The Orlando Magic’s season ended with a disappointing Game 7 performance, but that should not overshadow the success this team had before that. Being the second youngest team to make the playoffs, the Magic overachieved, no matter how it ended.
This is far from a complete roster, and if the right moves are made over the summer, next season should be exciting. The playoffs revealed plenty of positive things, like Paolo Banchero’s superstar potential, but it also highlighted some of the Magic’s biggest weaknesses.
One of those weaknesses is point guard play. Jalen Suggs is a good player, but he is not the type of guard that will run the offense, direct traffic, and get his teammates easy shots. Neither are any of the other guards on the roster it seems. As a result, much of that fell on Banchero and Franz Wagner.
While you want players of that caliber to have the ball in their hands a lot, the Magic need a point guard who can get the offense going and stretch the floor. So, let’s look at four point guards the Magic could target in free agency this summer.
4. Monte Morris
This year’s free agency class is not filled with many big names who fit what the Magic need. There are some serviceable roleplayer options, however. One of those is Monte Morris. Morris has not had the greatest season, playing only 33 games with the Pistons and the Timberwolves, but that does not reflect who he can be as a player.
The Timberwolves got him because they were concerned about late-game execution and point guard play behind Mike Conley. Since they already had such a good point guard, though, Morris’ role was rather small.
During the two previous seasons, when he was a starter for the Wizards and the Nuggets, he was solid. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 assists and 12.6 points and 4.4 assists respectively during those seasons, showing that he can be a playmaker as well as a scoring threat.
Plus, Morris is a good three-point shooter who can stretch the floor. Morris might not be the most flashy option out there, but he could get the job done while not costing too much. Money is not really a huge issue for the Magic, but if they want to bring in a big name, like Paul George, it would be nice to get a relatively cheap point guard.
3. Spencer Dinwiddie
Spencer Dinwiddie did not play his best season with the Lakers, but he has shown in previous seasons that he can be much better than that. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 17.7 points on efficient shooting, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists with the Dallas Mavericks before being moved in the Kyrie Irving deal.
Dinwiddie is a traditional point guard and has been a good playmaker for pretty much all of his career. Even when he was sharing the floor with Luka Doncic, who has the ball in his hands a lot, he was able to dish out a solid number of assists.
The Magic could really use someone like that—a veteran point guard who has experience playing with young star players—to run the offense. Dinwiddie is not just a playmaker, however. He can also get you some buckets, which the Magic desperately need.
Right now, their go-to scorers are Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. If one of them is not having a good day, it will be tough to beat some of the better teams in this league. Plenty of those buckets can come from behind the arc as well. While Dinwiddie’s three-point shooting looked rough in Brooklyn, he shot around 40 percent for several seasons in his career.
2. Malik Monk
Malik Monk has been linked to the Magic for quite some time now, and the team’s lack of offense in the playoffs showed exactly why. Monk might not be a traditional point guard, but he has become a great playmaker, dishing out an average of 5.1 assists per game in the 2023-24 season.
He could certainly make life easier for Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs on offense. Banchero and Wagner need someone else to create for them and the rest of the team. Monk can do that.
Suggs, meanwhile, seems overtaxed as a third scoring option at this point of his career. Monk could help with that as well. He is a walking bucket who can put up around 15 points a game and save the team in clutch situations. He did both consistently with the Kings.
Monk can make offense out of nothing, and even though his percentages were not that great in the 2023-24 season, opponents respect him from behind the arc. So, the 26-year-old could really help the Magic out offensively, and the team should be more than able to make up for any of his defensive shortcomings.
Monk might not be as flashy of a name as Paul George, Klay Thompson, or Dejounte Murray, but he could help the Magic solve a bunch of their most important issues.
1. Tyus Jones
After becoming a crucial part of the Grizzlies’ rise to prominence in the West a few years ago, Tyus Jones found himself on a terrible Washington Wizards team. Now, he will be a free agent and will probably be looking for a playoff team to sign with.
Orlando could be the perfect spot for him. They are a young team with many playoff runs in their future, have plenty of money, and are in desperate need of his skill set.
For years, Tyus Jones was known as the best backup point guard in the NBA. Since leaving Memphis and stepping out of Ja Morant’s shadow, he has shown that he can also be a good starting point guard, however.
Jones is a great passer. In his first season as a full-time starter, he averaged 7.3 assists per game and he very rarely turns the ball over. The Magic could really use someone like that to set up Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and get the offense going.
Other than that, Jones is also not a bad three-point shooter. He would be able to stretch the floor some while putting up around 10 points per game.
On the other end of the floor, the 27-year-old is also solid, averaging one steal per game for his career, and would fit in nicely next to Jalen Suggs in the Magic’s starting backcourt. If the Magic could get Jones and one or two great three-point shooters to add to the rotation, this team could be a real threat in the East.