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.
2. Jonathan Isaac
To many Magic fans, Jonathan Isaac’s return is probably an expected inevitability. He is one of the best young defensive players in the league, and he just completed one of his healthiest seasons as a professional, playing in 58 games.
Why would Orlando consider letting him leave now?
Well for starters—Isaac’s contract is not guaranteed for the upcoming season. If for some reason Orlando wanted to clear more cap space, moving Isaac would free up $17.4M for the NBA team that already has plenty to spend this offseason.
Additionally, for all the reasons previously mentioned, Isaac has become a very popular piece in many proposed trades for Orlando this offseason. Probably the most valuable asset short of Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner (neither of which are expected to be for sale anytime soon, if ever), Isaac’s increased value on the trade market has also made him a question mark to return to Orlando next season.
If Orlando pursues a player via trade such as Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, or Donavan Mitchell the likelihood is that the other team would request Isaac be part of the deal. If Orlando needed to clear more cap space in order to sign a big-time free agent such as Paul George, cutting Isaac gives one of the richest teams of the offseason even more money to spend on a big fish (or two).
Despite the money committed to him or the obvious trade value for a still young former lottery pick, Orlando’s ideal summer would include keeping Isaac due to him being the team’s best defender, his ability to play small-ball center, his versatile skillset, still rising potential, and frankly, to see through the investment they made by drafting him sixth overall in 2017. Because of his injury history, the jury is still out on how good Isaac could be, and Orlando deserves to be the team that sees that question through.
1. Cole Anthony
Another hot name for Orlando during recent trade rumors is the team’s sixth man, Cole Anthony. Anthony is under contract through 2026-2027 but has gotten the attention of many teams in the league as a potential trade candidate due to his solid play off the bench and Orlando's log jam of young guards.
Anthony had a mostly great year coming off the bench for Orlando, but some injuries and cold spells did make it slightly inconsistent at times. Despite those setbacks, he was the Magic’s leading scorer coming off the bench, and for a team that was not always great at scoring, he brought a much-needed boost, averaging 11.6 points and 2.9 assists during the regular season. For good measure, the smaller guard was also not afraid to get his hands dirty and averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 stocks (steals + blocks) per game.
Drafted 15th overall during the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony has been with Orlando every year since and has become a fan favorite with his funny interviews, love of pop culture, and exciting play on the court. Not many guys for Orlando in the past decade have hit buzzer-beating game-winners and slammed rim-rocking dunks, but Anthony has done both and been as fun as any player on the Magic to watch while doing it.
While Orlando does have some obvious improvements it needs to make this offseason, the subtraction of Cole Anthony would seem counterproductive to the Magic’s big picture. Orlando needs MORE shooting and MORE scoring. Not to get rid of one of the better shooters/scorers they already have.
For team comradery as well as production, Orlando will only benefit from seeing Anthony return to the Magic next season.