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.
2. Franz Wagner
Franz Wagner is only 22 years old and in his third NBA season. No one is a finished product at that stage of their career, but Wagner is the Magic’s second star. That comes with a lot of pressure, and last season some of his struggles overshadowed his overall growth.
Wagner shot only 28.1 percent from three last season and struggled to make shots in Game 7. His struggles from behind the arc stuck out like a sore thumb because the team relied on him so much.
Threes are a big part of the modern NBA. While the Magic didn't take many compared to the rest of the league, someone had to try their luck from behind the arc every once in a while. Without a lot of established volume shooters, Wagner found himself in that position quite a lot, averaging the second-most three-point attempts on the team.
Wagner needs to work on his shot—there is no way to work around that—but hopefully, the presence of a respected 3-and-D player like Caldwell-Pope will take some of the pressure off of him. If Caldwell-Pope shoots around 40 percent from three again and Jalen Suggs can replicate his production from last season, Wagner should have some more time to work through his shooting issues without holding the team back.
Plus, due to the addition of Caldwell-Pope, the Magic will now have Gary Harris coming off the bench as a shooting threat, and maybe Tristan da Silva can contribute in that department as well.
1. Paolo Banchero
In just his second NBA season, Paolo Banchero established himself as one of the new young stars in the league. He made his first All-Star appearance and led his team to the playoffs. There is so much more to come, but the Magic need to surround Banchero with the right players.
At this point in his young career, that seems to be 3-and-D players who can space the floor and a table-setter to help facilitate the ball. The latter is something Banchero specifically asked for, but the Magic decided to focus on the former.
While not getting a true point guard means that Banchero will have to carry a heavy playmaking load once again, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope should still make his life easier. Caldwell-Pope has been a plus 38 percent 3-point shooter for the past five seasons, shooting 40 percent or more three times.
He is not a crazy volume shooter, but has more gravity than anyone else on the Magic's roster. Teams are very well aware of the role Caldwell-Pope played in the Denver Nuggets' title run and will not ignore him.
Especially if Jalen Suggs can shoot like he did last season (39.7 percent on 5.1 attempts per game), the floor should open up significantly. More space means Banchero has a better lane to get to the rim, and defenses cannot collapse on him. Hopefully, that will also help with his turnover numbers.
Banchero and the Magic would probably still benefit from a true point guard, even as a reserve, but signing an impactful 3-and-D guy means they are one step closer to building a truly competitive team. Besides, the Magic are still developing and building. Another season as the team’s primary playmaker will only help Banchero grow in that department, which will still be beneficial even if the Magic bring in a true point guard eventually.
So, while it is kind of a double-edged sword for Banchero, he should still benefit from Caldwell-Pope’s shooting and veteran presence.