The Orlando Magic quickly and quietly completed their roster with the mid-July signing of Cory Joseph.
The last hopes to bring back Markelle Fultz on a minimum deal were dashed. The team added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and drafted Tristan da Silva, but largely kept their roster fully intact. According to ESPN.com, the Magic have the second-most continuity on their roster of any team in the league.
The only major losses for the team were Markelle Fultz and Joe Ingles from last year's roster. Replacing them might be more difficult than anyone thinks.
Other than that, the team let go of two of its two two-way players.
Admiral Schofield aged out of the two-way contract having played his fourth year in the NBA. He agreed to play for ASVEL in France. Kevon Harris signed a camp deal with the LA Clippers as he enters his final year of two-way eligibility.
Both players were valuable for the Magic for the energy they brought from the bench. But it leaves two roster spots open for the Magic to fill before training camp.
Granted, the Magic probably already have some idea who they want to use their two-way contracts on. They have likely already agreed to many of their Exhibit 10 camp invites before training camp begins on Oct. 1. And the Osceola Magic still have to put their roster together (working through the Orlando Magic's training camp to bolster that group).
But as far as roster intrigue goes, this is the last piece of the puzzle for the team to solve before practice begins.
The Magic have a type too when they look at their two-way players. They tend to go for more veteran G-League players who can support the main roster with their defense and attitude—Schofield, for instance, rarely played with the Magic last year but also spent zero time in the G-League. They look for veterans who provide a cultural fit and break-glass-in-case-of-emergency support.
Trevelin Queen, the Magic's current lone two-way player, is a great example of this.
Queen was a former G-League MVP who dominated the G-League with his scoring, even averaging 24.4 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game last year. But in his 14 games with the Orlando Magic, he proved to be an energetic and willing defender. His contributions during the January injury spell were critical for the team's success.
It should be noted too that this is the last year Queen is eligible for a two-way contract. So he has a lot on the line when he gets his opportunity.
The Magic do not use the two-way contract as a pure development project. They do not use it to take a chance on young players. They look for more established players who fit their defensive mentality like Queen, Harris and Schofield did last year.
It is a wide net to figure out who fills these G-League spots. But who is still left on the board that fits the Magic's desires? It might be time to explore.
3. Summer League Standout: Xavier Moon
Summer League should provide some clue of what the Magic are looking for. But many of July's Summer League standouts for the Magic either were already on the roster—the top scorers were Jett Howard and Tristan da Silva—or ineligible for a two-way contract.
Jay Huff was an extremely popular player from Summer League for his size and willingness to shoot after he averaged 16.8 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. But the former Denver Nuggets two-way player inked a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. So he is off the board.
Theo Maledon (14.0 points per game and 5.3 assists per game) and Jarrett Culver (9.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game) had strong runs for the Magic's Summer League team. But both already have four years of service in the NBA and thus cannot sign two-way deals. Theo Maledon will join Admiral Schofield on ASVEL in France and Jarrett Culver is likely looking for an Exhibit 10 contract to try to latch on somewhere in training camp and spend another season full-time in the G-League.
Jared Rhoden had a good showing in Summer League, stepping up his play especially after the Magic's regulars left the lineup. He was a bigger-than-he-looks wing who defended well and racked up a ton of assists to boot. But he has agreed to a camp deal with the Toronto Raptors.
That does not leave a lot of players from the Magic's Summer League roster to choose from.
One they could go for is to add some point guard depth and give the Osceola Magic one of the best point guards in the G-League in veteran Xavier Moon.
Moon has played 28 total games in three seasons with the LA Clippers, scoring 98 total points and dishing out 50 total assists in 276 minutes. But last year for the Ontario Clippers, he averaged 19.5 points per game and dished out 6.3 assists per game.
He is one of the best point guards in the G-League. That should counteract a so-so Summer League showing where he averaged 7.0 points per gae and 3.4 assists per game with 3.0 turnovers per game. The 29-year-old is a veteran and would provide stability in whatever role he ends up playing.
The pickings are very slim from the Magic's Summer League roster. And so they are probably going to have to search elsewhere to fill this spot.
2. Osceola Magic Holdover: Mac McClung
So where else could the Orlando Magic go that it at least familiar? They do have a G-League team that finished first in the Eastern Conference last year (a single elimination loss in the playoffs halted their championship journey short).
In theory, if winning is important, the Orlando Magic should want to retain some players from the Osceola Magic. If for anything than to keep some continiuty from last year's roster.
Keeping Trevelin Queen around will help. But a lot of the top guys on the Osceola Magic have signed elsewhere.
One player who has not is fan favorite Mac McClung.
The two-time dunk contest champion is much more than a dunker, as he constantly tries to prove. He averaged 25.7 points per game and 6.6 assists per game last year. He also shot 39.6 percent from three on 6.7 attempts per game. He did not play in Summer League this year.
McClung is struggling to find an opportunity in the NBA. But he is very much capable of taking on an NBA role. The question is which team will give him a two-way opportunity?
The Magic have had him in their system and family for a year now. So there is that familiarity and they just signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal.
But McClung does not have the size the Magic prefer. He is still developing as a playmaker. Last year was good progress on that front for him. He made some real strides in that regard. Is that enough to get him a two-way contract?
McClung should be playing on an NBA roster somewhere or at least on a two-way contract. He has been one of the best guards in the G-League for several years now. There has to be some opportunity for him somewhere and he will get a chance to prove himself with the Magic during training camp.
1. Summer League Standouts: Jules Bernard/Alondes Williams
As the Orlando Magic can attest in losing out on Jay Huff and Jared Rhoden, there are a lot of Summer League standouts who crisscross the league and sign from other teams. It is not uncommon to sign players from other teams.
That is how the Magic found Kevon Harris.
Harris was a standout for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Summer League when the Orlando Magic snatched him up. That built upon a strong run in the G-League beforehand. Players do not just come out of nowhere.
Who is that player this year?
A lot of the best players have already found homes. The Magic may not necessarily be late. But it is clear they are not putting the same emphasis on their two-way slots as other teams.
Why would they? They have a lot of young players who need playing time and the Magic trust their depth. They are trying to win now.
Going through the list of Summer League scorers, a player like Jules Bernard might work out.
The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 19.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last year for the Capital City Go-Go. He averaged 12.6 points per game and shot 10 for 25 from three in five games during Summer League for the Washington Wizards.
He was on a two-way contract with the Wizards last year, but his status is uncertain at the moment. It is possible he is back with Washington next year.
They could also look to Alondes Williams.
Williams is a 6-foot-4 wing who averaged 12.0 points per game and shot 12 for 25 from three during Summer League for the Miami Heat. He became an unrestriced free agent when the Heat withdrew their qualifying offer for him.
Williams averaged 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game for the Sioux Falls SkyForce in the G-League last year. He has shot 37.6 percent from three in two seasons in the G-League.
Williams is still looking for a home. That he could find some success with the Heat organization bodes well for him landing somewhere when the time calls.
If he is a good culture fit, then he would make sense for the Magic to give a shot to.
Two-way players are a small thing in the grand scheme of things. The Magic are hoping they never have to use them. But they are still important adding depth and keeping up intensity throughout training camp and practices. The Magic are not going to give up that opportunity to build that bridge.
The Magic may not hand out their final two-way deals until after training camp ends. But there will almost certainly be a major competition among the Exhibit 10 invitees for this permanent spot.
Someone will eventually emerge.