1 Dream, 1 reach, 1 realistic free agent for the Orlando Magic to target
By Elaine Blum
The Magic's first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers exposed some of the team's biggest weaknesses. Luckily, Orlando has plenty of cap space available to make significant upgrades this summer.
For quite some time now, the Magic have been included in several mock trades to land big names like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, or Dejounte Murray. The Magic Kingdom has also been envisioned as the perfect landing spot for plenty of available free agents.
Orlando will have plenty of options once free agency starts, so let's look at one dream, one reach, and one realistic free agent for the Magic to target.
Dream target: Paul George
The LA Clippers have not had the kind of success you would expect from a team featuring Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. Now, it seems that their collection of aging stars might be falling apart.
Paul George is set to hit free agency, and the Clippers reportedly do not want to pay him more than Leonard, meaning George would not get a max contract. If that is indeed the case, George might very well be on his way out.
The window to win a title with the Clippers is barely open at this point—if it's still open at all—and another team could offer him a chance to win at a high level as well as more money. One of those teams is Orlando.
The Magic have a lot of cap space and are a playoff team. Paul George's three-point shooting, defensive ability, self-creation, and experience would be an amazing addition to their young core. He could offer a real solution to their offensive struggles.
Unfortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly also extremely interested in George and have cap space available to pay him. Certain media personalities have urged George to bank on the Magic's young talent, but the vision of competing for a title with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey right now might be too good to pass up. So, even if the Magic made him an offer, he might decide to go to Philadelphia instead.
Plus, it would be risky for the Magic to spend so much money on just one free agent. They need more than just one impactful new contributor. One can dream, however, and the idea of adding George to the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs for a few years is certainly fascinating.