The move many Magic fans were hoping for never happened. Paul George will not come to Orlando. Neither will Klay Thompson, it seems. The four-time champion reportedly decided to meet with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers but not the Magic.
That was quite a disappointment for anyone hoping the Magic would bring in one of the former All-Stars. Orlando had other plans, however, and agreed to a three-year, $66 million deal with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Caldwell-Pope is an impactful role player and checks a lot of the boxes for the Magic. So, let's look at three needs Orlando addressed with this signing.
3. 3-point shooting
The Orlando Magic finished last season as one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the league. They had few respected volume shooters, and only Jalen Suggs and Joe Ingles shot around 40 percent. The lack of spacing hurt the Magic's offense, and it became clear that Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner needed to be surrounded by better outside shooters.
Ironically, the first solution came from the only team that attempted fewer three-pointers during the regular season than the Magic. The Denver Nuggets took the fewest three-pointers in the NBA but had four rotational players shoot around 40 percent.
One of those players is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Shooting over 38 percent in all of his last five seasons, Caldwell-Pope has proven himself as a solid outside shooter. That is just what the Magic need.
While he is not quite the same volume shooter as Klay Thompson Paul George, he can add a new dimension to the Magic's offense without needing the ball in his hands a lot.
He won't take anything away from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner but should be able to make things easier for them by stretching the floor.