NBA Free Agency Grades: Orlando Magic
Signings: Mohamed Bamba (2 years, $20.6 million); Bol Bol (2 years, $4.4 million); Gary Harris (2 years, $26 million)
Trades: None
The Orlando Magic’s big move came at the draft, when they took Duke forward Paolo Banchero with the first overall pick in the draft. He joins a collection of recent lottery picks: the Magic now have seven players on their team who went in the top-8 picks of one of the last six drafts, and another three first-round picks still on rookie contracts. The youth movement is happening in earnest, and they’re leaning into high-pedigree players to enact it.
The Magic kept one of those players around by re-signing Mohamed Bamba to a two-year deal worth $10.3 million per season, with the second-year non-guaranteed. He and Wendell Carter Jr. made for a solid center pairing last season and the Magic will run it back for at least one more year.
They ordered the rest of the offseason similarly, bringing back Bol Bol and Gary Harris on two-year deals with the second season non-guaranteed. That makes them valuable trade pieces if the Magic want to consolidate or even go after a player such as Donovan Mitchell. This is a rebuilding team that didn’t need to make any big splashes or risky bets, but they also didn’t lock themselves into any bad money, either.
Grade: B