The Magic want to re-sign Evan Fournier, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “One of our biggest, if not our biggest, priorit[ies] is to make sure Evan stays with us,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said, “and we’re confident we’ll be able to do that.” Orlando intends to pursue targeted free agents aggressive this summer but won’t overspend out of desperation if it doesn’t land one of its top targets, Robbins adds.
Here’s more out of Orlando:
- The Magic would likely benefit from adding difference-making veterans this offseason, Robbins details in a separate piece. Jason Smith and C.J. Watson are the Magic’s most-tenured players, but they’re role players, Robbins writes. To add more experienced players, the Magic have up to $45MM in cap space for free agents, as Robbins points out.
- Orlando does not have a star returning and its chances of landing one this summer are slim, but the Celtics and Hornets have proven that the Magic can still experience a winning season, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel opines.
- Mario Hezonja figures to have a critical role for the Magic going forward and he will stay busy this summer by playing for Croatia in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament from July 4th through July 9th in Italy, Robbins writes in another piece. The summer between a player’s first and second seasons typically is a crucial time in a player’s career, as Robbins notes, so it will be interesting to see how Hezonja responds.