Welcome to part two of the Orlando Magic series. I’ve made the decision in recent days that the basketball one’s I do are going to be just two parts due to the number of players on the team being smaller. Basketball also doesn’t have the depth of player development that baseball does, and therefore most of the guys the team acquires will immediately be at the NBA level. Yes there is the G-League, but it is not nearly the minor league system that is seen in professional baseball. Since there aren’t multiple dimensions of multiple sides of the team that have to be acquired, and there is no projection as to when guys will break into the league, I figured I wouldn’t ramble on endlessly about the same 7-8 guys the entire time. Instead I’m going to weed out who on the current roster makes the final cut, and then how the team’s current assets could translate to further talent to help the team. So here we go.
The only player on the current roster who is scheduled to hit free agency is Moritz Wagner, the brother of staple piece Franz Wagner. I do like the Wagner’s due to the fact they both went to the University of Michigan, which I love dearly. I’m trying not to let that fact cloud my judgment when making this decision. But I think the Magic could seek to bring back Wagner on a small one or two-year deal. It’s possible they let the draft pass and see how it plays out before making that decision.
Another big decision will be what the team does with guys like: Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter and Bol Bol. The Magic could return all of these players and give themselves some quality depth. However, this strategy has them relying on Wagner and Banchero making jumps to superstars if the team has any realistic expectations of competing next year. This leads to a complicated decision because the Magic have the potential of getting two lottery picks, as long as the Bulls pick does not end up a top four selection. Overall this is an offseason that will test the team in terms of its patience. Are they willing to play the long game, trust their drafting and development, and hope the core shapes into what they imagine? Or is there a way to utilize the assets already in their possession to get a solidified superstar to help speed along the process. I personally have always felt that teams that grow together are the strongest. Golden State is a perfect example of this. Klay, Steph and Draymond all grew up in the league together, and the chemistry that has come with that is a huge part of their nearly decade long reign over the NBA. This can be linked to any dynasty. Jordan-Pippen, Magic-Kareem, Bird and the Celtics, the bad boys Pistons and even the 2000s Spurs. The longer you play with the guys the more natural understanding you have of what they are going to do on the court and that increases comfortability which is such an underrated part of basketball. Just look at the splits between home and road for teams in the playoffs. On the road it’s a totally different game because you’re just not comfortable.
For the sake of fun however, I’m going to ride somewhere in the middle and have the Magic use their two lottery picks this year to help the team. Then next off-season I’ll have them look at making a trade for a superstar and adding another veteran in the front court to round things out. In the draft my ideal pair for the Magic would be Anthony Black and Gradey Dick. Both have tremendous two way upside as well as the ability to contribute both on and off the ball on offense. They each measure out in the 6’6”-6’8” range with some spring to their step. This creates lots of options for Orlando in the backcourt and on the wing for the future. This will be an area where Orlando can flip some pieces for one significant one.
When deciding who would be a good trade piece I went back and forth on whether I wanted to prioritize a big or guard who can shoot. With Wendell Carter Jr. who’s only 24, Bol Bol who has massive upside, Mo Wagner who is a nice piece as a stretch-five, plus the ability to find good defensive and rebounding bigs for cheap in today’s shooting-oriented league, I decided to go with a guard. Being realistic when making up a trade for a superstar is always tough. You never know what price tag a team is going to place on a player, or if the other team is going to oversell. It was also tough to decide who to pick because Orlando is a small-market and most superstars wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to go there. This is why I settled on Portland Blazers guard Damian Lillard. He’s someone that has been underappreciated in the league for a long-time. In large part due to his loyalty to the Blazers despite their inability to put another superstar with him. As much as I loved him and CJ McCollum, CJ is more of a number three or four option than he is a number two on a championship level team.
Orlando has two first-round picks in the 2025 draft, so both of those would go to Portland in the deal. I think they could find a way to hold on to their 2024 first to add another piece. Primarily because Portland would be focused on the future and would be more focused on total accumulation of picks versus one’s closer to the now. However, with deals like the Rudy Gobert trade where the Jazz received five players and picks from Minnesota, there is certainly going to be more to the deal. Also going to Portland will be Orlando’s 2026, 2027 and 2028 first round picks. This matches the five that Utah received. Additionally the Magic would include Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony and Jonathon Issac. This would give Portland a mix of established but still young players that you could build a competitive core around, and Anthony has shown the upside that he could potentially be a Jalen Brunso level contributor. Obviously if Anthony made that jump in the next season Orlando would not pursue this deal. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Especially if the team adds guys like Dick and Black (Wow I did not realize I did that with the names), there is going to be limited minutes in the back-court. Since Suggs would fit better alongside Lillard as a defender he seems the more likely option to stay.
After making this deal the Magic should look to add a few veterans. With more limited cap space due to Lillard’s contract they’ll have to seek a more economical route. Three guys I’ve focused on are: Jonas Valanciunas, Marcus Morris Sr., and Jordan Clarkson. This gives an added piece at the guard, wing and big positions. Valanciunas and Morris will bring a tough minded presence that should help give them an edge defensively, and Clarkson is capable of having high-level scoring spurts off the bench as well as experience. This leaves one more spot for the Magic to fill. A 3&D style wing would go a long way in helping the team in terms of depth. Between Black, Suggs, Wagner and Dick they have a good compliment already, but wing defenders are the calling card of great defensive teams in today’s NBA, so adding one more with upside is only going to help. I zeroed in on Julian Philips, a 6’7” wing from Tennessee who needs polish but has big time 3&D potential. He currently is projected as a mid-first round pick in the 2024 draft which is where they will pick if they do improve to middle-seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2023-24 season.
These additions should set Orlando up nicely to compete in the East and beyond starting in the 2024-25 season. They key from there is going to be health (which is always a bit of luck of the draw), extending stars like Banchero, Wagner and probably Lillard as he’ll be in the last year of his deal when he arrives prior to the start of the 2024 season, replacing aging veterans with new ones, and finally continuing to scout and develop young talent. The Magic haven’t been given enough credit for taking Bancher first in the 2022 draft. Many had Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith Jr. as the first pick, but the Magic went with Banchero, and through one year at least it has paid huge dividends.
Below I’ll list all the key pieces of the first Orlando Magic championship team. It’s going to be exciting to see what Orlando does to continue to build in the next few months, as they are entering a similar period as the Bears, where the future is created. My tip to them is to check out this rebuilding guide for help. Just kidding, because like the title indicates, I’m unqualified. I hope everyone who read the Magic rebuild enjoyed what I layed out for them, and make sure to check out the other completed series.
Final roster- ()=players current college/team
Paolo Banchero, Forward/Wing
Franz Wagner, Wing
Jalen Suggs, Guard
Damian Lillard, Guard (Blazers)
Wendell Carter Jr., Center
Jordan Clarkson, Guard (Jazz)
Anthony Black, Guard/Wing (Arkansas)
Gradey Dick, Guard/Wing (Kansas)
Julian Philips, Wing (Tennessee)
Bol Bol, Center/Forward
Marcus Morris Sr., Wing/Forward (Clippers)
Jonas Valanciunas, Center (Pelicans)
Unqualified GM 
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