Every team is still coming to grips with the league's new salary cap system.
It was the discussion of the offseason with teams making surprising moves to shed salary and try to navigate under the apron and gain flexibility.
It was somewhat surprising that the Orlando Magic were not among the teams that sought to gain flexibility preemptively, particularly after last season's disappointing finish.
Instead, Orlando enters the season with the sixth-highest payroll in the league. And they do not have the results to justify the expense.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were in the same boat last year.
The Cavs finished the 2026 season with the highest payroll. They enter this season with the eighth-highest projected payroll.
The NBA's salary cap system comes for everyone. The question is how teams maneuver around it to keep improving and make that cost worth it.
To be sure, the Cavs still face a lot of big questions. They face many of the same major questions the Magic are asking themselves as they plan their future.
They have three players due more than $30 million this season and two of them -- Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell -- make more than $50 million. The Cavs, like the Magic have a lot of money still committed beyond this season. They are only about to get expensive.
The Cavs grabbed Watson, a promising player hungry for a bigger role after the Denver Nuggets could no longer afford him, but the move cost their depth. Still, it was inspiring to see a capped out team be that aggressive.
The Cavs at least had some playoff series wins to lean back on and believe in -- including the 2024 seven-game battle with the Magic.
The Magic and the Cavs are still somewhat tied together by that series. But Cleveland accomplished what Orlando has not been able to, justifying their price. Their series win in 2024 led to two straight second-round defeats and a fresh set of questions.
That ultimately led to them trading the often-injured Darius Garland to the LA Clippers for James Harden. That helped the Cavs reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden is not getting any younger. Donovan Mitchell, still the team's unquestioned engine, is a small guard entering his year 30 season. And Evan Mobley took a step back as a scorer last year.
The Cavs still face questions about whether they can sustain their massive payroll. And a new four-year deal and a two-year deal for Mitchell and Harden leave them committed to this group through those questions.
This is the front line of the apron battle. And two teams that should be demanding results on a bigger stage and unsure if they will get there.
A lot of history
There was not a lot of animosity when the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers finished their seven-game series.
The Magic were making their Playoff debut and seemed happy to be in the Playoffs and a bit surprised they were able to take the Cavs to seven games. The Cavs were thrilled to advance, get out of the first round and see Donovan Mitchell truly blossom as a playoff performer for them.
There may not be animosity, but there is still a lot of history between these two teams. And for the Magic, beating the Cavs has some cathartic weight.
Cleveland though has still had Orlando's number.
The Cavs have won five of seven games since that series. The two wins for the Magic were quite big.
The lone Magic victory last year was the crowning victory of their seven-game win streak -- a 128-122 win that featured big shots from Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane to hold off the Cavs. It was the game that made it feel like the Magic could catch the Cavs and still get homecourt advantage.
It was a sign that the Magic at their best could beat the Cavs. And leave it a mystery what an Orlando and Cleveland series would have been like if the Magic had won their first-round series.
Projected Depth Chart
PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Donovan Mitchell | James Harden | Peyton Watson | Evan Mobley | Jarrett Allen |
Jaylon Tyson | Sam Merrill | Mario Hezonja | Nae'Qwan Tomlin | Thomas Bryant |
Craig Porter Jr. | Tyrese Proctor | Tristan Enaruna (2W) | Khalifa Diop | |
Meleek Thomas | Riley Minix (2W) | Earnest Udeh (2W) |
Mario Hezonja returns!
When the Orlando Magic drafted Mario Hezonja with the fifth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Fran Fraschilla gushed that the Regal Barcelona product could one day compete in both the 3-point contest and the dunk contest. He had that much athleticism and skill.
Of course, the other part of the Mario Hezonja draft story was that he was quoted as saying Lionel Messi could come watch him play basketball instead of going to see soccer's best player. You could not knock the confidence.
But Hezonja proved to be caught both in the shuffle of the Magic's constant coaching changes -- going from Scott Skiles to Frank Vogel after his rookie year -- and the difficulties of maturing in the NBA spotlight.
Hezonja averaged only 6.9 points per game in three seasons with the Magic. Orlando opted not to pick up the team option on his final season. He played two more years in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks.
He left the NBA and found his groove playing for Panathinaikos in Greece and Real Madrid in Spain. There were still inconsistencies, but he contributed to championship teams at both locations. He found his groove.
And now he is back in the NBA to try to help a championship-level team. That will be one of the more interesting stories to watch around the league.
Maybe Hezonja can reclaim his potential and be that guy.
Magic vs. Cavs This Season
Date | Location |
|---|---|
Dec. 16 | Orlando |
Jan. 7 | Orlando |
Feb. 6 | Cleveland |
Big Question: Can Jalen Suggs step up vs. the Cavs' guards?
Jalen Suggs had cemented himself as the heart and soul for the Orlando Magic long before the 2024 series with the Cleveland Cavaliers began. But the defining image of that series was in Game 4 when Jalen Suggs went chest-to-chest with Darius Garland in the ultimat signal the Magic would not back down.
Suggs was a pest for the Cavs throughout the series. Even though he was not able to score much in that series -- and had a disastrous Game 7 -- that series was defined as much by Suggs as anyone else.
All of the Magic's big wins come because Suggs steps up with a big shot or a big energy playat some point.
That was the case in the Magic's lone win against the Cavs last year.
Suggs had 12 points, four assists and three steals, making 4 of 9 shots (all four misses were threes) in the win. He had only four points in a 16-point loss to the Cavs in Cleveland in January and nine points in the loss that preceded it at the Kia Center.
Magic fans know that Suggs' offensive output is vital to the team's success. It is still the part of his game that can have some wild swings.
Suggs played three games against the Cavs last year, scoring 25 points on 9-for-28 shooting and 2-for-14 shooting from three with 16 assists and five steals against six turnovers. Of course, he had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his lone game against the Cavs in the 2025 season, the 120-109 loss the day after the Magic found out Paolo Banchero had torn his oblique.
Suggs is truly the key for the Magic reaching a new level. And a differencemaker when teh Magic can beat the Cavs.
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