FanPost

Episode 1: Assessment of the Free Agency period for Orlando Magic


Episode 1: Assessment of the Free Agency period for Orlando Magic



The Orlando Magic are having an interesting Free Agency. So far, this is the haul:

IN: Biyombo, Augustin, Green, Ibaka, Meeks

OUT: Nicholson, Ilyasova, Oladipo, Sabonis (11th pick)

RE-SIGNED: Fournier

Let's have a look at the individual moves and see what this means for the Magic in the next season, and especially how it affects the roster depth.

1. Orlango Magic receive: Serge Ibaka C

Orlango Magic give: Ersan Ilyasova PF/C, Victor Oladipo PG/SG, Domantas Sabonis PF/C (No. 11 Pick)

The Orlando Magic receive one the best defensive players in the league, exactly what they needed to supplement Vucevic. They did have to give up Oladipo, which sounds like a lot, but seeing Victor last year play in the Magic proved he just did not fit in any role. I do not think Ilyasova really matters, especially considering all the players coming in, as well as the Sabonis pick. The Magic just do not have any room available to develop more players, as they will have trouble distributing minutes to the young players they have now.

Grade: A


2. Orlando Magic receive: Jodie Meeks, SG

Orlando Magic give: Conditional 2nd rounder

The Magic did not give anything for Jodie, who is a solid rotation player in NBA, so there's that. What will Jodie's role be on the Magic? Most probably backing up Fournier. This leaves no minutes for Hezonja, which puts in question the process and long term plans for development of Magic's young players.

Grade: B

3. Orlando Magic re-sign Evan Fournier, SG/SF, 5 years/ 85m $

This is a superb signing by the Magic, the price is right and it looks like Evan feels like home. The Magic got the starting SG for years to come.

Grade: A+

4. Orlando Magic sign Bismack Biyombo, C, 4 years/ 72m $

Bismack saw his stock rapidly rise in the 2016 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, where he filled the hole in the Raptors starting lineup when Valanciunas went down. Bismack averaged only 5.5 pts per game last year, but he showed he is a defensive presence in the post, which is valued in today's NBA. Bismack will most likely be a backup centre in the Magic, playing behind Vucevic, and sometimes we could see him with Ibaka on the floor.

Grade: B+

5. Orlando Magic sign DJ Augustin, PG, 4 years/28m $
DJ Augustin is a very dependable point guard in the league. He has a solid 2.59 assist/TO career ratio and proved himself in various roles. It remains to be seen whether he will be the backup or will he start in front of the Elfrid Payton. This is an excellent move the Magic, for a small portion of the cap.

Grade: A+

6. Orlando Magic sign Jeff Green, F, 1 year/15m $

This is Jeff Green's 5th team in his 9th year. He will provide a little bit of everything for the team both in offense and defense. The money is reasonable, but the contract length is not. What exactly is the Magic's plan with Jeff? The Magic are not contending for the next couple of years, that's for sure. He will be taking precious minutes from Gordon and Hezonja, minutes young players need. To be clear, I don't see the point for these short contracts for NBA teams, apart from specific scenarios like adding veteran presence in a contending team or low risk high reward deals for prospects. But this one year rental does not make sense for me, long term. It looks like they are trying to salvage the rebuild, or what's left of it.

Grade: C

All in all, Orlando seems to be gunning for the playoffs this year. Best case scenario, they get to 45-48 wins and 2nd round of playoffs. More importantly, they re-sign Ibaka. Losing Serge next year would be devastating for the Magic as the assets they gave for him were substantial. If Serge signs, the risk will pay off.

Long term, I'm not sure what's the plan here. I like the three-headed frontcourt beast of Ibaka-Vucevic-Biyombo in which the Serge and Bismack should complement Nik's rich offensive repertoire, and more importantly cover his defensive shortages. I like Evan Fournier, although he is not an all-star, but his game is efficient and solid.

What I am not sure about is the years the Magic 'invested' in the rebuild, only to trade the players they drafted, or to hide them behind proven players. I am highly interested to see how much playing time both Gordon and Hezonja will see this year. The minutes given to them should reveal the Magic's plans.

I do feel like there is a potential for another trade or two. We will have to wait and see whether Hennigan is done or he has something left.

One thing is for certain: This year's Magic will be more competitive in the Eastern Conference, and this season will be more exciting than last one.

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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