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The Orlando Magic had another quiet free-agent period in their second season under Rob Hennigan, who added a pair of 30-year-old veterans in Jason Maxiell and Ronnie Price to his rebuilding club. Those additions bring Orlando's roster to a full 15 players. In light of the Magic's filled out roster, it's appropriate to look at the team's depth.
Point guard: Jameer Nelson, Ronnie Price
Shooting guard: Arron Afflalo, Victor Oladipo, E'Twaun Moore, Doron Lamb
Small forward: Maurice Harkless, Hedo Türkoğlu
Power forward: Glen Davis, Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson, Al Harrington
Center: Nik Vučević, Jason Maxiell, Kyle O'Quinn
A few notes on the players in italics:
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Turkoglu and Harrington have partial guarantees on their deals and, as neither figures into Orlando's future plans, are strong candidates for buyouts.
At issue is how much money they'd be willing to give up in order to secure their release and, in turn, the opportunity to earn playing time--and, yes, a paycheck--elsewhere.
O'Quinn's salary only becomes fully guaranteed if he's still on the roster as of opening night. It's hard to envision a scenario in which Orlando cuts O'Quinn loose, especially given the fact that he's making the minimum salary.
You may have noticed that Romero Osby, the Magic's second-round Draft selection in 2013, does not appear on this list. That's because he is not under contract with the team. Even though it is at the 15-man roster limit, Orlando can still sign Osby, as teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason. Even allowing for that fact, it makes more sense for Orlando to free a roster spot for Osby than to sign him now, only to risk having to waive him before the 15-man roster limit kicks in at the start of the season.
A bigger takeaway from this depth chart is that coach Jacque Vaughn will have plenty of flexibility. Consider that Davis, Maxiell, O'Quinn, and maybe even Nicholson can play either power forward or center; Harris, Harkless, and Osby--if he signs--can play either forward position; Afflalo can play either wing position; and Oladipo, Moore, Lamb, and Price can play either guard spot. There's a good deal of versatility there, enabling Vaughn to match up with a variety of opponents.
The biggest deficiency, to these eyes, is shooting. Despite its myriad stylistic options, Orlando will struggle to space the floor no matter its personnel. The best lineup for that purpose probably has Nelson at the point, Moore and Afflalo on the wings, and Harris and Vučević up front, but that lineup has so many defensive shortcomings that it's hard to imagine playing it more than situational minutes.
Despite the lack of shooting, Vaughn has options with regard to personnel. And there'll surely be some camp battles to monitor, particularly in the backcourt.
From a personnel standpoint, what interests you most about the Magic?
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