August 07, 2024
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
Are young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner ready to lead a new era of Orlando Magic basketball?
With much of the Sixers' 2024-25 roster locked in more than a month removed from the start of a franchise-altering free agency, the time has come to evaluate their opposition in the Eastern Conference: of last season's playoff teams in the East, which ones pose the biggest threats to the Sixers, and how do the teams match up with this new-look team?
Up fifth is a team that has one of the strongest young cores in the league and added a critical veteran to its group this summer: the Orlando Magic.
The Magic were long thought to be the Sixers' most fierce competition for Paul George should the nine-time All-Star leave the Los Angeles Clippers, but of course, George ultimately opted to join the Sixers. Orlando's pivot was strong, adding one high-priced veteran who fits their needs and then rounding out their roster by bringing back some quality rotation pieces:
Added: Tristan da Silva (No. 18 overall pick in NBA Draft), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (free agency), Cory Joseph (free agency)
Retained: Mo Wagner, Gary Harris, Goga Bitadze
Extended: Franz Wagner (five years, $224.2 million), Jonathan Isaac (five years, $85.3 million)
Lost: Markelle Fultz, Joe Ingles
The Magic used their significant cap space to ink two-time NBA champion Kenvatious Caldwell-Pope to a deal that gives them the perfect two-way wing to round out their starting lineup and perform a renegotiation-and-extension with Jonathan Isaac. Isaac's deal elevated his 2024-25 salary significantly while tacking on four cost effective years to his deal that total $59 million, with plenty of guarantee triggers dependent on the health of a player who has often been on the shelf. If the versatile defensive weapon can stay healthy, this will be one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA; if he cannot, the Magic will suffer little penalty for letting him go.
The team brought back their incumbent starting shooting guard in Gary Harris -- who figures to come off the bench behind Caldwell-Pope to begin next season -- as well as two quality backup bigs in Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze, while getting done a max extension with a burgeoning star in Franz Wagner.
Now that the Magic have filled their 15-man roster, we have a pretty good idea of what head coach Jamahl Mosley's rotation will look like:
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Jalen Suggs | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Franz Wagner | Paolo Banchero | Wendell Carter Jr. |
| Cole Anthony | Gary Harris | Anthony Black | Jonathan Isaac | Mo Wagner |
| Cory Joseph | Jett Howard | Tristan da Silva | Caleb Houstan | Goga Bitadze |
This is a good team whose depth is a major strength. They have plenty of rotation-caliber pieces across all positions, and many of those players are capable of sliding across the positional spectrum with ease and scaling their roles up or down depending on what is necessary in a given stretch or game.
The most interesting subplot in Magic circles might be the last wing rotation spot, which could be occupied by several players, including Black, da Silva and Howard.
Like many teams, Orlando does not have a center capable of holding their own against Joel Embiid on a consistent basis. But they do have the requisite perimeter defenders to potentially contain Tyrese Maxey and Paul George: Jalen Suggs has become one of the best guard defenders in the NBA, making him a strong option against Maxey. Isaac and Franz Wagner can both handle a potential George assignment, while Caldwell-Pope and Harris could be toggled between both three-level scorers over the course of a game or series.
Orlando is in a strong position to contend for a star-caliber player should one eventually become available via trade: they have a remarkable amount of young players who have genuine trade value, several players on medium-sized contracts that can help facilitate a move and more than enough draft picks to close the deal. Perhaps adding a high-level guard creator would be ideal, allowing Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero to settle into optimal offensive roles without ever being overtasked. Each one is already more than capable of handling significant offensive responsibilities on a good team, but allowing them more margin for error by adding another feared scorer to the mix would do all parties involved a lot of good.
If Trae Young were to ask out of Atlanta, the Magic would be a wonderful fit as a team that can allow him to run its offense without creating a heliocentric dynamic. Orlando also has the necessary defensive infrastructure to minimize Young's weaknesses on that end of the floor. On a smaller scale, Portland's Anfernee Simons would add shot creation and the sort of shooting ability that would help transform Orlando's offense.
In any case, building around two wing creators as gifted as Franz Wagner and Banchero is a terrific starting point.
The Magic just do not have nearly as much talent as the Sixers for now, and so they would likely be clear underdogs in a potential playoff series between the two teams. But it could still make for a compelling one.
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