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Offseason
Re-signings: Goga Bitadze, Gary Harris, Jonathan Isaac, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner
Additions: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (free agent), Cory Joseph (free agent)
Draft: Tristan da Silva (No. 18 pick)
Departures: Joe Ingles (free agency)
Unsigned Free Agents: Markelle Fultz, Kevon Harris, Chuma Okeke, Admiral Schofield
Last season
The development of this team kept trending upward, as the Magic won 47 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020, playing a tough seven-game series with the Cavs before bowing out in the first round-all significant signs for a franchise that stressed organic growth and began reaping the benefits of smart drafts.
Not bad, not bad. Paolo Banchero came out as one of the league’s true young forces-22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists-and he was joined by Franz Wagner, who scored 19.7 points per game to give the Orlando Magic a foundational duo. Additionally, Jalen Suggs developed into one of the top defensive guards in the league. All in all, the Magic remained competitive on most nights and earned league-wide respect.
Summer summary
When a team is mainly homegrown, eventually the bill comes due in the form of contract extensions. It is a good thing and proves such a team made the right decisions and wants to keep those players. Thus, the Wagner brothers got paid, and so did Isaac-a mild surprise, though he did stay healthy and plays D.
Orlando also added veteran help in Caldwell-Pope, who brings range to the team that made the fewest 3-pointers in the league last season. He’s also championship-tested (twice), which will go over well in the locker room should the Magic go on a playoff run.
Team Spotlight
Orlando needs a ball distributor, and without a true top-shelf point guard on the roster, you wonder if Suggs can grow into that role. Suggs is the future for sure, if only because of his defense. Admittedly, a fair amount of the offense was run through Banchero, who led the Magic at 5.4 assists per game. Orlando would do well to find a backcourt player on the roster-Suggs?-to relieve him of that or look for one at the trade deadline.
With this young core continuing to grow, this should be a 50-win team in the making. Banchero could flirt with All-NBA status while Suggs should get more All-Defensive notice. Franz Wagner can lead this team in scoring.
Much will depend on other factors: matchups, whether Orlando can hold a strong home-court advantage, better 3-point shooting. Overall, Orlando is trending in the right direction. Management was smart not to make massive changes this offseason. The idea was to keep this group together for at least another season to measure its ceiling and how well everything fits together.
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