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:
- Standard contracts:
- Nikola Vucevic: Four years, $100MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Terrence Ross: Four years, $50MM. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Al-Farouq Aminu: Three years, $29.16MM. Third-year player option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Khem Birch: Two years, $6MM. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
- Michael Carter-Williams: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Jon Davis: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Isaac Humphries: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- DaQuan Jeffries: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- B.J. Johnson: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Vic Law: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10).
- Hassani Gravett: One year, minimum salary (Exhibit 10) (Waived).
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:
- 1-16: Chuma Okeke — Signing G League contract; will sign rookie contract in 2020.
Departing players:
- Troy Caupain (two-way)
- Jerian Grant
- Jarell Martin
- Timofey Mozgov (waived and stretched)
Other offseason news:
- Exercised 2020/21 rookie scale options on Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, and Mohamed Bamba.
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.
In theory, the Magic’s decision to use its mid-level exception to bring in a reliable veteran free agent was a good one. After all, with all the club’s top free agents getting new deals, the MLE was the best tool Orlando had available to upgrade its roster immediately.