3 Free agency mistakes the Orlando Magic must avoid making
By Elaine Blum
Mistake #2: Be content with small additions
The Magic already have three young players who appear to have bright futures in the NBA. Paolo Banchero is a superstar in the making, Franz Wagner has All-Star potential, and Jalen Suggs could easily turn into one of the best two-way guards of this new generation.
With a foundation like that, it can be tempting to simply surround them with role players and depth pieces and see what the core can do. That is not the route the Magic should take this summer, however.
Just look at the Kings, for example. They finally returned to the playoffs with a solid core of De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk, but then decided to make only small moves over the summer rather than getting any upgrades. As a result, they missed the playoffs, and now Monk might be on his way out.
The Magic are still much younger than the Kings but also have a higher ceiling. Now is the time to lay the foundation for years of competing at the highest level in Orlando. Part of that is getting at least one starting-level addition. From now on, things will only get more difficult for the Magic.
Not only do other teams know what they are dealing with now when facing the Magic, but the expectations are also much higher. Most fans are hoping to see Orlando move past the first round of the playoffs very soon, and that will be difficult without some outside help.
This doesn’t mean that the Magic absolutely must get an All-Star-level talent like Paul George, but they need someone who can contribute at a high level. Thus, they have been linked to names like Malik Monk and Tyus Jones. Neither one is an All-Star. Instead, both are impactful players with specific skill sets.