:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46707400/usa-today-8376149.0.jpg)
The Orlando Magic are essentially finished with free agency, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, with only two formalities--re-signing Tobias Harris and signing Jason Smith--left to accomplish. Those transactions will hold them over until training camp, at which point the team will invite a handful of players to compete for a spot on the team or, more likely, to provide extra bodies in scrimmages and practices.
Given their free-agent work is done, now's an opportune time to take a glance at where the Magic's depth chart stands. What follows is only our best guess, but it's a solid point from which to start a discussion.
| Starter | Reserve | Situational | Non-guaranteed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Elfrid Payton | C.J. Watson | Tyler Harvey | |
| SG | Victor Oladipo | Evan Fournier | Mario Hezonja | Devyn Marble |
| SF | Tobias Harris | Aaron Gordon | Maurice Harkless | |
| PF | Channing Frye | Jason Smith | Andrew Nicholson | |
| C | Nik Vučević | Dewayne Dedmon |
Most teams like to carry a third point guard, but that need is less pronounced in Orlando, given that Victor Oladipo and Evan Fournier can initiate offense from the wing in a pinch. They're not pure playmakers, per se, but the Magic don't figure to need more, given that Elfrid Payton is a cinch to play heavy minutes in his second professional season.
The Magic entered free agency with a glaring need for rim protection, but none of their transactions moved the needle in that regard. Smith is a defensive downgrade from the departed Kyle O'Quinn, who blocked shots and rebounded at solid rates despite below-average athleticism for a big. And while it's true that Scott Skiles-coached teams tend to defend at an elite or near-elite level, it's also true that Orlando can't simply count on Skiles' mere presence to improve its shot-blocking. For that reason, expect the team to guarantee Dewayne Dedmon's contract. Though raw and an offensive non-entity, his length, activity, and willingness to defend make him an asset.
I'm especially interested to see how the Magic fill out the bottom of their roster. Orlando can keep both Tyler Harvey and Devyn Marble, its last two second-round Draft selections, but it may prefer the flexibility an extra roster spot would afford them over one of those players.
What do you make of the stew Rob Hennigan and his staff have goin' as we enter a quiet period of the offseason?