It was a disappointing season for the Orlando Magic, without a doubt. A year filled with promise quickly turned sour after devastating injury after devastating injury. The good news is that not only is Orlando's future bright, but the Eastern Conference is becoming increasingly wide open. And after the Magic's issues on offense plagued them in 2024-25, there may soon be a solution in the form of one Ja Morant.
According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, executives around the league believe the Memphis Grizzlies' star will be available soon. This could mean that Orlando has a massive opportunity in front of them this offseason.
Anytime you have an opportunity to go out and acquire a superstar the likes of Morant, you have no choice but to do so. Especially if you're a team like the Magic that's typically unlikely to land high-level star players in free agency.
It hasn't exactly been the most perfect stretch of Ja Morant's career these past couple of years. The off-court issues that began in 2023 were a big distraction without a doubt, and between injuries and suspensions he missed 105 games over the course of the previous two seasons.
Morant would be a great fit on the Magic
That's far from a winning formula for a guy that was an All-NBA talent back in 2022. The challenges Morant has faced have been tremendous, even if some of them were self-inflicted. His struggles have been well-documented, and they're the reason so many are out on him right now.
But if the Grizzlies indicate that they are ready to move on from Ja, it would still be an opportunity the Magic would be wise to jump on. Despite his injury troubles and off-court issues, Morant is still a fantastic individual talent that could fix a lot of the problems Orlando has been dealing with as of late.
Adding number 12 to the equation in Orlando would obviously mean that the Magic decided they were okay with going all-in on adding a playmaker to get the ball in the hands of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, rather than just letting those guys be the primary initiators of the offense. Again, if you have the option of making Ja Morant your top playmaker, it's a no-brainer.
Morant's creation abilities with the ball in his hands would do a lot to level up Orlando's offense. When he's not setting up his teammates, Ja is one of the most athletic and creative scorers in the league today. He would add a totally different dimension to this Magic team, and his presence alone would be enough to significantly upgrade this team's ability to score in the half court.
Orlando is already set up to become one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference for the 2025-26 season. With a healthier roster, there's no reason this team can't be up there with the Cavaliers and the sans-Tatum Celtics. Add in Ja Morant, and they just might be the favorites to come out of the East.