Orlando Magic didn't miss out on surprise minimum free agent

The Orlando Magic very quietly completed their offseason and free-agent signings last week with the acquisition of Cory Joseph on a minimum contract.

Joseph was notable for giving the Magic a solid veteran point guard but one who is mostly unspectacular. Joseph is on the roster to be a good veteran who can play in a pinch but is not necessary otherwise.

Joseph is good at managing the team and limiting mistakes. He will make an open three when it is available. But he is there to be a good veteran in the locker room and to break glass in case of emergency.

Filling out the roster with a veteran on a minimum contract is all well and good. That is a good use of the final roster spot.

Then again, there was still talent left on the board. And in perhaps the most shocking move of the offseason, one of the biggest free agents went for the minimum.

This weekend, the Phoenix Suns signed Tyus Jones to a one-year deal at the veteran's minimum, the same salary the Magic will pay Cory Joseph. Considering how many Magic fans saw Jones as a clear answer to many of the Magic's needs, it begs asking whether this was a missed opportunity.

To some extent it was. That a player like Tyus Jones—or even sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr. who signed a veteran's minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks—could have been had at such a low price and would undoubtedly help the team is something any team to consider.

But that is not the Magic's goal.

The Orlando Magic spent their offseason putting internal development ahead of immediate needs

Yes, the team wants to win, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team is still threading a narrow needle. They still want to let their young players grow and develop. They do not want to block that development.

That goal perhaps explains why the Orlando Magic were more willing to double down on their strengths rather than try to address needs and sacrifice those strengths.

Tyus Jones would have sacrificed at least in part some of the team's defensive potential. Instead, Orlando went after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and formed one of the best defensive backcourts in the league.

Still there is concern the Magic have not improved themselves meaningfully for their next playoff trip. They are going to rely mostly on internal development to get themselves there.

But what Paolo Banchero told The Washington Post still rings in everyone's head. The team needs a table-setter and playmaker. They need a point guard to organize the team and get their best players easier shots.

Orlando is entering the season planning to have Jalen Suggs as the nominal point guard with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner doing the bulk of the initiating. That might serve the purpose of letting all of those players grow, but there is a concern that it could keep the Magic from breaking through to the contender tier in the Eastern Conference.

On top of this, the Magic let go of their most natural point guard, Markelle Fultz. Fultz may have had offensive shortcomings, but he understood how to manage an offense and keep everyone involved. He was still the team's best playmaker.

This is an area that many saw Jones boosting the team.

Last year, Jones averaged 12.0 points per game, 7.3 assists per game and just 1.0 turnover per game. He shot 41.4 percent from three.

Offensively, Jones checked all the boxes for the Magic. He was a point guard who could spread the floor as a shooter and did not need the ball in his hands all the time. He was a low-turnover playmaker who could create easy shots for his teammates.

The Orlando Magic were clearly concerned though with his rough defensive numbers—a bad Washington Wizards team was even worse with Jones on the floor going from a season average of 118.9 points allowed per 100 possessions to 122.5. That was clearly not something the Magic wanted on their team.

Certainly not as a starter.

Orlando Magic did not want to impede Anthony Black's development with a late point guard signing

But would there have been a chance to play Tyus Jones anyway?

That would be more of a statement about what the team thinks of not only Jalen Suggs as their potential starting point guard but also Anthony Black and Cole Anthony off the bench.

While the team probably has a good idea of what it has in Anthony as he exits his rookie contract, the Orlando Magic are certainly prioritizing giving Black a chance to earn his place in the rotation.

If they were not happy with his progress, pursuing a player like Jones to fill that final roster spot—whether on a minimum or using the room mid-level exception the team has access to—would have made sense.

But that gets back to the overarching goal for the team. The Magic might be in playoff contention now and trying to climb the rankings, but they are also trying to internal grow their young players.

Judging by the team's decision to largely bring back the same players, Orlando was not looking to take big swings to maintain or improve their spot. The team believes it can get there on its own.

That does not even get to what Jones was seeking.

The veteran guard has come off the bench for most of his career. He likely viewed his successful season with the Wizards last year as proof that he can be a starter. And it seemed like Jones was holding out for an opportunity to start.

That is something the Phoenix Suns could offer him that the Orlando Magic could not. Orlando was not making room for Jones to start. They are going to the season with Jalen Suggs and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as their starting backcourt.

That too speaks to the developmental stage the Suns are at. They are a veteran team within its championship window. They do not have the time to wait on young players to develop. Not in the same way the Magic do.

Orlando was not desperate for win-now solutions, in other words. They wanted to give their young players the chance to prove themselves before they move on. Signing a player like Jones would have pushed Black to the side.

Whether that should be the team's priority right now or not is certainly something for fans to debate. But the Magic are not missing out in not signing Jones.

Instead, the team is staying invested in its youth and its development. That was the purpose for this offseason and something the Magic were not going to compromise. Even if it was to fill an immediate need.