Orlando Magic: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

5. The Magic have a smart front office

Former general manager Rob Hennigan did such a poor job of steering the Magic though the first portion of their rebuild that whoever followed him was bound to do a better job. This has been the case, but only this year did we really begin to see just what a good job the new front office has been doing.

Hired in May of 2017, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond quickly and quietly set about sorting through the mess that was the Magic roster. They drafted Jonathan Isaac, and followed that up by taking Mohamed Bamba last summer, giving them two extremely long players capable of being difference-makers on the defensive end.

Isaac’s injury-plagued rookie season meant he was forgotten about (with the same also being true of Bamba this year) but 2018-19 was when we started to see just what a good job they’ve been doing. The lottery picks began contributing, and they made a bold move in acquiring Markelle Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fultz may never pan out in Orlando, but giving up Jonathon Simmons, a 2020 first round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder (top-20 protected) and a 2019 second-rounder to get him was a great move. Pairing him with the young core already in place in an environment that is more geared toward development means that going out and getting him was a great move no matter what happens.

The front office have done more than this, however, extending Aaron Gordon to a four-year, $84 million deal to ensure continuity on the roster. They also unearthed Khem Birch from the European wilderness, and his energy off the bench helped to power Orlando’s late season run.

The front office brought a sense of balance that was desperately needed, and they’re sure to be looking for clever ways to improve the team throughout this offseason as well.