Orlando Magic confidence meter: How confident are Magic fans heading into 2025?
The Front Office
Next up: The front office!
— Orlando Magic Daily (@OMagicDaily) September 8, 2024
How confident are you in the #Magic's front office? Let us know your thoughts in the comments too!
Whereas Orlando Magic fans are very excited about the product and potential on the floor, there is still admittedly some lukewarm feelings about the front office.
Jeff Weltman may sometimes be held responsible for things that were not his fault—I cannot count how many times someone told me Weltman needs to move faster because of how abysmal the Rob Hennigan era was. But he has successfully built the foundations for a strong team.
Not many Magic fans are upset with where he has placed this Magic team, as the poll above would suggest. Everyone would give Weltman a passing grade.
But now comes the difficult part. The foundation is set and the team has its star players, it is now about pushing the team forward and taking the appropriate risks and investments to get the team there.
The championship window may not be open yet, but it is opening soon. And it is fair to ask if the Magic could not have been more aggressive with their cap room to push the roster further.
Weltman has been notorious for seeking out his kinds of players overall. He has been notorious too for betting on continuity as a virtue. He spent his offseason essentially bringing back the same roster minus the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the drafting of Tristan da Silva.
Weltman has admitted continuity only makes sense if things are working. Things have been working.
The question Weltman will face soon is whether he can pull off the trade or the move when continuity is no longer working.
The needs the team has to fill are still obvious—more shooting and playmaking help for the two stars. But the Magic are still so young that he is warranted to wait for the right player to pursue and to give his young players the room to show their limits and explore the limits of their games.
Weltman has done a great job. And there is confidence in what he has built. But Orlando is entering a new phase of the rebuild and there is clearly some uncertainty that he can deliver this next phase.