Who would the Orlando Magic protect and expose in a 2025 expansion draft?

Tier 5: Unprotected

12. Gary Harris
13. Goga Bitadze
14. Caleb Houston
15. Cory Joseph

The rest of the roster are players the Orlando Magic would surely value to keep on the roster, but also would not think twice about leaving unprotected. These are not players the Magic would have to pause and think about adding to their eight protected players.

Gary Harris is a valuable veteran whom the Magic sought to re-sign this summer. They need his shooting as things stand. But he is also likely moving from a starting role to a reserve role. A sign of his diminishing stature within the team.

Goga Bitadze is still fighting for his place with the team. The Magic trust him to fill in as a starter when needed and his rim protection and shot blocking are valuable. But Orlando also had him out of the rotation last year when the team was healthy. That is likely to be the same scenario this year.

Caleb Houstan is a promising young prospect who has shown flashes in two years of playing. But there are still a lot of questions about his ability to be consistent and carve a clear role. This third year is a big one where he has to prove he can produce.

Finally, Cory Joseph was signed as a 15th man to be another veteran guard for this young roster. He is not going to make a ton of mistakes when he plays. But he is also not a major impact player.