1 Mistake the Orlando Magic must avoid making at all costs this offseason

The Orlando Magic have an exciting offseason coming up. For the first time in a while, they are not a lottery team and instead have a chance to build a playoff contender in the East. Finishing fifth in the conference this year and making the playoffs was a huge success. Now, the Magic just need to build on that success and that requires making some changes to the roster. 

Next season will look much different than this one did. No one will be surprised by the young Magic anymore, and teams will bring their A-Game to face them. Plus, other teams should be better. Joel Embiid will hopefully be healthy for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks had some time to get used to the fit with Damian Lillard, and maybe the Atlanta Hawks will finally figure some things out as well. So, logically, the Magic need to improve as well. 

Offense is the biggest issue here. The Magic finished the regular season 22nd in offensive rating and 24th in three-point percentage. In the playoffs that didn't look much different, and the team struggled to score. Especially on the road, it seemed that, at times, their only offense was giving the ball to Paolo Banchero and hoping that he could force a basket. That is not the pathway toward future success. 

So, the Magic need to add some players who can help with the offense this season—a point guard to set the table and some three-point threats, for example—to take the team to the next level. This is not always as easy as it sounds, though. 

The Magic must avoid making a costly mistake this offseason

Considering the Magic's young talent and cap room, the idea of adding a big name is tempting. Getting a star-level offensive force could push this team deeper into the playoffs well ahead of schedule. That alone is already tricky—accelerating a team's timeline does not always work out well—but there is more to it. 

There are some big names on the free agency market, like Paul George and Klay Thompson, for example. George would certainly look great in Orlando, but the question is whether he would even want to go there. The Magic are not necessarily a team that has drawn a lot of interest from big-time free agents recently. 

So, getting another star player to Orlando would likely take a trade. There is nothing wrong with exploring the trade market if it is for the right deal. Teams looking to move a star player will want to get as many assets back in return as possible. The Magic are not under any pressure to make an all-in win-now trade this summer, and gutting their depth could turn out to be costly down the line. 

Trading a few players (up to three probably, if they are not key contributors) and some picks for someone who could really transform the team's offense would be fine, but the front office needs to know where to draw the line. It is just not the time right now to gut depth for a star player, no matter how tempting it may be. Luckily, the front office has refrained from making any rash decisions so far and that will likely carry over to the offseason.