The Magic did not make a big splash this offseason, going after Paul George or Klay Thompson. Instead, they opted to bring in a proven two-way role player who fits the team's defensive identity.
Reactions across the NBA media were pretty positive, judging this signing as a savvy move. Adding a championship-level player certainly comes with serious expectations. The Magic may not be true contenders in the Eastern Conference yet, but they are expected to put together another winning season.
Caldwell-Pope is a big part of that, and we have already looked at how playing with him might impact Jalen Suggs. Other players will benefit from playing with him as well, however. Here are three of them.
3. Gary Harris
After a rather disappointing playoff showing, many of us thought Gary Harris was done with the Orlando Magic. They needed an upgrade, someone who could impact winning in the most important moments.
Orlando got that upgrade by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but still opted to bring Harris back. His ability to shoot the three was certainly one reason for the new contract. Another one likely was the fact that most free agents left did not fit the Magic's defensive identity.
So, Harris inked a new two-year deal with Orlando, but he will be returning in a slightly different role. The veteran only played 54 games last season and started 27 of them, as well as all six playoff games he played. His role as the starting shooting guard who offers veteran experience and floor spacing will now fall to Caldwell-Pope. That means there is less pressure on Harris to be almost flawless. He was the only renowned shooter on last season's squad, and when his shot wasn't falling it looked bad for the entire team. That is not the case anymore.
Last season was a down year for Harris all across the board. Maybe a healthy year with less pressure to be an elite shooter can fix that.