Orlando Magic Daily
Fansided

5 Orlando Magic myths and how to dispel them

The Orlando Magic announced themselves to the wider world by making the Playoffs last year. But they are still a team floating well under the radar. And there are still a lot of myths about this Magic team.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

The Orlando Magic have a lot to prove this season. And a lot of myths they need to dispel as they enter a bigger stage.
The Orlando Magic have a lot to prove this season. And a lot of myths they need to dispel as they enter a bigger stage. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

Myth No. 3: Franz Wagner isn't worth the max

The most controversial decision the Orlando Magic made this offseason was to give Franz Wagner his max extension.

It sparked plenty of debate about whether the Magic should have gone all-in like this on their young forward, particularly since the lasting image of his season was a disastrous Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wagner was a solid player last year despite any concerns about his shooting. He averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game. Wagner did a bit of everything for the Magic and improved everywhere—except his much-talked-about three-point shooting.

But it is best to consider who else got max contracts and why Wagner is placed among them.

There were a fair amount of max contracts handed out for the 2021 Draft class—Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes and Franz Wagner all got max deals. Barnes is the only one among those players who got an All-Star bid, and he was only an injury replacement.

It should be noted then that being an All-Star is not some hard-and-fast requirement for getting a max contract. There are a number of factors that go into it.

But Wagner is on that level. Or, at least, he is on that level to the Magic.

There was no reason for the Magic to wait around on him. They either believe he is a max player and the second-best player in their rebuild or they do not. They do not have the cap room next summer to make a splash in free agency the way they could this summer so there was no reason to wait.

Jalen Suggs still has something to prove, but even he is expected to get his new deal before the Oct. 21 deadline. In any case, the Magic will bring him back one way or the other (on less than the max).

What the Magic said in giving Wagner a max is that they believe he is their second-best player and someone they believe will become an All-Star.

Considering he is getting his max—25 percent of the salary cap—on the low end of the cap increases and that the salary cap is expected to increase by 10 percent each year because of the new TV deal, outpacing the maximum eight percent raises in Wagner's contract, this is not a bad deal for the Magic at all.

To a certain degree, you either believe in Wagner or you do not. The Magic believe in him. And they had no other options to find a "max level" player considering their Paul George interest was probably not completely serious.

This deal enables them to keep home-growing their roster and building on this success.

Home/Magic News