It is no secret the biggest need for the Orlando Magic.
They have struggled to put together a league-average offense for more than a decade. And the biggest thing seemingly holding them back was their inability to shoot from the outside.
Orlando finished the 2026 season 27th in the 3-point field goal percentage in the league at 34.3 percent. And that was a marked improvement from one of the worst 3-point shooting seasons the league has seen since the 3-point revolution of the 2010s, with a 31.8 percent shooting performance in the 2025 season.
And that does not even get to the Magic's horrid shooting showing, including 23 consecutive missed field goals in the Game 6 loss with a chance to advance to the second round.
It is easy enough to say the Magic need shooting. But they added shooters in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Desmond Bane in consecutive summers to boost their shooting. Those individual players were not enough to change things drastically.
It is clear then that Orlando will spend its offseason trying to improve its shooting. Perhaps a new offensive philosophy from coach Sean Sweeney will change some things. But the team still needs to add shooting personnel.
That is seemingly the big goal this offseason. It is the bare minimum they can do even if they are content to stick with much of the same roster to give their starters a chance to be healthy together.
"All of their draft capital went out the door to get Bane," Marc Stein said on The All-NBA Podcast. "They brought in Sean Sweeney as their new coach. Do they want to see how this group meshes with a new coach before they really consider further drastic changes? It wouldn't surprise me if they make one trade because they do need more shooting."
Making a major change is the big question for the Magic.
It seems the Magic are not chasing Giannis Antetokounmpo, at least according to Stein's sources. But the team should still have something to say in the trade market.
It might be something small. But the league will be watching them all season, waiting for the team to deconstruct its roster -- that may be inevitable given its cap situation, and some rearranging is ultimately required.
All indications remain that Orlando wants to give its starting group a chance with a new coach and with some better injury luck.
But the team knows it cannot sit still and simply run back the same roster. The Magic need to make some tweek. They ned more than one reliable shooter to be the team they want to be.
It is right to view shooting as the team's priority. That is abundantly clear.
The question is more who? And then how?
The shooting options on the trade market
It does not take a rocket scientist to know the Orlando Magic need shooting. It is the team's primary need.
Nobody has any clue who the team will target. Marc Stein offered no suggestions. The Magic, as always, operate very quietly.
With the team's cap situation, finding trades are tough. The team cannot take on more salary than it sends out. But the team must find a deal that other team will take that decrease their payroll essentially.
All while not trading their starters. If the team is doing something small, it will not be exciting. But even that pathway is limited with this team's cap situation.
The best shooting targets using Goga Bitadze's salary would be Sam Hauser (and that would require either Jonathan Isaac or Tristan da Silva in addition) or Klay Thompson (again requiring Isaac's non-guaranteed deal to work or a larger trade -- Wendell Carter for Daniel Gafford or P.J. Washington is a favorite trade idea).
Players like Dalton Knecht or Gary Trent Jr. make significantly less than Goga Bitadze but could also be on the target list.
A favorite target like Isaiah Joe would require a third team and some cap gymnastics with both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic in the aprons. The same is true for Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale.
And a lot of this does not consider whether other teams would take Bitadze or whatever trade package the Magic put together. And it does not try to factor in the potential for a three-team trade -- could the Magic jump into a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to get Gary Trent Jr., Kel'el Ware or other players? Absolutely.
There is a menu of options. Some might even be tantalizing from a name perspective. But making something happen is difficult.
The free agent shooters
The Orlando Magic will explore the trade market. And the team will need to get creative to access players on that market. This is why there are these sprawling three- and four-team trades now in the NBA.
This is because the team is now over the first apron. The Magic not only cannot take any more money in trades, they also only have the taxpayer mid-level exception to spend in free agency -- a contract worth $6.1 million.
That does not get a lot. Very few teams use the taxpayer mid-level exception, instead waiting for someone to fall through the cracks into the minimum salary bucket.
The Magic are begging for shooting. And this is a tool the team needs to get right one way or the other.
There are a few options available.
Magic fans have long wanted to acquire Collin Sexton. But his salary was probably an impediment. After getting shuffled around last year from the Charlotte Hornets to the Chicago Bulls, this might be the time.
A guard like Gabe Vincent, who has struggled with injuries in the last few years after leaving the Miami Heat, could also be attainable.
The list of free agent shooters in the Magic's price range dries out quickly. It is why the team is likely to trade for its shooter and spend the mid-level exception or free agency on a center -- think Robert Williams, Kevon Looney or Dwight Powell.
None of this sounds particularly exciting. It is further proof the Magic must be creative, aggressive and intentional.
But the team is a bit boxed in this summer. Orlando seems content to make marginal changes to the roster to try to give its starters another attempt together.
But there are only limited options to improve this vital skill for the Magic.
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