The Orlando Magic decided to stay with their current roster during the NBA trade deadline. This was the first time in the last four years of Jeff Weltman’s tenure as president of basketball operations he decided not to make a deal. He has always valued the continuity of the roster. The group he put together is on track to make the postseason.
This leads to an exciting summer where the team will have the third most cap space to expand and grow the roster.
It is not clear what the Magic will do. The NBA is unpredictable, to say the least.
But everything starts with the team's own free agents. And the magic will have four players to consider before they begin to look outward to add to the current core.
Orlando is close to making an “all-in” move with two young superstars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The roster is young and hungry to compete at the highest level. Now the team can bring in complementary players to aid in their development toward the ultimate goal of a championship.
It starts with deciding what to do with the team's current free agents. The Magic will have to decide which players they must retain and how much they are worth and whether they can afford to let others walk without regaining any value.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Markelle Fultz
Markelle Fultz is still only 25 years old. He has had a resurgence in his career since his trade to the Orlando Magic. Fultz is one of the better ball handlers in the game and can penetrate a defense at will. He plays solid defense and has long arms to deflect passes and disrupt offenses.
He has proven he is a rotational player in the league and showcased a bright future after his first season in Orlando. He thrived thanks to the change in scenery.
Despite that success, the ups and downs continued. Only eight games into the 2021 season, Fultz tore his ACL. He did not return until February of the following season. The Magic believe enough in him to sign him to a three-year, $50-million deal.
They retained him on a three-year, $50 million deal despite the injury. They believed in his leadership and point guard abilities. They were willing to wait out his recovery as they began to rebuild.
Orlando was betting on Fultz’s ability to overcome the adversity he has faced since he started his career. He continued to show promise in 2022 and further bounced back in the 2023 season, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
Fultz has not ben able to build on that success this year. He dealt with left knee tendinitis and struggled in his return. He has not been the same player.
He is averaging 8.1 points and 3.5 assists per game, which are both the lowest of his Magic tenure. His usage rate is down from the fourth-highest percentage last year to seventh this year. Jonathan Isaac shares the same usage rate as an off-ball power forward.
More than that, his poor shooting has cramped any space the Magic have to execute their offense. For a team that wants to compete for the playoffs, the lack of attention defenses give him is hurting the team's overall development.
Last season Fultz was at least willing to shoot wide-open threes and was beating teams with his midrange pull-up. He made 27 threes last season.
This year, Fultz has shot nine total threes and made one. He is shooting 12.5 percent from behind the arc, his worst percentage since his rookie season. He is passing up open opportunities. It makes it harder to play him.
The resurrection project of Fultz reestablishing himself as the former first-overall pick seems not to be a possibility anymore. Fultz’s inability to contribute to offensive spacing in the current NBA is difficult with the Magic’s roster. The team already has difficulty scoring the ball and teams are clogging the paint and double-teaming Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
Orlando certainly has different plans moving forward this offseason. This young team will add a tertiary scorer who can handle the basketball and spread the floor. Wagner and Banchero are going to flourish if surrounded by elite shooters. They will both simultaneously breath a sigh of relief.
Fultz will certainly end up on a new team after this offseason and will look to rebuild his value like he has done twice in his young career.
Nonetheless, the Magic have no option but to move on from their long-time point guard. It is hard to believe he has been in the organization for 5.5 seasons, but Orlando can find upgrades at his position. And the time for sentimentality appears over now that winning is a serious thing.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Gary Harris
Gary Harris has a skillset that the Orlando Magic desperately need.
He has shooting and perimeter defense. He can guard at an above-average rate and stretch the floor. Harris does not need the ball in his hands and still is effective on offense. The 3-and-D guard has been a solid contributor for Orlando the last four seasons.
The unfortunate part of his time in Orlando is similar to Markelle Fultz. He cannot stay healthy.
In the last two seasons, he averaged 54.5 games per season. He missed one-third of the team's games. Harris is one of the most important complementary offensive pieces on the roster. The team struggles without him.
Through 59 games this season, he has suited up for 36. If he can continue to contribute consistently to close out the season the Magic might consider bringing him back depending on his price point.
But he will be 30 years old at the start of next season with a significant injury history.
Two years ago, Orlando re-signed Harris to a modest two-years, $26-million deal. If the Magic can retain Harris at a similar price point with only a two-year contract, it would be hard for the team not to consider bringing him back.
Harris is beloved by the younger players on the team. He has been open about how he likes Orlando and the roster. He wants the chance to see a young team blossom into a contender as he did with the Denver Nuggets.
If he stays healthy and ends up being a major part of the team down the stretch it would make sense for both parties.
The Magic have plenty of available money and roster flexibility. But looming max contracts are on the horizon for the talented young squad. If the front office wants to maintain flexibility and roster continuity, Harris would make sense.
There will be competition for his backup 3-and-D position with returning young players Caleb Houstan and Jett Howard. They are both significantly taller than Harris and have the tools to be decent defenders.
The Magic may find it more valuable to give those young players a clearer path toward playing, especially as everyone's price tag gets higher.
Houstan is never afraid to shoot. If he can become consistent, he will permanently find his way into the rotation.
Howard was a lottery pick for a reason. He can score in bunches and has shown flashes not only as a spot-up shooter but as a player who can score in isolation on the wing. At 6-foot-8 he can get to his spots and shoot over defenders.
Howard has been playing well in the G-League and will look to compete for playing time next season.
Several impending free agents have a similar skillset to Harris but are younger and do not have the injury history he does.
If Harris is willing to compete for playing time and wants to carry out the rebuild in Orlando, then there is a deal to keep him in Central Florida. It seems more likely the Magic will look to move on and put that money elsewhere and that Harris will look for greener pastures for playing time this offseason.
Older players need to find rosters that can showcase their value and why they continue to deserve contracts. Harris will certainly look for opportunities on the market and find a win-now team with less depth than the Magic. Orlando can upgrade the backup guard position who is younger and less of an injury threat.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Joe Ingles (Team Option)
Joe Ingles has been one of the vocal leaders of the team since he signed this summer. He rallies around the group and has bought into the Magic playoff push.
He has seen a decrease in his minutes and points per game this season but is still the team's best three-point shooter at 41.5 percent. He is eighth on the team in three-point attempts per game and is barely ahead of Caleb Houstan in minutes per contest.
The Magic are 29th in three-point attempts this season. It would be great if the team could get Ingles more open opportunities behind the arc. He is shooting a career-low 2.6 threes per game.
Only three years ago, Ingles was shooting 6.1 per game at a 45.1 percent clip. Orlando could certainly use that type of production from their seasoned vet.
One way Ingles separates himself is his ability to distribute the basketball. He is fifth on the team in assists per gae and finds a way to get his teammates involved. Ingles almost plays in slow motion but can shoot and pass over the top of the defense with his 6-foot-9 build.
His defense is easily the worst on the team and this correlates with how little he has played in coach Jamahl Mosley's system. Ingles never does more than what he is capable of doing. But the Magic have been careful with his minutes.
The Magic are leaning on their defense this season. They value versatility. And while Ingles has been effective in his limited minutes, that may mean he is not a long-term option for them.
Ingles has had his moments of offensive perfection facilitating the pick-and-roll and knocking down the long ball. He can fit with any unit on the court and help with the Magic's offense.
Ingles has not been the same player that he was in Utah since he tore his ACL in 2022. His former defensive prowess as a physical, trash-talking Aussie cannot be replicated due to his body's limitations at 36 years old.
Regardless of his defense, he is a valuable asset for the Magic. His camaraderie among the roster and his chattiness on the court with opposing teams give Orlando some added swagger. He is letting other teams know that the team has arrived and it is not going to be easy playing in the Kia Center moving forward.
Ingles understands his assignment. He is a stretch shooter who can facilitate the offense as a creator for the second unit. He can spot up and command help defense when sharing the court with Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero.
Next year he will be playing his 10th season at age 37. He has a team option of $11 million where the team can move on from his contract for more cap space.
That is not a ton of the cap. With much of the roster set and seven return rotational players plus Jett Howard eager to fight for minutes, it will be harder to find quality minutes for Ingles.
But the Magic could find Ingles' leadership, floor spacing, and offensive facilitating well worth retaining for another season.
The Magic are on the brink of becoming one of the Eastern Conference's elite teams and need to manage their roster effectively. If the team feels they can upgrade Ingles' position in a major way in the free agent market, then they have to.
It is then fairly uncertain whether the Magic pick up Ingles' option.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Moe Wagner (Team Option)
Moe Wagner is finding his way in the NBA. At 26, he is developing as an off-the-bench scorer. He is the ultimate competitor. He is shooting a career-high 58.9 percent and is clearly in a rhythm.
The Magic have the third-highest-scoring bench unit in the league at 42 points per game. Wagner is a major part of the team's success this season in his ability to get open.
He is an excellent cutter and uses pivot moves to get his shot on the rim over defenders. He primarily scores within 10 feet but is serviceable from deep making half a three per game. You cannot leave him wide open or he will take advantage.
Wagner possesses a quick first step to get by large defenders who cannot move laterally to cut him off when he drives to the lane. He uses efficient dribble moves and euro-steps to find openings for easy dunks.
If you solely watch Wagner on offense, his off-ball positioning is impressive. He uses his 245-pound frame to gain inside leverage to seal defenders for finishes at the basket and offensive rebounds.
He fits really well with Jonathan Isaac as a frontcourt. Isaac is the long rim protector while Wagner sacrifices his body to box out and draw charges. The best part of this tandem is both can guard perimeter players in pick-and-roll scenarios where a switch is required.
The Magic will continue to build their second unit and Wagner will be a large part of that development.
Wagner has a team option next season on his $8 million contract. That will be the easiest decision of the offseason for Orlando. He will be on the team next season as a key contributor.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Chuma Okeke
Chuma Okeke has primarily been on the bench this season, appearing in 35 games. He was called upon to be a large part of the rotation due to injuries in the middle of the season, and he performed admirably.
Okeke has great size for a wing at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan. He can guard the 2 through 4. He has become primarily a spot-up shooter at this stage in his career. As a 32 percent career shooter from three, that does not bode well for his future.
Okeke was tasked in the first two seasons to handle a lot of the offensive scoring because the Magic could barely put a team together. But that has changed and Okeke has fallend behind. Injuries slowed him down and he never quite fully recovered from the ACL injury that had him defer his true rookie year in 2020.
The Magic dutifully picked up each option year in his rookie contract, but he is not likely going to get even a qualifying offer for free agency. He has failed to live up to his potential.
Chuma Okeke has had difficulty cracking the rotation since coach Jamahl Mosley took over because Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner play his position. They have become the future cornerstones of the franchise. Chuma Okeke no longer has a path to playing time with Jonathan Isaac returning to eat up minutes too.
He will be 27 at the start of next season and will be looking for a prove-it deal to showcase what he can do if given the opportunity. Teams will covet bench help like Okeke based on his age, size and draft pedigree as a former first-round pick.
Okeke can blossom into a solid NBA player. He has had knee, hip and ankle injuries that have limited his ability to establish himself.
Okeke will find himself another NBA contract, but unfortunately it will not be the the Magic.
What the Orlando Magic will do with their free agents
Goga Bitadze
Goga Bitadze is the best third-string big man in the NBA. He is a serviceable screen setter, rim runner, paint finisher and shot blocker. He is surprisingly light-footed and can stay in front of NBA guards during pick-and-roll switches. Or he can recover with his length to contest the shot if an offensive player beats him off the dribble.
He has rebuilt his career in Orlando similarly to Markelle Fultz. The Indiana Pacers saw little potential left in the 6-foot-11 Georgian and waived him to make room for Serge Ibaka in a cost-cutting trade (they cut Ibaka immediately).
One thing that Jeff Weltman does extraordinarily well is find value where others do not.
Bitadze has been everything the Magic have asked of him. He is expected to be an end-of-bench player but contributes at a high level. When called upon he has overachieved as a starter and has proven his relevance in the NBA.
The Magic have players on the roster who impact what the team needs more than Bitadze. The roster needs scorers who can create for themselves and others.
Goga Bitadze can create as a screener, but so can Wendell Carter, Moe Wagner and Jonathan Isaac. Those three have also earned playing time and can hold their own on defense. They add a lot more offensive versatility too.
Bitadze has been reliable, but still finds himself outside of the rotation. Still, when the Magic need him he responds well.
Big men are coveted in the NBA. Some teams could use his services as a high-quality backup or a starting center. Teams will be contacting Bitadze’s agent as he comes off his minimum contract.
Will he look to re-sign under a team-friendly contract like the Magic have targeted in recent years? It is doubtful he would. He has to do what is in his best interest and find a team where he can compete for a starting role.
At only 24 years old, Bitadze will be a rotational NBA center for a long time. The Magic can pivot to a different big man to fill in as an insurance policy for a fraction of the cost.
Orlando has some decisions it needs to make with its roster this summer. How the team finishes the year will impact their moves.
The team has flexibility with team-friendly contracts, expiring deals and cap space to improve the roster. The Magic have valued their continuity, but it is almost certain the roster will shift and change heading into next season after the team goes through the playoffs.
That means, the team will have to move on from some of these impending free agents and weigh how best to grow the roster.