Even before the 2021 NBA Offseason began for the Orlando Magic, their main goal was quite clear. That goal was to build for the future by organizing one of the NBA’s youngest teams. The Magic had a number of ways to do this, including the Draft and Free Agency. Funny enough, Orlando already began doing this by trading Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier for draft capital and young talent (Wendell Carter Jr. and R.J. Hampton) at the Trade Deadline. The Magic also ended the unimpressive tenure of former Head Coach Steve Clifford, whom they fired after posting a 96-131 record in Orlando. Orlando decided to replace Clifford with former Maverick’s Assistant Jamahl Mosley, who is one of the best player development coaches in the NBA. The Magic seemed to hit this goal in all areas of the offseason, including the Draft and Free Agency.
Review of Orlando’s 2021 Free Agency
If there was one area where Orlando remained silent this offseason, it would have to be with Free Agency. Orlando made their lone addition by signing Center Robin Lopez on a one-year, $5 million deal. At 33-years-old, Lopez will become Orlando’s oldest player on their roster. This is a good thing though, as Lopez provides a much-needed veteran presence to Wendell Carter Jr. and Mo Bamba. The Magic also decided to resign Moritz Wagner (two-year deal) and Ignas Brazdeikis (two-way contract), increasing their depth in the frontcourt. Despite this, Orlando waived Dwayne Bacon for whatever reason and was unable to capitalize on trading Terrence Ross or Gary Harris for more draft capital.
Review of Orlando’s 2021 NBA Draft Class
Entering the 2021 NBA Draft, the Magic needed to focus on finding their franchise cornerstone with the fifth overall pick. Orlando was able to do just that by selecting Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs with the fifth overall pick. Despite the Magic having a lot of young talent in the backcourt, they couldn’t pass on Suggs after falling past the top four picks. Even as a Freshman, Suggs led the Zags to the NCAA National Championship game behind a 26-0 regular-season record. After selecting Suggs, Orlando still had another important decision to make on Draft night. Thanks to the Vucevic Trade, Orlando had the eighth overall pick at their disposal. Orlando decided to take Michigan’s Franz Wagner, a do-it-all forward with great size and intangibles. Both Suggs and Wagner should have major impacts on leading Orlando’s upcoming rebuild for the foreseeable future.