3 takeaways from the Orlando Magic 2021-2022 season

3 takeaways from the Orlando Magic 2021-2022 season: 1. Some players have to go

It is a topic we will surely come back to as the offseason unfolds, but it is clear now that some players have to go so that the group can move forward. Chief among these is Jonathan Isaac, who has now missed two full seasons. It is not about what he believes in or how he conducts himself away from the court. By all accounts, he appears to be a well-liked teammate.

Instead, it is the fact that he is never going to be the player that the organization want him to be now, and needed him to be when they drafted him. There may have been Defensive Player of the Year potential, but in truth, we saw that for about a handful of games across multiple years that were cut short by injury.

Let Isaac go and see what, if anything, can be gotten in return. The rotation is filling with guys like Wagner, Carter Jr. and maybe even Bol Bol, who will make fans forget about Isaac quickly. He still has a role in the league, it is just no longer a big one with a growing Magic team as their defensive anchor.

The same is also true of Mohamed Bamba. The time has come to be more ruthless as they look to get the right mix of players into their rotation, and Bamba is not it. He’s had his chances and quite incredibly, at this point has shown more consistency than Isaac out there. Which is saying a lot when you consider inconsistency is the biggest problem with Bamba.

All of the raw skills have been there for years. You can’t teach height. He’s even a pretty good three-point shooter every once in a while (career 38.1 percent from deep). But after four years and with a new contract on the horizon, it is time to just admit that the franchise should have picked Carter Jr. at the time and gone from there.

We know centers mature at a slower rate than other players, and Bamba could yet turn into a serviceable big man at his next stop. But with Carter Jr. on one of the best contracts in the league, Fultz on the books and the younger guys coming through going to have to get paid sooner rather than later, are you comfortable giving Bamba $80 million? $60 million? Even $40 million? Exactly, and that’s why he’s got to go before next season begins.