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ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic had a great 2024 regular season and finished strong with a record of 47-35. The Magic made the NBA Playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed.
The Magic nearly advanced to the semi-finals against the Boston Celtics. Orlando stretched the series to seven games against the fourth-seed Cleveland Cavaliers. Orlando held a 49-31 lead in the second quarter of game seven. It looked like the series would ultimately end in Orlando’s favor. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers completed the largest Game 7 comeback in NBA history with a 106-94 victory.
The Magic were led by 21-year-old Paolo Banchero. With such a young team, Orlando is clearly going to be a force next season. Orlando was limited by playoff experience so it’s logical for the Magic to look for an experienced, big-name free agent in the 2024 off-season.
Orlando will have the sixth most cap space behind the San Antonio Spurs, with just over 20 million dollars. That’s not a ton of cap space but it could be enough for one big name along with re-signing some of the pending free agents who could leave the Magic.
One player to keep an eye on is Indiana Pacers Power Forward Obi Toppin. He already has playoff experience with the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. There is no guarantee that Toppin will leave the Pacers as a restricted free agent. Also, if the Pacers defeat the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, that’ll give Toppin more reason to stay in Indiana.
The theme for the Magic should be affordable, young, and playoff experience. Orlando already has Banchero and Franz Wagner at the forward positions. Orlando needs a better backcourt and a starting center who could take over the game. There’s no guarantee that the Magic will find easy-to-sign free agents that fit all three categories. However, if the Magic decide to sign Toppin, then Wagner is tall enough to switch to center.
One free agent the Magic should look to sign is Thunder Center Bismack Biyombo. Even though he played 13 seasons already, the Magic could sign him to a one or two-year deal. He signed for less than 2 million dollars with the Thunder so he’s a player the Magic will likely negotiate with early on. Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell could be another option but he’d likely earn a contract that would immediately take most of Orlando’s cap space. That would be a very risky signing. A smarter signing that would fit Orlando’s culture and not break the bank would be Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Isaac Okoro.
Some projected starting lineups for the Magic
Guard- Gary Harris
Guard- Isaac Okoro
Forward – Paolo Banchero
Forward – Obi Toppin
Center-Franz Wagner (switch from Forward to Center)
Let’s say, for example, the Magic sticks with Jalen Suggs and lets him develop.
Guard- Gary Harris
Guard-Jalen Suggs
Forward- Paolo Banchero
Forward- Obi Toppin
Center-Franz Wagner
Let’s not forget Suggs averaged 12.6 points in the 2023 season. He’s not bad at all.
The Magic can be creative in free agency while not necessarily spending a lot of money. It’ll be interesting to see what Orlando does in the off-season. It’s impossible to go over every potential scenario but these are a few possibilities that can happen.
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