5 Orlando Magic needs missed at the trade deadline and how to fill them in the offseason
The Orlando Magic let the trade deadline pass without making any moves, content to see how far this group could go now that they are healthy and facing a more manageable schedule. They still have lingering questions and needs to fill with missed opportunities and options this offseason.
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone.
There are still buyout players to sign, but teams have largely settled into the rosters they will take to the end of the season and into the playoffs. The sprint to the end of the season is getting set to begin around the league.
The Orlando Magic opted to stand pat at the trade deadline. No moves seemed to work for the team -- meaningfully advancing the team's long-term goals as much as their short-term ones, as Jeff Weltman put it to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.
The Magic are happy with the progress the team has made this season. The team finds itself in the postseason picture and, barring a complete collapse over the final 30 games, playing postseason basketball.
The team has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the league. They have an All-Star in Paolo Banchero and another budding star in Franz Wagner. Everything is starting to align for the team to find a brighter future.
The team has reached the All-Star Break, meeting their expectations in many ways. They have been better than everyone could have expected in October.
But expectations have changed. Pressure is indeed a privilege, and success only raises the bar. Everyone is eager to see the team be more than a Play-In team or a back-end playoff team. Everyone can more clearly see this team's potential and future.
And despite that solid defensive showing, the Magic also have the worst offense among teams in the postseason picture. There are a lot of holes and weaknesses the Magic need to fill.
That came into sharp relief at the trade deadline when the Magic seemingly had opportunities to expand and grow the roster for the short- and long-term future. But the team opted to save many of those questions for the offseason.
The Magic have committed to their continuity and their roster for this season. This is the group the Magic are rolling with.
But everyone also should realize this is not the group that is likely to win a championship. There are still needs to be addressed. And Orlando will have to begin addressing them this offseason. All of these questions will linger into the Magic's push for the postseason and deep into the offseason.
Just because things went unaddressed at the trade deadline does not mean they are not top of mind.
As the trade deadline goes behind us, it is at least instructive to think about the needs the Magic will have to fill this offseason, what opportunities were missed at the trade deadline, and where the team might turn this offseason to fill them.