Complete Preview of the Orlando Magic’s Upcoming Free Agents in 2022

As one of the few NBA teams with projected positive salary cap space (~$27 million), the Orlando Magic are expected to spend most of it in Free Agency. It’s important to note that Orlando can choose to spend this money signing new players or resigning players that are currently on their roster. Even though it’s important for the Magic to spend money on both groups of players, Orlando should certainly focus on the latter. Similar to last season, Orlando doesn’t have many players entering free agency, as just six of their eighteen players are slated to do so. With this said, Orlando will have to make some crucial decisions regarding some of the players currently on their roster. From Mo Bamba to Admiral Schofield, here is every free agent that the Orlando Magic can resign during the 2022 Offseason.

Mo Bamba, C, Restricted Free Agent

Above anything else, Orlando needs to decide what to do with Bamba as he prepares to enter Restricted Free Agency. As the former No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bamba had a lackluster showing through his first three professional seasons, averaging 6.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.3 BPG while shooting 47.1% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range. Despite this, Bamba broke out in 2021-2022, averaging 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.7 BPG while shooting 48.0% from the field and 38.1% from downtown, all career-highs. While it seems simple for the Magic to resign Bamba to a team-friendly deal based on 2021-2022 statistics, this situation is much more complex than initially viewed. To begin, Orlando has already invested plenty of money into Jonathan Isaac (four years, $69.6 million) and Wendell Carter Jr. (four years, $50 million), and they will likely spend the No. 1 overall pick on a big-man. In addition to this, some NBA teams may overpay for Bamba, which could out-price Orlando. Whether Orlando keeps Bamba or lets him leave through Free Agency, it will be vital for the Magic to decide before Free Agency begins on August 2nd.

Gary Harris, PG/SG, Unrestricted Free Agent

Since being acquired by Orlando through the Aaron Gordon trade to Denver, Harris has been a stable source of scoring for the Magic. In 81 career games with Orlando, Harris has averaged 10.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG while shooting 41.6% from the field and 38.0% from downtown. It’s also worth noting that Harris is typically labeled as a “veteran” due to his eight years of NBA experience, although he is currently just 27 years old. For most NBA teams, Harris is capable of starting at either guard position, but would be better suited playing backup minutes and providing an offensive spark off the bench. Similar to Bamba, some teams may be willing to pay a premium for Harris, due to his scoring ability and potential as a sixth-man. If the Magic are comfortably spending part of their salary cap on the 27-year-old sharpshooter, then they should do so, but need to be wary of other team’s interest in Harris.

Bol Bol, SF/PF, Restricted Free Agent

Although Bol hasn’t played a single minute of basketball with the Magic, his overall potential and positional versatility make him an interesting case. After moving from team to team, Bol is currently situated in Orlando after being traded from Boston in a salary-cap saving move at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline. When initially acquiring Bol, Orlando looked to have ample time to decide whether or not Bol would be a meaningful contributor to their rebuild. Unfortunately, Bol’s season was cut short due to Foot Surgery on January 18th, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Prior to this, Bol has shown the ability to use his astonishing size (7’2″, 220 pounds) on both ends of the floor. In 53 career games, Bol has averaged 2.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.3 APG, and 0.3 BPG, while shooting 47.8% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range. Even though Bol’s career averages aren’t amazing, he still has plenty of time to develop into a solid role player, as he’s just 22 years old.

Ignas Brazdeikis, SF, Restricted Free Agent

After a solid eight-game stint with Orlando in 2021 where he averaged 11.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 2.0 APG., Orlando decided to resign Brazdeikis with a two-way contract in August. While playing with this contract, Brazdeikis posted solid numbers once again, averaging 5.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, and 0.2 SPG in 42 games. In addition to this, Brazdeikis shot 43.1% from the field and 31.0% from three-point range. At 6’6″ and 221 pounds, Brazdeikis’ size gives him the ability to play either forward role off the bench. In spite of this, Brazdeikis’ role on the Magic is shrinking, as Isaac, Franz Wagner, Carter Jr., Bamba, and the No. 1 pick will all vie for minutes, leaving Brazdeikis as the possible odd man out in Orlando. With this said, Brazdeikis shouldn’t be a major priority for Orlando this offseason, but resigning him would give the Magic quality depth in the frontcourt barring any serious injury.

Robin Lopez, C, Unrestricted Free Agent

As one of the NBA’s youngest teams, Orlando has prioritized signing veteran leaders to their rosters over the last couple of offseasons. The most recent example of this is Lopez, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Magic in 2021. While Lopez has never been known for his production, he still gave Orlando meaningful minutes as a backup center, averaging 7.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.5 APG in 17.0 MPG. Lopez’s shooting ability also flew under the radar, as he shot 55.3% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range, and 55.8% effective field goal. Even though Orlando didn’t experience a major turnaround with Lopez on the roster, his presence shouldn’t be understated. While with Washington during the 2020-2021 season, Lopez played a key role in helping lead the Wizards to the eighth seed in the playoffs, averaging 9.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 0.6 BPG in 71 regular-season games. As a fan favorite and 14-year-veteran, there will be teams that will have interest in Lopez this offseason due to his veteran leadership.

Admiral Schofield, SF, Restricted Free Agent

Shockingly, Schofield wouldn’t even be on this list if the NBA Health and Safety Protocols weren’t ever put into action. On December 17th, the Orlando Magic were set to face off against the Miami Heat. Just hours before the tip-off, Orlando discovered that five of their players tested positive for Covid-19, which canceled their shootaround. These five players joined six other players on Orlando’s injury report, meaning the Magic were without eleven players for their game, and unable to meet the league-mandated minimum of eight players. Orlando was forced to improvise, and signed four players from their G-League Affiliate (Lakeland Magic) to ten-day contracts. One of these players was Schofield, who averaged 3.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 0.7 APG while going 41.9% from the field and 32.9% from three-point range in 38 games. Although Schofield played a crucial role in allowing Orlando to carry out their regular season, his services shouldn’t be sought out past this season, as the Magic have better players on their roster.