3 Players the Orlando Magic could trade or cut this summer but shouldn't
In many ways, the Magic had an outstanding and unexpected 2023-2024 season. While every Magic fan would have loved for Orlando to win their first playoff series since the Dwight era, making the playoffs and winning a few playoff games was probably the realistic ceiling for Coach Mosley’s group heading into this year.
While the team did surpass the expectations of many and appears to be on track to be a force in the East for years to come, it remains obvious that changes and improvements to Orlando’s roster must be made if they aspire to keep growing and one day be true NBA title contenders.
With some of the most cap space and money across the league to spend this offseason, roster changes are coming, and the team will look a little different in at least some ways next year.
With that being said, which players whose futures are still uncertain should Orlando hang on to for the 2024-2025 season? Who should Orlando make sure they keep in order to keep the franchise moving in the right direction?
3. Moritz Wagner
Mo Wagner is under contract for the 2024-2025 season, but that’s only IF the Magic choose to exercise his team option and pay him the $8M he is due for 2024-2025. By nature of having to make this decision this offseason, Wagner’s future with the team is still somewhat up in the air.
This past season, he was Orlando’s backup center, and in 17.7 minutes per game, he averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. While these numbers may seem average at a glance, Wagner was also the team’s enforcer when things got physical, an energizer bunny when things got lackadaisical, and one of the better players on Orlando’s very productive bench. There are things Wagner brings to the table that just do not show up on a stat sheet.
The Magic should bring back the older Wagner brother as a means to keep the bench stocked with talent, lock down the backup center position, and frankly—maybe the most important of all—keep his younger brother and franchise building block Franz Wagner happy and comfortable in Orlando.
Mo Wagner has absolutely played well enough to deserve having his team option picked up for 2024-2025. But even if his play was more on the fence, his personal relationship with Franz is enough that Orlando’s front office should lock him in for the upcoming season and maybe even longer.