The Orlando Magic entered the 2024 offseason as one of the few playoff teams with plenty of cap space available. Many fans and media members thought a big move was on the horizon. So far, the biggest move the Magic made was singing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope away from the Denver Nuggets.
Other than that, Orlando extended Franz Wagner, renegotiated Jonathan Isaac's contract, and re-signed Gary Harris, Moritz Wagner, and Goga Bitadze. The team will look pretty much the same as it did last season, banking on continued internal improvement from their young players.
Young players are something the Magic certainly do not lack. 2023 lottery picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard didn't even get much of a chance to prove themselves at the NBA level yet. Now, the Magic also added rookie Tristan da Silva to the mix. They still have some things to evaluate and figure out before entering the Eastern Conference contender tier.
And yet, many fans felt like the team could have done more. After all, when your team has a chance to drastically improve you do not want them to pass on it. Still, most can agree that the Magic made some good moves.
Reviews from the national media have been glowing.
Magic receive another top offseason grade
Several outlets have already handed out grades for free agency, and the Magic fared pretty well in that department. Now, Bleacher Report has also handed out grades for every team's overall offseason.
While some writers believe that the Magic are not done yet and should go after Tyus Jones, Orlando received an A from Andy Bailey. He especially praised the addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
"KCP will be the perfect gap-filler for a team with plenty of usage tied up at the wing and forward spots," he writes.
Other Eastern Conference teams receiving an A for their offseason moves are the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics. Except for the Nets, all those teams are contenders in the East and some of the teams Orlando will have to compete with. Coming off a championship, the Celtics are obviously the team to beat in the East, but the Knicks and 76ers have legitimate cases to finish the season on top of the conference.
The Magic do not seem to be in quite the same tier yet, but they are on the rise, and the 2024-25 season will be a great chance to prove themselves. Between the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, Pacers, Magic, Cavaliers, and Bucks, playoff seeds with homecourt advantage will be hard to come by. Still, excitement for the Magic's season should be great.