Orlando Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team was working on two tracks this summer.
The team is still a development outfit. They want to give their young players the opportunity to improve and the opportunity to get better. This is still a young team and its key players are still young. The Magic are not in a position to pass on talent.
But this is also a team poised to make a big move in free agency. This is a team that went to the playoffs last year and Game 7 in the first round. They believe they are on the precipice of a long playoff run. They want to add and improve the roster immediately as much as they want to add to it long-term.
The Magic accomplished part of that goal, adding a senior forward in Tristan da Silva of Colorado. He checked off their boxes for a high-IQ player and solid shooter who can defend and play multiple positions.
The Magic though stopped there. They are going to keep a roster spot open. Orlando is indeed working on both tracks, adding one rookie (and hoping for increased production from second-year players Anthony Black and Jett Howard) and planning the rest of their offseason for free agency.
The team is not going to work to develop two rookies. The rest of their offseaosn moves will look to add veterans and better position the Magic for a longer playoff run.
During Thursday's second round, the Orlando Magic traded the draft rights to Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves (the No. 47 pick) to the New Orleans Pelicans for the unprotected right to swap second-round picks in 2030 and 2031.
The Magic continue to add to their considerable draft stash with nine first-round picks and 13 second-round picks in their coffers from 2025-32. Orlando does not owe any of their own draft picks to any other team.
But once again, the Magic have traded a second-round pick—Weltman has traded five of the eight second-round picks the Magic have held since he took over as president of basketball operations for the Magic.
The team passed again on ading a second-round pick. The focus instead seems to be set on adding players in free agency to that spot. Their attention is on adding veterans to the roster.
The Magic have between $30-$50 million in cap room and are expected to be active in free agency. They have some of the most cap room available in the NBA this offseason. The team should be aggressive—even if the Magic are looking only for short-term deals.
Trading the team's second-round pick leaves the Magic with another empty roster spot to fill in free agency. Whether or not there was a player the Magic liked at that spot in the second round Thursday, they have left themselves another place to go chase a free agent.
Orlando Magic Depth Chart after 2024 NBA Draft
Teams are allowed to carry 15 players under contract and three two-way players. Here is where the Magic's depth chart currently stands (excluding upcoming free agents and players unlikely to return on team options):
PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jalen Suggs | Franz Wagner | Paolo Banchero | Wendell Carter | |
Cole Anthony | Anthony Black | Tristan da Silva | Jonathan Isaac | Mo Wagner |
Jett Howard | Caleb Houstan |
Orlando has 11 players under contract entering the offseason (assuming the Magic pick up the team option or otherwise bring back Mo Wagner in free agency). Their biggest need to resolve is to find another starting-level guard. They could also use some more wing and forward depth.
They likely want to fill that depth with a veteran considering both Anthony Black and Jett Howard are due to get more meaningful minutes after sitting out most of next year.
Orlando has four roster spots to fill and still has work to do. The team needs to upgrade its talent overall.
The biggest and clearest need for the Magic is to find a guard to play alongside Jalen Suggs.
Whether that is a point guard and playmaker like D'Angelo Russell or Tyus Jones or a scoring wing like Klay Thompson, Paul George or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Magic have to spend some resources on their starting lineup.
From there, the team could look to add a shooting wing like Buddy Hield or Gary Trent Jr. The team seems more likely to do that after selecting Tristan Da Silva in the Draft and filling in that forward need.
And then the team has to find a third center, even if that means bringing back Goga Bitadze.
Orlando added forward depth in the Draft. Tristan da Silva will help give the team size at the forward spot and a solid player to play if Jonathan Isaac has to miss any time.
But there are still holes to fill and roster spots to fill. There is still a lot of work to do.
For the Draft, perhaps there were no quality players the Magic felt could contribute immediately. Perhaps there were no players who were willing to take a two-way deal -- all three of the team's two-way spots are currently open and will need to be filled with undrafted free agents. Perhaps the players in the draft were looking for a guaranteed contract the Magic could not promise.
The second round is not always about taking a player. There is a lot of negotiating that goes on between teams and agents as they aim to make their pick. This is one of the reasons the league went to two nights.
There is no guarantee a rookie would have filled those holes. It feels like the Magic are on the track of improving their team overall and putting themselves in a better position to win in the Playoffs.
With the draft behind the Magic now, they can focus fully on free agency, which begins Sunday at 6 p.m. There is clearly work the team has to do to be ready for it.
The stage is set for the next big phase of the offseason.