As per usual, NBA free agency is absolute chaos. We’ve already seen blockbuster trades, stars and superstars moving on, and some very interesting moves. While the Orlando Magic haven’t made any blockbuster moves, they have been somewhat active so far.
The Orlando Magic had a quiet start to the offseason as all they saw was Otto Porter Jr. walking out on the franchise. The hopes were high coming into the offseason that the Magic would make a move or two for some young assets to pair along with the youthful group of players they already have. So far, through the first day and a half of free agency, that has yet to happen. The only acquisition that the team has made is 33-year-old big man, Robin Lopez.
Lopez is going into his 14th NBA season with his now eighth different team. After starting his career with the Phoenix Suns, he bounced between the New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and most recently the Washington Wizards before making his way to Orlando.
The Orlando Magic finally broke their silence in free agency. Will the Robin Lopez signing pay off for the Magic?
While in the twilight of his career, Lopez has become less of an impact player and is now becoming a basic role player. He hasn’t started more than 40 games since the 2017-2018 season and most likely never will again. His production has dipped since then as well but he’s remained a quality bench piece on playoff teams as of late. Lopez going to the Magic is a head-scratcher as generally, at this point in their careers, players tend to start chasing rings.
While the move is somewhat questionable, there are some advantages. With the youth on this Orlando Magic roster, it seems like he was brought in strictly as a mentor. He teams up once again with his former Chicago Bulls teammate, Wendell Carter Jr., who was acquired in the Nikola Vucevic trade. Lopez has been a vocal leader in the various locker rooms that he’s been in and that won’t be any different in Orlando.
One aspect of his game that the Magic will benefit from is his offensive rebounding. RoLo has been a very good offensive rebounder in the NBA since he entered the league. He has an innate ability to get around defenders and box out. He’s a very strong rebounder and goes up with enough to power that it helps him win most battles on the boards.
One of his weaknesses is his relationship with mascots and he’s no stranger to Orlando’s Stuff the Magic Dragon. Hopefully, Lopez and Stuff will be able to put their differences behind them and be able to work on the same court together without causing any more chaos, if not, get ready for a ton of great clips on social media.