Hoops Rumors Originals

Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Free Agent Tracker

The NBA’s 2019 offseason is now in the books, with the regular season getting underway on Tuesday night. In case you didn’t keep up with this summer’s signings, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are on which teams this fall.

To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

Now that the regular season is underway, our tracker will no longer be updated with the latest signings, since it’s meant to provide a snapshot of the offseason.

Our 2019 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.” If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

The tracker includes every team’s non-guaranteed contract agreements for the offseason, so a number of the players listed have since been waived. When viewing the tracker, you can eliminate non-guaranteed deals by using the filter option to turn off “summer contracts,” though a small handful of players who signed summer contracts did eventually made regular season rosters.

Our list of current free agents identifies the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

Note: If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots To Start Season

As of Monday’s roster cutdown deadline, no NBA team is carrying more than 17 players in total — 15 on standard contracts and two on two-way deals. However, not every team is making use of all 17 roster spots available to them.

Currently, a third of the league’s 30 teams have at least one open roster spot, either on their regular roster or in their two-way slots.

For most clubs, that decision is financially motivated — teams like the Magic and Nuggets are getting dangerously close to the tax line and prefer to avoid moving even closer by paying an extra player or two. The Thunder and Trail Blazers are already over the tax and won’t want to push their projected bills higher.

For teams like the Heat and Warriors, the decision not to carry a 15th man is dictated by the hard cap — neither club currently has sufficient room under the hard cap for more than 14 players.

Teams’ reasoning for retaining an open two-way spot is less clear. Those players earn very modest salaries and don’t count against the cap, so finances shouldn’t be a factor. Perhaps the teams with two-way openings are still considering their options before G League training camps begin next week, recognizing that any two-way player they sign now is unlikely to actually play for the NBA team this week.

Listed below, with the help of our roster counts breakdown, are the teams that aren’t carrying full rosters.

Teams with an open 15-man roster spot:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Miami Heat
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Orlando Magic
    • Note: The Magic have two open roster spots, giving them two weeks to get to the required minimum of 14 players.
  • Portland Trail Blazers

Teams with an open two-way slot:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Phoenix Suns

2019 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap

The NBA’s annual deadline for rookie scale contract extensions passed on Monday, with a flurry of deals completed just before time ran out. In total, nine players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed new contracts, which represented a significant increase over the last two years and put 2019 more in line with some earlier extension periods.

From 2012 to 2016, for instance, a total of 38 players signed rookie scale extensions before the October deadline, an average of nearly eight per year. By comparison, only four players signed early deals in 2017 and five did so in 2018. This year was the first time since 2014 that as many as nine rookie scale extensions had been signed in a single year.

Here’s a breakdown of the nine rookie scale extensions signed before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value. In cases where we haven’t yet seen the official contract terms for the extension, we’re basing our figures on the latest reports. These deals will go into effect beginning in 2020/21:

  • Ben Simmons (Sixers): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story). Projected value of $168.2MM. Starting salary can be worth up to 30% of the cap if Simmons earns All-NBA honors in 2020 (full details). Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Jamal Murray (Nuggets): Five years, 25% maximum salary (story). Projected value of $168.2MM. Starting salary can be worth up to 30% of the cap if Murray earns All-NBA honors in 2020 (full details).
  • Pascal Siakam (Raptors): Four years, 25% maximum salary (story). Projected value of $129.92MM. Starting salary can be worth between 28-30% of the cap if Siakam earns All-NBA or MVP honors in 2020 (full details).
  • Jaylen Brown (Celtics): Four years, $103MM (story). Includes $12MM in incentives.
  • Buddy Hield (Kings): Four years, $86MM (story). Includes $20MM in incentives.
  • Domantas Sabonis (Pacers): Four years, $74.9MM (story). Includes $10.4MM in incentives.
  • Dejounte Murray (Spurs): Four years, $64MM (story). Includes $6MM in incentives.
  • Caris LeVert (Nets): Three years, $52.5MM (story).
  • Taurean Prince (Nets): Two years, $25.3MM (story). Includes $3.7MM in incentives.

There are a couple factors that could go a long way toward explaining the jump in rookie scale extensions in 2019.

One of those factors, as John Hollinger of The Athletic explains, is a weak 2020 free agent class. This seems counter-intuitive, since not signing a rookie scale extension now would have positioned some of the players listed above to be among the very best players in next year’s class. There’s just one problem with that plan though — hardly any teams will have the cap room available to bid on them.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks observed over the weekend (via Twitter), there are only four teams that currently project to have the cap room necessary to sign a restricted free agent to a big offer sheet next summer. Those four clubs are the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, all of whom are expected to be among the league’s worst teams in 2019/20.

If a few players who signed extensions had waited for next summer, it’s possible they could have secured a more lucrative offer sheet from one of those teams. But there wouldn’t have been enough money to go around for all of them to land big paydays, especially if some of those rebuilding clubs use cap room to take on contracts in trades. Plus, even if those teams retained their cap room, there’s no guarantee they’d even appeal to 2020’s potential RFAs.

The second factor for the rookie scale extension rush is related to China. Multiple reporters, including Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), have pointed out that players and agents are a little concerned about how the NBA’s ongoing standoff with its Chinese partners will impact the salary cap in 2020 and beyond.

Before the NBA’s issues in China began, the league projected a $116MM cap for 2020/21. If that number dips before next June, it would further limit teams’ abilities to spend. Additionally, the difference between, say, Jaylen Brown‘s new $103MM+ extension with the Celtics and a maximum-salary offer sheet in free agency wouldn’t be in substantial as current projections suggest.

While nine players signed rookie scale extensions, that leaves 11 players who were eligible for a new deal and didn’t get one. Here’s the list of those players, who are now eligible to become restricted free agents during the 2020 offseason, assuming they finish their current contracts:

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors Writers’ 2019/20 NBA Predictions

The NBA’s 2019/20 regular season will tip off on Tuesday night, as the defending-champion Raptors host the Pelicans in the early game and the Lakers “visit” the Clippers in the late game.

With opening night finally here, the Hoops Rumors writing team is weighing in with our predictions for the coming year.

Listed below are our picks for the Eastern and Western Conference standings, the major awards, and – of course – the eventual champions. Disagree with our takes? Head down to the comment section to weigh in with your own predictions!


Luke Adams:

East Eastern Finals
1 Sixers Sixers over Bucks
2 Bucks Western Finals
3 Celtics Clippers over Rockets
4 Magic NBA Finals
5 Raptors Clippers over Sixers
6 Heat MVP
7 Nets Nikola Jokic
8 Pacers Rookie of the Year
West Ja Morant
1 Nuggets Defensive Player of the Year
2 Clippers Joel Embiid
3 Jazz Sixth Man of the Year
4 Rockets Spencer Dinwiddie
5 Lakers Most Improved Player
6 Spurs Jonathan Isaac
7 Blazers Coach of the Year
8 Warriors Steve Clifford

Chris Crouse:

East Eastern Finals
1 Sixers Sixers over Bucks
2 Bucks Western Finals
3 Celtics Lakers over Rockets
4 Heat NBA Finals
5 Nets Sixers over Lakers
6 Pacers MVP
7 Raptors Ben Simmons
8 Bulls Rookie of the Year
West Zion Williamson
1 Jazz Defensive Player of the Year
2 Rockets Rudy Gobert
3 Clippers Sixth Man of the Year
4 Lakers Lou Williams
5 Nuggets Most Improved Player
6 Warriors Bam Adebayo
7 Blazers Coach of the Year
8 Spurs Quin Snyder

Dana Gauruder:

East Eastern Finals
1 Bucks Bucks over Sixers
2 Celtics Western Finals
3 Sixers Clippers over Nuggets
4 Heat NBA Finals
5 Pacers Bucks over Clippers
6 Pistons MVP
7 Nets Kawhi Leonard
8 Raptors Rookie of the Year
West Ja Morant
1 Lakers Defensive Player of the Year
2 Clippers Rudy Gobert
3 Nuggets Sixth Man of the Year
4 Rockets Derrick Rose
5 Blazers Most Improved Player
6 Jazz Bam Adebayo
7 Kings Coach of the Year
8 Spurs Erik Spoelstra

Arthur Hill:

East Eastern Finals
1 Sixers Sixers over Bucks
2 Bucks Western Finals
3 Celtics Clippers over Rockets
4 Raptors NBA Finals
5 Nets Clippers over Sixers
6 Heat MVP
7 Pacers Anthony Davis
8 Magic Rookie of the Year
West Zion Williamson
1 Clippers Defensive Player of the Year
2 Rockets Rudy Gobert
3 Lakers Sixth Man of the Year
4 Nuggets Lou Williams
5 Jazz Most Improved Player
6 Blazers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
7 Warriors Coach of the Year
8 Spurs Doc Rivers

Austin Kent:

East Eastern Finals
1 Bucks Bucks over Raptors
2 Raptors Western Finals
3 Sixers Rockets over Warriors
4 Pacers NBA Finals
5 Celtics Bucks over Rockets
6 Nets MVP
7 Heat Giannis Antetokounmpo
8 Pistons Rookie of the Year
West Darius Garland
1 Rockets Defensive Player of the Year
2 Nuggets Draymond Green
3 Clippers Sixth Man of the Year
4 Lakers Derrick Rose
5 Jazz Most Improved Player
6 Warriors Thomas Bryant
7 Blazers Coach of the Year
8 Mavericks Nick Nurse

JD Shaw:

East Eastern Finals
1 Bucks Sixers over Bucks
2 Sixers Western Finals
3 Nets Clippers over Lakers
4 Celtics NBA Finals
5 Heat Clippers over Sixers
6 Pacers MVP
7 Raptors Giannis Antetokounmpo
8 Bulls Rookie of the Year
West Zion Williamson
1 Clippers Defensive Player of the Year
2 Rockets Rudy Gobert
3 Lakers Sixth Man of the Year
4 Jazz Lou Williams
5 Nuggets Most Improved Player
6 Blazers Lauri Markkanen
7 Warriors Coach of the Year
8 Kings Doc Rivers

NBA Teams With Most, Least Roster Continuity

The NBA’s 2019 offseason featured even more player movement than usual, with new rookies entering the league, free agents changing teams, and a total of 43(!) trades being completed between the end of the 2018/19 season and 2019/20’s opening night.

That roster turnover is reflected in this season’s list of returning players for each team. Last fall, when we looked at the teams with the most and least roster continuity from year to year, a dozen teams were bringing back at least 11 players from their 2017/18 rosters, while only two clubs carried over fewer than eight players.

Heading into the 2019/20 season though, just four teams – the Magic, Nuggets, Spurs, and Mavericks – are bringing back at least 11 players from last year’s end-of-season rosters. Meanwhile, 11 clubs will carry over fewer than eight players from their 2018/19 rosters.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]

Listed below are the number of returning players for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, from most to fewest. Bringing back a significant number of players doesn’t necessarily lead to regular season success, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few of the teams near the top of this list enjoy fast starts due to their players’ familiarity with each other, while teams near the bottom of the list may take some time to get used to their changes.

Here’s the returning-player count for each team:

  1. Orlando Magic: 13
  2. Denver Nuggets: 12
    San Antonio Spurs: 12
  3. Dallas Mavericks: 11
  4. Charlotte Hornets: 10
    Chicago Bulls: 10
    Cleveland Cavaliers: 10
    Houston Rockets: 10
    Miami Heat: 10
    Milwaukee Bucks: 10
    Sacramento Kings: 10
    Toronto Raptors: 10
  5. Detroit Pistons: 9
    Los Angeles Clippers: 9
    Philadelphia 76ers: 9
  6. Boston Celtics: 8
    Indiana Pacers: 8
    Oklahoma City Thunder: 8
    Portland Trail Blazers: 8
  7. Brooklyn Nets: 7
    Minnesota Timberwolves: 7
    New York Knicks: 7
    Utah Jazz: 7
  8. Atlanta Hawks: 6
    Golden State Warriors: 6
    Los Angeles Lakers: 6
    Memphis Grizzlies: 6
    New Orleans Pelicans: 6
    Phoenix Suns: 6
    Washington Wizards: 6

2019/20 NBA Over/Unders: Recap

Over the last two weeks, we’ve been examining projections for all 30 NBA teams for the 2019/20 season, publishing polls asking how many games each club will win. With the help of lines from professional oddsmakers, we’ve had you vote on whether each team will go over or under a given win total, from the Bucks (57.5) all the way through the Hornets (23.5).

Here are the full results of those votes:

Atlantic:

  • Philadelphia 76ers (54.5 wins): Over (54.9%)
  • Boston Celtics (49.5 wins): Under (57.0%)
  • Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Under (59.1%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (43.5 wins): Over (58.3%)
  • New York Knicks (27.5 wins): Under (54.9%)

Central:

  • Milwaukee Bucks (57.5 wins): Over (63.5%)
  • Indiana Pacers (46.5 wins): Over (56.6%)
  • Detroit Pistons (37.5 wins): Over (69.8%)
  • Chicago Bulls (33.5 wins): Under (56.2%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (24.5 wins): Under (70.0%)

Southeast:

  • Miami Heat (43.5 wins): Over (61.8%)
  • Orlando Magic (41.5 wins): Over (52.0%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (33.5 wins): Over (60.2%)
  • Washington Wizards (26.5 wins): Under (65.5%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (23.5 wins): Under (71.2%)

Northwest:

  • Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (51.8%)
  • Utah Jazz (53.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
  • Portland Trail Blazers (46.5 wins): Over (78.7%)
  • Minnesota Timberwolves (35.5 wins): Under (57.5%)
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (32.5 wins): Under (55.1%)

Pacific:

  • Los Angeles Clippers (54.5 wins): Over (53.9%)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (51.5 wins): Over (50.3%)
  • Golden State Warriors (48.5 wins): Over (54.3%)
  • Sacramento Kings (38.5 wins): Over (66.2%)
  • Phoenix Suns (29.5 wins): Under (61.8%)

Southwest:

  • Houston Rockets (54.5 wins): Under (53.7%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (46.5 wins): Over (50.2%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (41.5 wins): Over (67.4%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (39.5 wins): Under (53.8%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (27.5 wins): Under (67.4%)

As those results show, we were fairly split on overs (16) and unders (14). A couple of those “over” votes were extremely close too — the Lakers‘ over earned just a 50.3% share, while the Spurs‘ vote was even tighter, at 50.2% for the over.

Here are the five “over” bets that received the largest vote shares:

  1. Portland Trail Blazers, 46.5 wins: 78.7%
  2. Detroit Pistons, 37.5 wins: 69.8%
  3. Dallas Mavericks, 41.5 wins: 67.4%
  4. Sacramento Kings, 38.5 wins: 66.2%
  5. Milwaukee Bucks, 57.5 wins: 63.5%

Here are the five “under” bets that received the largest vote shares:

  1. Charlotte Hornets, 23.5 wins: 71.2%
  2. Cleveland Cavaliers: 24.5 wins, 70.0%
  3. Memphis Grizzlies, 27.5 wins: 67.4%
  4. Washington Wizards, 26.5 wins: 65.5%
  5. Phoenix Suns, 29.5 wins: 61.8%

There were six teams with projected win totals below 30. Our readers picked the under for all six of those teams, with five of them receiving the largest “under” vote shares. In other words, you think the bad teams will be really bad. That might not be a bad bet — last season, no team had a preseason over/under projection below 23.5 wins, but four clubs finished the season with fewer than 23 wins.

What do you think of our picks in general? Are there any results above that you strongly disagree with? Did you make any over or under votes within the last week or two that you’re second-guessing now? Jump into our comment section below and weigh in with your thoughts!

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/12/19 – 10/19/19

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:

2019 Offseason In Review: Oklahoma City Thunder

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Signings:

Trades:

  • Acquired the draft rights to Darius Bazley (No. 23 pick) and the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick from the Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights to Brandon Clarke (No. 21 pick).
  • Acquired the Nuggets’ 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected) from the Nuggets in exchange for Jerami Grant.
  • Acquired Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Heat’s 2021 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2022 first-round pick (unprotected), the Heat’s 2023 first round pick (top-14 protected), the Clippers’ 2024 first-round pick (unprotected), the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick (unprotected), and the right to swap first-round picks with the Clippers in both 2023 and 2025 from the Clippers in exchange for Paul George.
  • Acquired Chris Paul, the Rockets’ 2024 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Rockets’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected), the right to swap 2021 first-round picks (top-four protected), the right to swap 2025 first-round picks (top-10 protected), and conditional cash ($1MM) from the Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
    • Note: The Rockets would only owe the Thunder $1MM (and a 2026 second-round pick) if the 2026 first-round pick falls in the top four.

Draft picks:

  • 1-23: Darius Bazley — Signed to rookie contract.

Draft-and-stash signings:

  • Devon Hall (2018 draft; No. 53 pick) — Signed to two-way contract.

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

  • Lost assistant coaches Darko Rajakovic, Bob Beyer, and Mark Bryant.
  • Hired Brian Keefe, David Akinyooye, Dave Bliss, Mark Daigneault, and Mike Wilks as assistant coaches.
  • Named Grant Gibbs head coach of G League affiliate (Oklahoma City Blue); named Eric Maynor assistant coach for G League affiliate.

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Over tax line by approximately $921K.
  • Carrying approximately $132.46MM in guaranteed salary.
  • $4.1MM of taxpayer mid-level exception still available ($1.62MM used on Justin Patton).

Story of the summer:

In a span of one week in July, the Thunder’s long-term outlook was flipped on its head, due primarily to a free agency decision made by a player who was neither leaving nor joining the franchise: Kawhi Leonard.

When the free agent period opened on June 30, the Thunder immediately pursued and agreed to deals with low-cost veterans like Mike Muscala and Alec Burks, a signal that the club was focused on filling out its roster with complementary role players around its stars. However, around that same time, Leonard – the top free agent on the market – was convincing Thunder forward Paul George to request a trade to the Clippers, which would allow the two superstars to team up in their hometown of Los Angeles.

The Thunder, presumably recognizing that this was their best chance to maximize George’s value before he went public with his desire to leave Oklahoma City, acquiesced to his trade demand and extracted a massive haul from the Clippers.

At that point, reloading around Russell Westbrook was a still a possibility, but with so many free agents and trade targets already off the market, it would have been a tall task for OKC to acquire the pieces necessary to contend in 2019/20.

Instead, general manager Sam Presti and the front office dove headfirst into the rebuild, acquiring several more first-round draft picks by sending Westbrook to Houston and forward Jerami Grant to Denver. However, that was about as far as the Thunder could get on the trade market, since veterans like Chris Paul and Steven Adams have oversized contracts that will make them difficult to move for positive value.

That leaves the club in a tough spot. With players like Paul, Adams, Danilo Gallinari, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, this is a roster capable of winning some games. But the best thing for the Thunder’s rebuild might be to slide even further down the standings in order to secure a top pick in next year’s draft.

It will be fascinating to see if the Thunder are aggressive in their efforts to further shake up their roster and launch a genuine, full-scale rebuild over the course of the 2019/20 season. Given the veteran talent already on the roster and all the assets the club could dangle in search of upgrades, the front office may feel as if fully bottoming out is unnecessary and instead opt for a brief retooling period.

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Roster, Contract Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams

Monday, October 21 is the last day of the 2019 NBA offseason and serves as the deadline for a number of roster- and contract-related decisions. Here are the deadlines that teams around the NBA are facing on Monday:

  • Roster limits decrease from 20 players to 15, plus two two-way players (4:00pm CT)
  • Last day for teams to sign a player to a rookie scale extension (5:00pm CT).
    [RELATED: Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions]
  • Last day for teams to sign an extension-eligible veteran player with multiple seasons left on his contract to an extension. An extension-eligible veteran player on an expiring deal can still be extended after October 21.
  • Last day for teams to complete sign-and-trade deals.
  • Last day for teams to convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract.
    [RELATED: 2019/20 Two-Way Contract Tracker]

While Monday is technically the roster cutdown deadline, most clubs will make their final moves today. That’s because players on non-guaranteed contracts must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season to avoid having their salaries begin to count against a team’s cap.

For instance, if the Timberwolves were to keep non-guaranteed vet Tyrone Wallace on their roster until Monday, then cut him, the team would be on the hook for a couple days’ worth of his salary, since he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday. That’s not a huge chunk of money, but if clubs have already made their roster decisions, they’re more likely to just make their cuts today.

Teams who plan on releasing players with full or partial guarantees are more likely to wait until Sunday or Monday, since those salaries will count against their cap either way. The Raptors could be one team in this boat, since many of their players without fully guaranteed contracts have partial guarantees worth at least $50K. Those players will receive those guarantees whether they’re waived today or Monday.

Outside of roster cuts, it will be interesting to see how many more teams reach rookie scale extension agreements with their fourth-year players by Monday night at 5:00pm CT. Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons, and Caris LeVert have signed new deals already, but 17 players remain eligible. Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), and Buddy Hield (Kings) are among the strongest candidates for rookie scale extensions in the coming days.

We’ll have updates on moves for all 30 NBA teams as they prepare their rosters for opening night, so be sure to check back often.

2019 Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2019 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2019/20 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Orlando Magic.

Signings:

Trades:

  • Acquired the Lakers’ 2020 second-round pick and cash ($2,226,778) from the Lakers in exchange for the draft rights to Talen Horton-Tucker (No. 46 pick).

Draft picks:

Departing players:

Other offseason news:

Salary cap situation:

  • Remained over the cap.
  • Hard-capped.
  • Carrying approximately $128.83MM in guaranteed salary.
  • Full bi-annual exception ($3.62MM) still available.

Story of the summer:

After enduring six consecutive seasons of 47+ losses, the Magic turned things around in 2018/19. Fueled by one of the NBA’s best defenses, Orlando finished the season on a 22-9 run to claim the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

While it was encouraging step for the franchise, it’s not as if Orlando was a serious contender once the playoffs arrived. So it was somewhat surprising when the Magic essentially doubled down on their current roster this summer, locking up Nikola Vucevic and Terrence Ross to $100MM and $50MM contracts, respectively, and re-signing role players like Khem Birch and Michael Carter-Williams.

The Magic’s approach to the offseason could be interpreted as a sign that they didn’t have enough confidence in their young players to let go of their veterans. It was widely speculated, for instance, that picking Mohamed Bamba with the No. 6 overall pick in 2018 would help pave the way for Orlando to let Vucevic walk. Instead, the team gave its All-Star center a four-year deal worth $25MM annually, creating some uncertainty about where Bamba stands.

But there’s another way to interpret the Magic’s roster moves and what they mean for the team’s young players. After all, the team wasn’t willing to go all-in on a roster that won 42 games in the hopes that it will produce more 42-win seasons — Orlando’s front office thinks this group is capable of getting better.

It’s hard to imagine vets like Vucevic and Ross increasing their production much beyond what they’re providing now, so that internal improvement will have to come from the team’s young players. Bamba can get better. So can forwards Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon. And if the Magic can get anything out of former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, that’d just be a bonus.

It’s fair to question how the Magic will handle their rotation if all those youngsters prove they’re capable of taking on major roles, but that’s the kind of good problem that the team would welcome. For now, Orlando’s veterans should help increase the club’s floor, while the ongoing development of the young players will determine how high its ceiling can be.

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