Every offseason is a moment for examination and self-reflection.
Even in a successful season, only one team gets to kick back and celebrate at the end of it. Everyone else is constantly trying to improve to get to the mountaintop.
Some are closer than others. Some have a lot further to climb. Some are looking for the exact right formula to get their team there.
The Orlando Magic had big ambitions for the 2025 season. They entered it openly stating their plans to win homecourt advantage and advance out of the first round following their seven-game series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They could feel how close they were.
Fate had different plans.
Injuries disrupted their growth from the beginning of the season. They could not take advantage of the confidence and growth from their offseason and their playoff breakthrough. They went into survival mode.
Still, the Magic could see the areas where they were deficient. Maybe they would have accomplished their goals if they were healthy. But they could still see that they were not good enough to compete for the ultimate prize. They want to compete for championships.
To get there, the Magic needed to be honest about their team. They needed to identify the weaknesses that would keep them from reaching this ultimate goal.
Many of those were obvious -- the team's struggling offense, a lack of playmaking and creation and the 3-point shooting. The Magic could not bet on internal growth or bouncing back from injury to make their progress. There were real flaws on the team they needed to correct.
There was no standing still. And so this offseason became about action. It became about no longer standing still and meaningfully addressing the issues that have held the team back.
For the first time, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman seemed more serious and less aspirational about his team's title ambitions. They are in it to win the league, not merely just the East.
That is how much things have changed this offseason for the Orlando Magic. It began by identifying and addressing the team's needs rather than waiting for the team to develop solutions to meet them.
Attacking the offseason
The Orlando Magic have been noted for several offseason in a row for their inactivity.
Even with loads of cap room last offseason, the Magic opted for a more measured approach. They signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to address their shooting needs, adding a veteran 3-and-D wing who would stay completely out of the way. Then they re-signed a lot of their own players.
The bet last summer was on internal growth and development.
It was not an entirely bad bet considering how young this team was. And Caldwell-Pope was a genuinely good shooter who would add to the team's defense.
He never found his rhythm last year, having his worst shooting season since 2016. In the end, he felt like a half measure, failing to address the playmaking and creation issues the Magic had that became only more apparent when both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were out with an injury.
The Magic's lack of secondary creation with Jalen Suggs out with an injury only added to the frustrations in the Playoffs. Orlando needed more threats on offense.
They could not sit back and accept being one of the worst offenses in the league for another year. They could not find an excuse for having the worst 3-point shooting season the league had seen in the last decade.
Orlando went against its trends and was proactive.
The Magic fired the opening salvo in the offseason by acquiring Desmond Bane in the blockbuster trade in May, the team's first trade to acquire a player they would keep since 2021. Bane's arrival completely changed what everyone expected from this team.
In one fell swoop, everything changed for the Magic.
Bane is a career 41.0 percent 3-point shooter who has averaged more than 6.0 3-point attempts per game every year since his rookie season. He promised on a podcast with Kevin O'Connor that he plans to set his career marks for 3-point attempts.
It is a completely different mindset for a Magic team that has struggled to create spacing.
On top of that, Bane has averaged at least 5.0 assists per game in the last two games, showing he has grown as a playmaker and creator.
For a Magic team that was so reliant on Banchero and Wagner to create everything, they seemed to have gotten a player who can play off of their main stars and someone who can relieve the pressure on them.
That was the same as Tyus Jones.
While the Magic left the starting point guard position largely unaddressed, they made sure they had another steady veteran hand to help guide the second unit. Again, one who can stay out of the way and be a solid 3-point shooter in addition to being a good game manager.
Even in the draft, the Magic went against their type to pick Jase Richardson, another offensive-minded guard who can help with the team's shooting and downhill attacking.
If playmaking, creation and shooter were the biggest issues for the Magic, they attacked it in meaningful ways.
Injury insurance
The Orlando Magic knew they needed to add to their roster. But ultimately, what derailed them were the injuries. They never knew how good their team was last year. Their three main players played fewer than 100 minutes in six games together.
Improving the talent base on the roster and adding shooting and playmaking were vital. But it was more vital to give the Magic offensive diversity and prepare them for the inevitable injuries they will have.
Orlando is better prepared for injuries. They are better prepared to share the load and put less on their star players' shoulders. They have more players who can do more things.
It is easy to see games where Jalen Suggs or Desmond Bane are the leading scorers, just as it is easy to see them having big games as supporting shooters and scorers. Just as the team still has multiple options at center, the team has multiple options.
Orlando will be tested early with Suggs still returning from his knee injury. The Magic can afford to be patient because of the faith they have in the team they have built.
Still, the Magic are at their best when everyone is healthy. Orlando still has to prove that their whole collection of players is as good as everyone believes they can be.
But the Magic did not sit by. They saw their needs entering this offseason and they created an environment that should allow them to take the next step.
There was no sitting by this offseason.