Orlando Magic: Detailing GM Rob Hennigan’s Offseason Plan

Orlando Magic general manager Rob Hennigan had a clear-cut vision of how he was going to rebuild the Magic franchise when he was hired last June. Unfortunately for Magic fans, it did not include winning immediately, evidenced by the Magic finishing with a league-worst 20-62 record this season. It was inevitable: Magic fans were going to be haunted by the Dwightmare forever. How could they ever move on without Superman, Dwight Howard, in Disney World?

Hennigan’s plan is simple: To follow the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs model by building a team through the draft. This is a wise approach for a franchise in rebuild mode that has the third-highest payroll in the league, according to Hoopshype.com.

Hennigan also knew that he had to hire a coach who was capable of developing players, someone who knew the success of the team would not be judged on how many wins it had. This was one of the reasons why Jacque Vaughn was hired over other top assistant coaches such as Brian Shaw, Michael Malone and Quin Snyder. Shaw, the former Magic player, was widely considered to be the favorite, coming from the Los Angeles Lakers under the tutelage of Phil Jackson. Hennigan decided to go with Vaughn, who also played for the Magic, as he figured Shaw’s credentials as a top assistant coach who could win now would not mesh well with the lack of talent on the Magic roster.

Magic fans had to suffer last year and can only hope the team will be more competitive next season after landing the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, but will they? Will the losing continue?

If you followed the rise of the Thunder franchise to where they are now, they were able to land Kevin Durant with the second overall pick in 2007, Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick a year later and James Harden with the third pick in 2009. If Hennigan is following that model, do not expect the Magic to be active in free agency this offseason. It is in the Magic’s best interest to develop the players they have now, which most likely will mean finishing next season towards the bottom of the league. The team will compete with a roster full of young, talented players, some of whom Hennigan acquired last season via trade. With a young trio of Maurice Harkless, Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic, Hennigan has foundation blocks to build upon and if he can hit a home run with a few draft picks, the Magic will be competing again in a few years.

This is what Hennigan had to say at the end of this season:

The Magic currently only have two free agents, but there are a couple of players that could be waived to save money.

Hedo Turkoglu is scheduled to make $12 million in salary next season. The Magic can waive him since only $6 million is guaranteed. At 34, Turkoglu has no fit on this team and is no longer the 6’10” playmaker who excelled playing the pick-and-roll with Dwight Howard. There’s a good chance Turkoglu is not on the roster come opening night.

Another player who may have played his last game in a Magic uniform is veteran Al Harrington. He’s only guaranteed a little more than $3 million next season and it would only make sense for the Magic to waive him and let him find a spot with a team competing for a championship. The veteran presence on this team is going to come from the likes of Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis and Arron Afflalo.

Free-agent point guard Beno Udrih was a serviceable backup once acquired in the trade from the Milwaukee Bucks which also brought Tobias Harris and Doron Lamb for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith. He’ll turn 31 next month and in no way should the Magic be in a rush to sign him since they already have E’Twaun Moore, who can score, and an aging Nelson at the point guard spot.

The only other free agent, DeQuan Jones, is an interesting player. At 6’8” and 221 pounds, he’s got exceptional size, length and athleticism to become an elite perimeter defender. In today’s NBA, you better have an elite defensive stopper on the wing. Offensively though, Jones leaves a lot to be desired. His spot on the roster could potentially be filled by a second-round draft pick.

This offseason for the Magic is all about setting up for the future. They can save money by waiving Turkoglu and Harrington and award younger players like Harkless, Harris and Andrew Nicholson more playing time. Next summer, the Magic will also have the cap space to sign a big-name free agent.

In terms of this year’s draft, the Magic do have a few options. They have already been linked to trade rumors and according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, the second overall pick may be up for sale. They could possibly trade down and gather more draft picks since this draft does not really have many potential franchise players. Nevertheless, Ben McLemore would be a perfect fit and talent for the Magic. He has already said he would love to play in Orlando.

Magic fans have to trust Hennigan’s plan. He immediately gained credibility by passing on Andrew Bynum in the Dwight Howard trade. He then traded for Tobias Harris before the trading deadline last season, which seems to have been a tremendous pickup. Is drafting McLemore Hennigan’s next big move?

Let’s fast forward to what the summer of 2014 could look like for the Magic. They could land a top-three pick which would undoubtedly guarantee them a chance to draft a potential franchise player in Andrew Wiggins, Marcus Smart, Jabari Parker or Julius Randle. Wiggins, who will take his talents to Kansas next season, is considered to be the best high school prospect to come along since LeBron James and has dealt with media exposure at a young age. Even if the Magic win a few more games than this season, they would still have a legit shot at drafting Wiggins. Imagine pairing Wiggins with a core of Harris, Harkless, Vucevic and McLemore (if drafted this year). Alongside that, they will have the cap space to sign a big-name free agent. The appeal of Orlando is already enticing enough, with Disney World and no state income tax. Add cap space and a solid young core to that mix and we are potentially talking about the next Thunder or Spurs in a few years. Would that be enough so Magic fans can stop having Dwightmares?

Time will tell, but Hennigan’s blueprint could not be clearer. The franchise’s next big move will be deciding who the second overall pick will be. The Magic faithful can only hope the youngest GM in the league knows what he is doing. You know how the saying goes: In Rob we trust.