Predicting where the NBA's top 20 free agents will play in 2024–25
By Dalton Sell
15. D'Angelo Russell - Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic need a point guard, and with an abundance of spending money, they likely will not be shy to pay up to get their guy. If your franchise needs a leading point guard, this is not the greatest upcoming free agent class to have a ton of spending money, but perhaps the Magic could go for one of the top names on the market in D'Angelo Russell, regardless.
Russell would be a strong complementary piece to add to the rising Magic. With a clear-cut franchise star in Paolo Banchero and great supporting pieces like Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Issac, as well as the potential to add more pieces, this team could make some legitimate noise soon. Adding Russell to lead the charge as floor general could help speed up that process.
Coming off a solid season where he averaged 18 points and 6.3 assists while shooting a career-high 41.5 percent from three, Russell could provide the necessary ball-handling and scoring to take some of the pressure teams will place on Banchero. As talked about with the Spurs, a table-setter could be just what the team's franchise star needs to elevate their game to the next level.
If Orlando extends Russell a massive, multi-year deal, which seems like a reasonable guess, he'll likely be donning a blue jersey next year.