Report: Magic shift attention away from draft, toward free agency
Can the Orlando Magic really sign a marquee free agent? And what happens if they can't land one of their top targets?
By
Matt Moore
•
3 min read
Last summer, I wrote a column on the different ways that teams can rebuild, highlighting the Celtics, Magic and Sixers. There were upsides and downsides to all three different approaches, and it looked even last year like this would be a pivotal season for each team.
The Sixers have hit the downside, having their worst season of the three rebuilding years. The Celtics have hit the upside, showcased best by their knocking off the Warriors on Friday night.
The Magic landed somewhere in the middle. Here's what I wrote last summer on Orlando:
However, there's only two real ways this season can go for Orlando: The young core starts to develop, Hezonja looks like a legit star, the team comes together and they at least vault into the B-version of the 2009 Thunder -- which is to say not a good team, but you could see where they're going. Or, the glass-half-empty result, they wind up being mediocre again, and instead of a young, building team, they're just a mediocre team with young talent that isn't going anywhere.
Source: Different paths to rebuilding: A view of the Sixers, Celtics, Magic - CBSSports.com.
Yeah, pretty much that part. After a promising start to the year (19-11 through December 31st), the Magic cratered (7-19 in January and February). That led to a surprising move as Orlando traded Tobias Harris at the trade deadline, not for young prospects or a draft pick, but for two expiring contracts in Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova. The move was a clear telegraph that the Magic wanted to clear cap space for a big free agency signing.
This shift in focus is alarming for some. Trying to accelerate rebuilding plans with big free agency acquisitions, especially for small markets, can lead to deep, expensive mediocrity. While the Magic's young rebuilding team has been mediocre, it's improving as the core gets older. That doesn't happen when you start stuffing the roster with veterans.
But that certainly seems to be the direction the Magic are on. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the team's focus is shifting in the wake of Orlando missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
Once thought to be a lifeline in the rebuild, the draft is just a supplement now for the Magic. All the attention is on landing free agents to shepherd the accumulated picks or trading any of these assets in a deal for a veteran.
Source: Draft luck didn't go Magic's way in rebuild -- Orlando Sentinel.
If the Magic are able to pull off a coup here, then great. They can move forward with a new core built around a marquee star. The Magic had interested Paul Millsap last year before the All-Star re-signed with Atlanta. Orlando is expected to solicit similar interest in Al Horford, who was a college star at the University of Florida, possibly looking to reunite him with Joakim Noah who will also be a free agent. Dwight Howard is another potential target, with the Magic considering bringing back the star after his terrible series of decisions that led to the Dwightmare. And there have been rumors that the Magic could look to sign Mavs forward Chandler Parsons.
Look at those names, though. Horford will be 30 this summer. Noah is over 30. Howard is over 30. Parsons has been shut down for another knee surgery.
These are all great players to add to a star-stocked team looking to bolster their attack. They are all terrible options for a team looking to move forward and take big steps forward. Those players are fraught with age and injury concerns. The draft still remains the best way to build, and sticking with what is a really talented group of players with Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon (along with Mario Hezonja) still gives them a great deal of potential for future growth.
Unfortunately, it's clear that Orlando is done being patient. They want to make big strides. If they strike gold, it could leap them forward. If they don't, in what is a very weak and extremely expensive free agency class, it could have devastating effects on their future.
Good luck with that.
