Are the Orlando Magic an ideal candidate for relocation?

It may seem impossible, but could the Orlando Magic one day soon be relocated to another state?

The Orlando Magic have been so caught up in the short-term recently that they likely haven’t had time to ponder what their long-term future may look like — and where.

Missing the playoffs for five straight seasons will do that to any team, and so right now it’s imperative the product they put on the floor equates to more wins. Not just because fans want to cheer on a competitive team, but because of the implications that exist the longer the franchise is mediocre.

It might be crazy to bring up given how the NBA is going from strength to strength, but could the Magic one day soon actually be relocated from the state altogether?

The short answer here is no, but to believe that’s the whole story is to bury your head in the sand somewhat. This likely wouldn’t even have been an issue, but for two key pieces of news that have come about in the past couple of weeks.

Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images /

The first — and more troubling — of the two was the confidential report which ESPN obtained, showing that the team operated at a loss last season.

Even worse? The Magic remained in the minus even after recouping some money through the revenue sharing system that the franchises currently operate under.

That’s not a great start, sure, but not enough reason to panic. After all, there were eight other teams who fell into the same category.

Here’s where it gets a little trickier, and it leads directly into the second point. Current Magic owner Richard DeVos is 91. When he relinquishes control of the team, which you figure will be sooner rather than later, it will fall into the hands of his family.

That’s all well and good, but with the team operating at a loss, why would anybody want to continue pumping money into a team with zero title aspirations year after year? DeVos, and by extension, his family, have obscene money, but they could also turn their investments elsewhere.

If you weren’t paying attention, Leslie Alexander recently sold the Houston Rockets for $2.2 billion.

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A figure even half of that (which the Magic would easily sell for, and then some) has to be enticing to an ownership group that has rolled with the team for a long time now.

There have been some great times, and in fact, you could argue that since coming into existence in the late 80s that the team has had great luck with the draft and success in the postseason.

They’ve never won a title, but they’ve come closer than other teams, all while employing stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill.

With that being said, there may never be a better time to sell, and should that happen, it would set in motion the strong likelihood of the Magic being moved.

Despite having generous tax incentives, Orlando is still deemed a small market to free agents, unless they’re approaching contender status.

Since Howard left in 2012, who is the biggest player to willingly join the team? It’s probably Jonathon Simmons, isn’t it? It’s great that he’ll be playing for the Magic for the next three years, but the truth is premier free agents don’t even get in the same room as the top brass from the team.

They also lag behind the Miami Heat in this regard, who, if nothing else, can promise players the chance to live in Miami. They also have Pat Riley at their negotiating table.

Does Florida really need to have two teams then? If the team was bought, wouldn’t they be an ideal franchise to relocate to another area?

Somewhere like Seattle? A fanbase who would love to have their SuperSonics back, in a city that would be a more attractive destination to players than Orlando?

We don’t need to get political here either, but we’re currently living through a time where NBA players feel the need to stand up against the current President of the United States.

The DeVos family has links to the current administration, and although it may sound silly to even suggest, a new owner may want to leave those ties behind as well.

Of course, the flip side of this argument is that the team’s AmWay Center arena was given a major facelift around the time Howard left town. It’s difficult to imagine a venue like that not being used for a professional sports team to play in it, and at present the Magic are the only tenants.

The city also owns the arena, despite the Magic themselves paying for renovations — another reason a move doesn’t seem likely. They wouldn’t have agreed to construction like this without guarantees that the team was going nowhere.

Yet despite this, we know there are markets always on the lookout for teams to potentially move there, and certain franchises are too iconic to relocate.

Which leaves the Magic, with a deep but short-lived history, as one of the more ideal candidates should a suitor ever materialize.

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