1. Have Evan Fournier opt in
While the Magic had offensive issues last season, Evan Fournier was still efficient. He averaged 18.5 points, 3.2 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 31.5 minutes per game. He was the second top scorer for the Magic behind Nikola Vuvevic.
Fournier’s shot selection and therefore efficiency was high-level last season. He had a slash line of .467/.399/.818 which gave him an effective field goal percentage of 56.0. This was the best since his rookie campaign where he had an effective field goal percentage of 56.6.
The difference is the volume of shots he is taking. During his rookie campaign, Fournier took 4.0 field goal attempts, including 1.4 shots from 3-point land per game. Compare that to last season where Fournier took 14.1 field goal attempts, including 6.6 from behind the long line.
His 18.5 points per game was a new career-high for the 27-year-old. This could mean that Fournier chooses to opt out of his deal to test the waters as the free agent pool is fairly shallow this season. As the final year of his deal is worth $17 million, there is a good chance that he will stay.
This means that most teams that have the ability to sign Fournier to a higher contract are towards the bottom of the standings. This leads us to the question of whether the Frenchman will go for money or winning.
Given that he has played the last six seasons with the Magic, it is safe to assume that he will stay, for at least the next season. The Magic will be hoping so because his production will not easily be replaced.