward than Chuma Okeke in case Jonathan Isaac was out.

Still, the discourse around Bol being some sort of steal for the Phoenix Suns (he might be) has been a bit jarring. There are a lot of people who did not get the full Bol experience.

Bol is a very talented player. The highlights show that. And the Magic gave him his first real opportunity to play. That was something he desperately needed. And he took advantage of it in a very real way.

Of course, once the Magic ate up Bol’s playing time and brought him off the bench, he really started to struggle. His inconsistency in the half-court against smaller defenders and his inattentiveness on defense even with his ability to block shots became hard to stomach.

It says a lot that as the Magic started to care more about winning that Bol became a player they did not trust.

Still, Bol had a better season than Okeke. Okeke has simply struggled to find any rhythm on the court. And while he is reliable defensively and not someone who will make mistakes in rotations, his offense just has never come around in the way everyone anticipated after his time at Auburn.

If this were a pure basketball decision, I think I would have kept Bol over Okeke.

But this was also a financial decision.

Orlando had a non-guaranteed contract with Bol for $2.2 million. Cutting him meant they paid nothing. Okeke still has $5.3 million owed to him for this upcoming season.

Cutting Okeke and keeping Bol would have been a $7.5 million decision. Sometimes the finances of the league win out even when a team is well positioned financially in terms of the cap as the Magic are.

I think that was simply the impetus of this decision.

Thank you everyone who joined our live show on Wednesday. I hope to do more of those shows in the future. And as always, you can contact the site on Twitter @OMagicDaily or by e-mail at omagicdaily@gmail.com. I am always available to answer your questions.