The Orlando Magic did not have the season they hoped for.
Finishing at 41-41 and seventh in the Eastern Conference is what nobody had in mind for the Magic this year. Especially after they spent the first quarter of the season dealing with major injuries but still sitting among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Nobody wants to use injuries as an excuse. The Magic had their opportunities even when healthy to right the ship and climb out of the Play-In. But injuries were a major factor in this season with the team's top four scorers all missing at least 20 games this season.
One of the biggest acquisitions the Magic will make this offseason is Jalen Suggs' expected return for training camp and Moe Wagner's anticipated return in December or January (if not sooner).
Still, the Orlando Magic's playoff series with the Boston Celtics has proven a few things.
The first is that the Magic have two clear All-Stars, if not All-NBA-level players in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. They have been nearly unstoppable even against the championship Celtics' defense.
The second is that the team desperately needs the shooting, playmaking and offensive depth to take advantage of their skill sets while fitting into the team's defensive ethos.
Orlando has a lot of work to do this offseason
How much work is the question.
The Magic have two All-Stars and two players making $30 million or more next season (with Banchero joining Wagner and Suggs in the 2027 season after signing a max extension this summer). Orlando is officially a tax team next season, barring a surprising slashing of payroll.
Still, there is a lot of speculation they will push for a third star. It is the talk of the trade market at this early stage as everyone's eyes get bigger than their stomachs and they dream of putting together super teams without consideration for fit, salary or finances.
The Magic are among the teams everyone talks about as a player for All-Stars like Trae Young, LaMelo Ball or even Ja Morant. Before Damian Lillard's injury, Bovada listed the Magic as the favorite to land the veteran point guard in a trade.
They would cost a lot and potentially jeopardize Banchero and Wagner's growth, getting in the way of their development as playmakers and stars. Not to mention what those deals would do to the Magic's depth.
The Magic should resist this temptation to push all of their considerable draft and roster capital toward a star. The path forward for the Magic is to boost their bench and give the team role players that can accentuate and add to their offense, without substracting too much defensively.
What the Magic need is less of a star and more of the table-setter Banchero said he believed the Magic should have chased last offseason. They need someone to create for the star players or be a reliable shooter and secondary driver for them.
That will not stop others from including the Magic in their ideas (half-baked as they may be) for star players. Bill Simmons of The Ringer mused on his podcast of the potential of the Magic getting involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes if he asks out of Milwaukee.
Simmons pitched a deal where the Magic trade Franz Wagner, Anthony Black and their picks to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. At this point, trading Wagner should lead the Magic to hang up the phone. Antetokounmpo might be one of the few players they would even listen to the voicemail for.
But even then, Antetokounmpo would be a poor fit next to Banchero, considering they both play a similar downhill style with suspect shooting—Banchero is a better outside shooter. That does not actually solve any of the Magic's problems.
Wagner has redefined stardom even with his outside shooting struggles. He still averaged nearly 25 points per game this season and has played well in the Playoffs.
Orlando at least believes enough in Wagner's potential as a shooter (it definitely is not reality yet) to stay invested in him as he begins his max extension next year.
The Magic are not looking to disrupt their core. This season was not what they hoped for, but it certainly was not enough to abandon their project. They are still on the right track and minor tweaks could reap major benefits without completely upending what has worked for this team.
The Magic will almost certainly be buyers this offseason, looking to add talent to the team. They should be aggressive in doing so.
But they still must be careful. Many teams have gotten themselves stuck by overleveraging their cap into their star players. They do not want to be where the Phoenix Suns have ended up.
Orlando is venturing into the luxury tax for the first time since Dwight Howard was on the team with its current roster. They will likely face first apron restrictions when Banchero's extension kicks in.
With two young stars already locked up to long-term deals, Orlando is better off tinkering with the supporting cast, giving the group a true veteran point guard to organize and lead the offense and finding shooters who can buy into and add to the team's defensive identity.
It should be clear that the Magic have the tools and ability to swing a big trade if it comes to it. And there are a lot of teams entering periods of uncertainty—the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat were disappointing 8-seeds in the playoffs who got unceremoniously swept. Plenty of other teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and more have questions to consider this offseason.
If their series with the Celtics showed anything, it is that the top-end talent is not the Magic's problem. They do not need to look at the most expensive players this offseason.
What they need is the supporting cast to maximize what they already have. That is a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer for the summer.