The NBA Draft Lottery came and went and the Orlando Magic could not be bothered to care.
After four years between Playoff berths and three runs through the Lottery ringer near the top of the Lottery, that was certainly a relief. The Magic are entering the summer and the offseason in a position of power. They can seemingly do anything they want to improve the team.
A lot of the focus for the Magic has been on free agents. Rumors have connected the team to some big-name free agents like Paul George and Klay Thompson using the ample cap space the team has at its disposal this offseason.
It is easy to believe this is the way teams can use cap space. But cap room can be used in a number of ways.
For the first time in a long time, the Magic can act like buyers in the offseason. Their cap room is a tool to absorb extra salary in a trade. And the fact they can have it jump easily from $30 million to $40 million means they could go sign a major free agent and make a major trade if that is the direction the team wants to go.
Orlando should be hunting for opportunities to make deals—whether that is including the team's first-round pick this year or not. The Magic are a team that should be exploring every opportunity they can.
Lottery teams especially are teams in flux and transition. They are the kinds of teams that would be open to trades where they get very little in return to clear salary or would accept draft capital as the main asset in return. The Magic should be mining the worst teams in the league for hidden talent they could add to their roster.
Orlando has to enter this offseason with very specific goals to fill the team's needs. It can go shopping a bit, especially with Lottery teams, to figure out what it needs. And so we can begin doing that work with five players from Lottery teams the Magic should be looking at.
5. Dejounte Murray, Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks' win in the NBA Draft Lottery raises plenty of intrigue over what they might do. It was already feeling like an offseason of change for the Hawks. The top pick gives them the opportunity to try to consolidate and stick with their two All-Star-level guards and trade the top pick or give them a leg up to begin a bigger rebuild.
After two years of going through the Play-In Tournament after acquiring Dejounte Murray, it certainly feels like the Hawks are set to break apart their guard duo. The question is whether the team would trade Trae Young or Dejounte Murray. . . or both.
Murray was one of the hot names to move at the trade deadline. The Magic were rumored to be one of the teams in pursuit of him then.
Not a lot has changed in that regard. The pieces the Magic might move are still virtually the same, although now the top pick in the Draft is thrown into the mix with the Hawks likely looking at power forward Alex Sarr or wing Zaccharie Ricascher with the top pick (maybe Nikola Topic or others cut in too, it is a crowded room at the top of the Draft).
The Magic though need a point guard. That became apparent throughout the Playoffs. They needed someone who could set the table and attack off the dribble to ease the playmaking responsibilities on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and make their lives easier.
Young averaged 25.7 points per game and 10.8 assists per game while shooting 37.3 percent shooting from three. He had a 30.5 percent usage rate and has been a 30-plus-percent usage rate player for several years now.
The question in acquiring him would be whether he would be able to play off Banchero or would demand the ball in this significant way. Would bringing him in take the ball too much out of Banchero's hands and slow down his development or detour the areas the Magic hope to grow his game?
Murray presents some of the same questions but has shown he can play off the ball a bit more. He averaged 22.5 points per game and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 36.3 percent from three. He would certainly be a bigger threat from three than anything the Magic have.
There is at least a fit there.
But creating a deal is the hard part, even with the ample cap room the Magic have. It is unclear what the Hawks' goals are this year. What are they looking for in a trade?
Are they going to reset everything and plan to build around the top pick and Jalen Johnson? Are they going to try to retool around Trae Young? Will they insist on attaching Clint Capela and his expiring $22.3 million? Are they going to be looking to cut cap and get under the tax line before the season?
Those are all questions better for the Hawks to ask.
The Magic could help them with that with both Cole Anthony ($12.9 million in 2025) and Wendell Carter ($12 million in 2025) in a deal for Dejounte Murray. But considering the Atlanta Hawks traded four first-round picks for Murray, they will want to recoup some of that cost (even if it ends up being the 2025 Denver Nuggets pick or that conditional pick the Orlando Magic acquired last year).
Going for a bigger star like Murray is not an all-in move. It will not cost the Magic a ton of future assets. But it will cost the team draft capital at least. Really it comes down to what Atlanta wants to do this offseason.
4. Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers
No player probably gets Orlando Magic fans excited or calling for trades as trying to bring Anfernee Simons back home to Central Florida. The Altamonte Springs-born, named-after-Anfernee-Hardaway, Edgewater High School-alum guard has carved a solid start to his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.
In a lot of ways, Simons checks off a lot of boxes for the Magic. He is the ideal target for this young team.
He is a guard who can play off the ball and off of other stars and hit from the outside. He can play the point and take over games as a primary scorer when needed. He has good size and at least some defensive potential even if he has yet to show it playing for mediocre Blazers teams.
Last year, Simons averaged 22.6 points per game and 5.5 assists per game last year, both career highs. He had shooting splits of 43.0/38.5/91.6. The 38.5-percent 3-point shooting came on 8.8 3-point attempts per game. He made 42.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.
That is all encouraging that Anfernee Simons can be a big-time scorer when needed but can also step into a secondary role and play off Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. That may be the ideal of what the Magic are looking for in a lead guard to play alongside Jalen Suggs.
Simons is not known as a defender at all. But he has also played on some pretty poor Trail Blazers teams the last few years as he emerged as a primary starter.
The conclusion may be that Simons is not capable of being the lead star on a winning team. But he could be a good secondary player for a team like the Magic in need of a shooter. With Simons under contract for two more seasons at $25.9 million and $27.7 million, there is some control to see if this could work.
The biggest question with Simons is availability. He had played 65 games in a season once in his career. He played in only 46 games last year after dealing with a knee injury.
What would it take to bring Simons to Orlando? Mike Richman of Locked On Blazers pitched me a deal to bring him to Orlando, which I expanded to include another starter-level center who has dealt with injuries the last several years in Robert Williams.
The Blazers are in full rebuild mode. With two Lottery picks and hope to continue developing Scoot Henderson after an up-and-down rookie year, the Blazers are most interested in clearing cap room and collecting future assets.
Portland is slated to be $4.2 million below the tax line according to Spotrac. The Blazers are $53.1 million over the salary cap including team cap holds and other considerations. A team that is expected to be the worst team in the Western Conference again should not be anywhere near the tax.
This is why the Blazers are looking to move Simons. They want to cut their payroll. That is an area the Magic can help with their extra cap room and why a deal seems feasible between the two teams.
Richman pitched this deal (which I expanded to add Williams):
Magic receive: Anfernee Simons, Robert Williams
Trail Blazers receive: Wendell Carter, Anthony Black, 2025 first-round pick
The Magic would likely be hesitant to include Anthony Black in any trade. As things stand, the Magic probably want Anthony Black to fill in Markelle Fultz's role next year. Black earned his playing time early in the year but got lost in the shuffle.
That might make other teams think Black is available. But giving up on a player at his age is usually a bad decision.
Still, Orlando will have a choice to make when it thinks about whether to make trades. To get something good, you have to give up something good. Among their movable salaries will be Wendell Carter who is vital as the team's starting center for now. It would be hard to move him without having a starting center in place or ready to replace him.
But Carter had a rough season with injuries and defining a new role with this growing team.
This deal would benefit Portland by giving the team a first-round pick but also by cutting their payroll by $19 million. Orlando could do this deal and still have $13-24 million more to spend this summer.
The Magic could also look into Malcolm Brogdon (15.7 points per game, 41.2 percent shooting from three and 39 games played last year). He was another favored target at the trade deadline for the Magic.
3. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
There is at least some speculation from bloggers and reporters that the Orlando Magic could be one of the teams to hunt for a third star in free agency or the trade market. If the team is interested in chasing after another star on the trade market, Zach LaVine is another name being thrown around.
There is no doubt about LaVine's talent. He averaged at least 23.0 points per game in his five previous seasons before last year. He is a career 38.2 percent 3-point shooter. And the Magic know firsthand how hot he can get and how quickly he can pile up points.
The Magic need someone who can attack off the dribble and hit threes in bunches. LaVine checks those boxes in theory.
But last year was an incredibly down year for him as he again dealt with a knee injury. He averaged 19.5 points per game and shot 34.9 percent from three. He appeared in only 25 games. LaVine has played in 70 games in a season just once in the last eight season (and only three times in his career).
That is a lot to ask for with a player who is owed $138 million in the next three years (go ahead and assume he picks up his player option in 2028).
While a change of scenery and going someplace with a clearer pecking order so he can play a role rather than fight for the starring role might help LaVine, he needs to be available before any of that can happen.
That salary is pretty prohibitive to making a deal happen. And the Magic do not have a whole lot to offer the Bulls that would help them—unless Jonathan Isaac is on the table.
Still, it is undoubted that a healthy LaVine would help the Magic. He would be another potential primary scorer and playmaker. He is a three-point threat the Magic do not have. You at least have to have the conversation.
Trying to piece together a deal that would bring LaVine to Orlando while still maintaining some cap flexibility is really difficult, even with the massive amount of room Orlando can create this offseason.
2. Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
Collin Sexton is probably a little lower on the list of options for the Orlando Magic at lead guard. He does not have the cache or brand name value of the other options. Especially the two options discussed previously.
There is still something worth mining from the Utah Jazz guard who made his name in college, at least, for leading a near-upset win while playing 5-on-4.
Sexton has come into his own these last two seasons with the Jazz, averaging 18.7 points per game and 4.9 assists per game last year. Sexton completed his second straight season shooting 39 percent from three last year too. That 3-point shot has come a long way and made him significantly more valuable.
Sexton averaged 12.1 drives per game and shot 51.3 percent on drives according to data from Second Spectrum. That is exactly what the Magic are looking for. And if he can do a little bit to spread the floor, that could be all the Magic need.
That shooting has made his defense and his ability to attack off the dribble that much more intriguing. Especially for a team like the Magic that is not looking for a traditional point guard next to Jalen Suggs.
Sexton still has two more years left on his contract at $37.1 million. So he is still relatively affordable.
The question then for any potential deal is what the Jazz are after. They are not looking to cut salary. They were competitive for a good chunk of the season but are still missing that last piece. They are likely looking for some guard help—Jordan Clarkson could also be available on this trade market although he is very comfortable in that Sixth Man role.
Would Cole Anthony and a second-round pick be enough or are the Jazz looking to net more assets for a player like Sexton? They are not likely looking for Wendell Carter with John Collins, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler clogging their frontcourt rotation, but that could work too.
The Magic are likely not interested in Collins as a sweetener or add-on to the trade because of their own clogged forward rotation.
There just is not a lot the Magic have to offer at the moment. And that would make it tough to swing a direct deal.
1. Corey Kispert, Washington Wizards
There are a lot of talks about big moves and big deals for players on big salaries. There is a lot of talk about filling in the roster with players that will be starters and key players.
All of that is important. But the Orlando Magic still have a roster to fill out. They still have some depth to worry about.
Part of that depth will get filled with Anthony Black and Jett Howard jumping into bigger roles. Orlando's shooting need may end up getting filled with Howard's emergence. But the Magic probably will need to hedge their bets.
And after losing in Game 7 of the first round, the team should be aiming to reach the second round next year. The talk at exit interviews for Orlando was about how the team needed homecourt advantage next year. And so some more secure shooting could be the path to go.
The Washington Wizards were not one of the best offensive teams in the league last year despite some gaudy scoring numbers, finishing 25th in the league in offensive rating. The Wizards were 25th in 3-point field goal shooting as a team, one spot behind the Magic.
If there are some reasons that fans should be skeptical of chasing Tyus Jones in free agency, that might be it. But Jones was a solid 3-point shooter. As were two potential trade targets.
Deni Avdija had a breakout season last year, averaging 14.7 points per game and shooting 37.4 percent from three. He finished sixth in Most Improved Player voting this year.
Avdija will be starting a four-year, $55 million (front-loaded) contract next season. The Magic are unlikely to want to take on that salary and be locked into a still fairly unproven forward, even if Avdija checks some boxes the Magic typically like.
The other target is known Magic killer Corey Kispert. Kispert averaged 13.4 points per game and shot 38.3 percent from three. He is a career 38.8 percent 3-point shooter. That would be a big boost for the Magic. Especially finding a volume shooter.
Finding a deal that works to acquire either player is difficult though.
The Wizards are well below the cap and likely looking for young players or draft picks. Neither Avdija nor Kispert is likely worth a first-round pick (and Kispert's rookie extension is due next summer). The Magic do not have the salary they are looking to dump either.
Washington then is not the ideal trade partner for a team like Orlando.