The Orlando Magic made a 13-win improvement and snapped a three-year playoff drought this season. They are a young team on the rise but need upgrades to take the next step. Orlando projects to have cap space this summer and has rumored interest in several guards.
With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on rookie contracts, now is the time to upgrade.
Wagner is extension-eligible before the season and will get a massive raise in 2025. The pressure is on for the franchise to find their missing pieces. Adding in free agency will help, but the Magic also must explore the trade market.
Orlando has all of their future draft picks plus a 2025 first-rounder from the Nuggets to use in acquiring upgrades. There will be no shortage of activity on the market this summer. But the Magic must give to get.
These players are the most likely to be moved if the franchise finds the right deal.
5. Jett Howard
The 11th overall pick in 2023 barely played as a rookie. He averaged just 3.7 minutes per game and never appeared in more than three consecutive contests (he spent the majority of his season in the G-League). The 20-year-old was not NBA-ready, but finding a 6-foot-8 wing capable of blossoming into a plus shooter is not easy.
If the Orlando Magic are going to trade for an upgrade, the opposing team is likely searching for young talent and draft picks. The Magic are not trading Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs. That leaves just young talent and salary matching to part with in any deal.
Getting a 20-year-old former lottery pick feels like a worthy gamble for a rebuilding team.
Jett Howard profiles as a floor-spacing role player. He must improve his defense and prove he can consistently knock down long-range jumpers.
Franchises that liked him in the 2023 Draft may still have interest. Most will ask for this young talent before Howard.
4. Anthony Black
Anthony Black was the sixth overall pick in 2023, but he struggled to get minutes in the Orlando Magic’s jumbled backcourt.
Orlando has a playmaking need and lacks a lead option on their current roster. Black averaged 4.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 16.9 minutes per game. He got just 11 minutes in the playoffs, but there is still plenty to be excited about.
The 20-year-old is 6-foot-7 with ball-handling chops. He profiled as a strong and versatile defender coming out of college. It may take a few years to develop, but he could be a difference-maker in his prime. Black showed improvements in his jumper as a rookie and must continue working on his shot to reach his ceiling.
Every rebuilding team will have interest in a oversized creator with Black’s upside. He turns 21 in January and is years away from his peak.
Black needs playing time to grow. The Magic will create some in the backcourt this summer, but he may be better served on a rebuilding time with more run available.
Orlando had just one player older than 30 years old on their roster last season. They are a young team with multiple avenues to explore. If the Magic are set on keeping Anthony Black and Jett Howard, they could trade more established young talents and draft capital to upgrade their roster.
3. Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz is an unrestricted free agent this summer and figures to be searching for a new team.
The former number-one overall pick has struggled to stay healthy. He has played 60 or more games just twice in seven NBA seasons. His third-highest total came this season with just 43 contests where Fultz played just 21.2 minutes per game and saw his production dip across the board.
His inability to shoot creates problems for any contender. Fultz needs to play on the ball to be maximized, but he is not a star guard.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans just witnessed this problem with Josh Giddey. Non-shooters without elite defense get played off the floor when the games matter most unless they can be their team’s primary creator. Fultz will not fill that role in Orlando.
The Magic would love to get something back in return for the 6-foot-4 guard, but it will not be easy.
Most teams will be able to fit him into their mid-level exception or cap space, and the others cannot move players in a sign-and-trade. Fultz needs to find a team, and it feels unlikely they will give up assets to Orlando to get him.
The Magic should focus on making a trade that improves their roster. Getting a second-round draft pick for Fultz will not change their future. Finding the right pieces around Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will. That puts these two veterans firmly in trade conversations.
2. Wendell Carter
The Orlando Magic will need to trade salary to get a significant upgrade in return.
Jonathan Isaac is the highest-paid player on their books for next season, but his $17.4 million is non-guaranteed. His limited availability dampens his trade value. He is still a plus defender and on an expiring contract, but no team will be eager to trade for him.
Wendell Carter has been a starter for the majority of his career. He averaged 11.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 25.6 minutes per game last season. His playing time and production dipped as the Magic had other options to use at the five. Carter is only 25 years old and still improving. There will be interest from any team that needs a center.
He is set to make $11.9 million in the 2025 campaign, but it drops to $10.8 million before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026. It is an affordable deal for a starting big man that improves his trade value.
Carter could help the Magic land a marquee ball-handler, but they would have a hole at the 5.
The Orlando Magic would prefer to trade another mid-sized contract, but it may take both to make the math work. Expect this guard to pop up in trade rumors. But he likely only gets moved if the franchise finds an upgrade.
1. Cole Anthony
The 15th overall pick in 2020 has settled into a reserve role, but the Orlando Magic will have to decide who to prioritize moving forward. If they land a starting guard in free agency, the backup minutes will be a fight between Anthony Black, Jett Howard and Cole Anthony if Gary Harris does not return. Bringing back Harris likely means trading one of the young guards.
Anthony averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game in 22.4 minutes per game last season. It was the lowest playing time of his career.
The 6-foot-2 guard is a problematic defender and has shot worse than 34 percent from 3-point range in three of his four NBA seasons. He is difficult to fit onto a contending roster.
Anthony is set to make $12.9 million this season in the first year of his extension. He has a team option in his contract in 2026. It will not be an easy deal to move unless the opposing franchise is interested in the 24-year-old guard.
Expect the Magic to try. If they find a rebuilding team, enough draft capital makes any deal possible.
The Orlando Magic must upgrade their roster. Do they add in free agency or pull off a blockbuster trade? The Magic need to put more talent around Paolo Banchero. Expect them to find a way to make that a reality.