Orlando Magic: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason
By Chris Murch
2. Magic are playing for the future
Not making a play for a star point guard, re-signing 22-year-old Aaron Gordon to a massive, multi-year deal and drafting raw talent with potential tells me one thing about the Magic’s strategy for this season: They aren’t ready to compete for the playoffs this year. I hope they prove me totally wrong, but I just don’t see it. Instead, it looks they are playing for the future.
This is a strategy I like for Orlando this season. With the expiring contracts of Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross, the Magic will have a lot more room to work with in the 2019 offseason. They will open up almost $20 million in cap space next summer if they don’t re-sign those two, which is a wait-and-see at this moment, but would probably be smart.
An intelligent move for the Magic is to really develop their younger players and build for the future. As I wrote in a previous article, getting the ball in Jonathan Isaac’s hands is important for his development in his sophomore season.
Besides Aaron Gordon and an injured Evan Fournier, the Magic didn’t have a lot of go-to scorers last year. Adding Isaac to that list will only help the Magic win some games and improve the team’s standing with potential free agents. Having two 15-20 point scorers under the age of 22, in Gordon and Isaac, would provide a backbone for the Magic’s future and something to expand and build upon.
Last year, the Magic were the 10th-youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 25.3. With the addition of three new rookies and Isaiah Briscoe, that number will most likely decrease this year.
Winning with youth has worked recently in the NBA (i.e. the Philadelphia 76ers), but it is not a proven method for success, especially when the Magic have been inconsistent in the draft and unable to hold onto late bloomers like Victor Oladipo and Tobias Harris.
The Magic have to learn from their mistakes and allow their young players to develop and grow. There’s a reason that guys like Oladipo, Harris and Moe Harkless leave the Magic and are immediately better. Get the ball in Isaac and Bamba’s hands a lot. The future is bright if done right.