The Orlando Magic are entering a critical summer for improvement. They are entering an important moment in their development when they have to add players in free agency with available cap room and plant a firm flag at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Magic had an incredible 2024 season and claimed a spot in the Playoffs for the first time. Now, it is about building on that success.
Orlando can celebrate its season. But the Magic still have to look themselves in the mirror and find a way to improve. They need to find a way to grow their roster. The league is not going to sit and wait for them.
The Playoffs indeed had the effect of revealing many of the Magic's weaknesses. Many of them were already pretty well known—shooting chief among them. But the Magic found ways to work around a lot of them to get to a Game 7. The Playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers laid a blueprint for the team to take its next steps.
This is a big summer. The Magic have lots of cap room—somewhere between $25-50 million, depending on what they do with contracts and cap holds on their roster. That has put a lot of focus on filling many of these needs on free agency.
Orlando is likely looking for at least one starter. And the team should be looking to give second-year players Anthony Black and Jett Howard a pathway to play.
That may make it tough for the Magic to find room for another rookie. Orlando may be using the 18th pick with the thought of giving that player a gap year in the G-League to improve.
Even if the Magic end up shopping the No. 18 pick in the first round, so long as they own the pick, they should be aiming to add something of value to the roster and fill a need on their roster. They may not get a starter at No. 18, but depth is always valuable.
This stage of the offseason should be spent really assessing what the Magic need and evaluating all the options to fill those needs. The draft will be an opportunity to add to the roster and fill those needs.