New competition for Magic free agency target emerges

After a rather uneventful draft for the Orlando Magic—they unsurprisingly picked Tristan da Silva in the first round and traded their second-round pick—free agency is the next big thing to look forward to. The Magic are one of the few playoff teams with plenty of cap space available this summer and are expected to make some noise. 

There are several needs the Magic need to address this offseason. Shooting is on top of that list. Orlando finished last season as one of the worst 3-point shooting teams and did not have enough floor spacers to make the offense run smoothly. 

Not surprisingly, they have been connected to Klay Thompson ever since the possibility of seeing him leave the Golden State Warriors emerged. Orlando has money and a consistent role on a playoff team to offer Thompson, and his negotiations with the Warriors are seemingly not heading anywhere. While it would be weird to see the four-time champion in anything other than a Warriors jersey, his gravity as a shooter could do wonders for the Magic's offense. 

Thompson has declined, and understandably so—almost no player can suffer the kind of injuries Thompson has been through and return to the court unchanged—but he still has an elite skill set to offer. NBA teams will always value 3-point shooting, especially when it comes in a package deal with Thompson's reputation and championship experience. 

The Magic won't be the only team going after Klay Thompson

The Philadelphia 876ers have long been expected to also show an interest in Thompson. They also have plenty of cap space available and are looking for high-level players to put around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Going to Philadelphia might be Thompson's best shot at competing for another title if he doesn't return to the Warriors. 

So, Orlando already has some competition there, but recent reports included some new teams as possible suitors for the veteran. 

The Athletic mentioned the Denver Nuggets as a team monitoring the situation, as they might have to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope will receive plenty of interest in free agency, very likely also from the Magic. 

Furthermore, Marc Stein just added the Dallas Mavericks to the mix as another team potentially interested in Thompson. The Mavericks just traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Detroit Pistons, creating some more room to sign players now. You can never have too many shooters around dynamic scorers like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. 

Despite his struggles during the 2023-24 season, Thompson seems to be one of the more sought-after wings in free agency along with Paul George and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. No matter who the Magic are going after, they will have to outbid someone else.