NBA Power Rankings Preseason Edition: Lakers moves lead the way
. . Orlando Magic. 30. team. 38.
Last Season: 21-51, 14th in Eastern Conference
The Orlando Magic fought a complete rebuild for years after the departure of Dwight Howard, but they have finally embraced it and torn down most of the team’s veterans. Terrence Ross and Robin Lopez will likely be the two exceptions to a rotation built on youth and upside.
The Magic will be gunning for the worst record in the league and consequently the best lottery odds. This offseason they did sign Lopez to a modest one-year, $5 million contract, likely employing him as a veteran mentor to Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. He probably signed with the team to live close to the Happiest Place on Earth, Walt Disney World.
Key Offseason Move: Drafting Jalen Suggs. When the Magic landed at fifth in the 2021 NBA Draft, a draft with four elite prospects, it looked as if they would yet again be left in the cold. Instead the Toronto Raptors surprisingly took Scottie Barnes at No. 4 and let Suggs fall to the Magic at No. 5.
He was dynamic in Summer League and will step in as a starter from day one. He has a very good shot at becoming the offensive centerpiece this core so desperately needs. In an otherwise quiet offseason, adding Suggs could be the cornerstone on which the Magic’s future is built.