The Orlando Magic made their big move to kickstart the offseason, acquiring Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Magic addressed many of their needs in one player and seriously upgraded their starting lineup.
The cost has been one of the hangups from the deal. It is not just the picks the Magic gave up to get the deal done. It is giving up two rotation players in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, even if this is a clear upgrade.
Orlando gained a lot of its advantage in the 2024 season through its depth. And Moe Wagner's injury gutted the team's depth on top of all the other injuries.
To say the least, the Magic still have some work to do to complete their roster.
Especially after the cap-necessary moves of declining team options on Gary Harris and Cory Joseph to help complete the Desmond Bane trade (the moves slipped the Magic back under the first apron for potential trades before the draft).
With Moe Wagner and Caleb Houstan also facing team options this summer -- again, likely to be declined so the Magic can operate under the luxury tax and gain access to the mid-level exception -- the Magic are missing a lot of rotation players from the past two years.
Orlando's depth chart is indeed looking a bit sparse. The team desperately needs to rebuild its depth.
Pos. | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
PG | Suggs | Black | |
SG | Bane | Howard | Thompson (TW) |
SF | F. Wagner | da Silva | Houstan (TO) |
PF | Banchero | Isaac | |
C | Carter | M. Wagner (TO) | Bitadze |
Considering Jett Howard and Tristan da Silva spent most of the season out of the rotation, with da Silva receiving the only real playing time among those two, the Magic must add at least one more wing before the start of next season.
Another point guard to help Anthony Black alleviate ball-handling duties or move him to an off-ball role full time, or to replace Cole Anthony's sparkplug scoring also seems essential. And the Magic could turn to solidify their center rotation still.
To say the least a regular bench rotation of Anthony Black, Caleb Houstan, Tristan da Silva, Joanthan Isaac and Moe Wagner is not exactly striking fear into anyone's hearts, even if the Magic shrink their rotation and keep on of their core four players on the floor.
There is still a lot of work to do.
The Magic must improve their bench
Positionally, the Orlando Magic still must address their backcourt.
Their free agent focus has been on wings and backup point guards -- ranging from potential draft picks like Walter Clayton Jr., Jase Richardson and Nique Clifford to potential veterans like Chris Paul, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Tyus Jones.
Beyond which positions they should target, it is clear the Magic need more scoring off their bench.
Their bench rotation is not ready to lift the team to title contention.
Only Moe Wagner is a solid offensive option off the bench -- he averaged a career-high 12.9 points per game before his torn ACL. The Magic fell from fifth in the league in bench scoring with 40.0 points per game off the bench before Wagner's injury to 21st with 33.3 points per game.
In the Playoffs, Orlando got only 18.2 points per game off the bench. That was part of their downfall last season.
The Magic should be able to run a tighter nine-man rotation next year with four strong scorers in their starting lineup. But that does not lower the need to add another scorer off the bench.
But the team needs to focus on its depth and has to get its signings right.
The Magic face a tight budget
The other part of that equation is how limited the Magic are financially.
Currently, the Magic have $177.2 million in guaranteed salary for the 2026 season. That puts the team well over the projected $154.6 million salary cap and roughly $10.7 million beneath the $187.9 million luxury tax line.
That would give the Magic access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception worth up to $14.1 million. The Magic have an easy way to jump into free agency.
However, if the Magic use any part of that, they become hard-capped at the $195.9 million first apron. That leaves the Magic with $18.7 million in room to spend to fill these critical needs and build out depth.
The Magic's No. 25 pick will cost roughly $3 million of that. So the Magic could legally spend the full mid-level exception and then still have a little bit of room to sign a minimum player. But that would mean letting Moe Wagner and Caleb Houstan walk in free agency.
Orlando is again walking a very fine tight rope. The mid-level exception can be split between multiple players -- or the team could use the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception, which does not come with a first-apron hard cap.
The Magic still can make some moves and add players in free agency. But the Magic are going to have to be smart too and make a good draft pick, get some internal growth from the roster and make a smart free agent signing.
Orlando has work to do and has to be smart about how they do that work. The Magic still need to add at least two more rotation-level players this offseason.
Orlando will most likely put that focus on the backcourt and wings, with the potential to trade Jonathan Isaac or Goga Bitadze and use minimum players to fill their roles.
But with the Magic's current rotation, the team is nowhere near complete quite yet. It needs another scorer off the bench and some depth to withstand the inevitable injuries and get through the Playoffs.
Orlando still needs to expand its offense even after the Bane trade was completed.