3 Magic players most impacted by Orlando re-signing Gary Harris

After his poor playoff showing, many thought Gary Harris played his last game with the Orlando Magic and would have to find a new team in free agency. Instead, the veteran and the Magic agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract. 

With that singing, the Magic get back one of the few players from last season's roster who had a reputation as a good outside shooter. Between him and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Orlando now has two veterans with a reputation as a three-point threat, and hopefully, it will help them space the floor. 

Jalen Suggs shot the three well last season, but he still has to show that he can replicate that production, and Jett Howard and Tristan da Silva still have to prove themselves as shooting threats at the NBA level before teams will respect them from behind the arc. 

Nevertheless, this signing was rather unexpected. Most of us thought Harris was almost surely on his way out. On the other hand, the Magic clearly do not want to lose any of their defensive prowess, and most other shooters available in free agency are not great defenders. 

Either way, Harris is set to be back with the Magic for another two years. So, let's look at three players impacted most by the signing. 

3. Jett Howard

Jett Howard was a lottery pick in last year's draft but spent most of his rookie season with the Magic's G League team. That way, he got a chance to develop while waiting for his shot at NBA minutes. 

Many Magic fans believe he should get his shot in the 2024-25 season. After all, the Magic need more shooting and that is what they drafted Howard for last year. With several of last season's rotational players hitting free agency, it seemed that minutes might finally open up for Howard. 

Having young contributors on cheap contracts will be incredibly valuable once extensions for the core three kick in for the Magic. Howard can only get there by gathering some NBA experience, however. 

Gary Harris returning to the Magic after they already signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes it much more unlikely that Howard will get a shot. Harris is a veteran and more proven player—despite his struggles in the playoffs—and will be first in line to get backup wing minutes. Harris has not had a healthy season since joining the Magic, however, so Howard might get a chance to get into the rotation if the veteran is injured again. That means the youngster has to constantly be ready.