ORLANDO, FLA-Outside of the regular season, the playoffs, and the NBA draft, there may not be a more intriguing time in the NBA than the annual free agency period during the offseason. Despite the current position that all 30 NBA teams are in, the yearly free agency provides an optimal chance for each team to improve its roster by adding a variety of players. With this said, it’s important to know the clear distinction between the different types of free agents, as defined by the National Basketball Association.
Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA): A free agent that is able to sign with any NBA team without restriction.
Restricted Free Agent (RFA): A free agent that is able to sign an offer sheet with any NBA team. However, the player’s original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer, also known as an offer sheet. The original team is said to have the “right of first refusal.”
Player Option (PO): A contract feature that grants the player the power to decide whether to stay with his incumbent team for another year or to become an unrestricted free agent.
Team Option (TO): A contract feature that grants the original team the right to keep a player for another year. If a player has a three-year contract with a team option for the fourth season, that means if the option is exercised, the contract extends through the fourth season. If the option is not exercised by the team, then the contract ends after the third season (in this example).
In addition to UFAs, RFAs, POs, and TOs, there are eleven different types of Salary Cap exceptions that are available to NBA teams. These exceptions allow teams to exceed the salary cap to sign players. For the sake of this article, this won’t be discussed in detail. Instead, this article will highlight ten free agents, restricted and unrestricted, that the Orlando Magic should attempt to sign during the 2023 offseason.
1. Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors, Point/Shooting Guard (Player Option)
As reported by NBA senior insider Shams Charania on January 30th, Toronto was actively shopping their entire roster at the 2023 trade deadline, including Vanvleet, 2023 All-Star Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr, OG Anunoby, and Chris Boucher. In reference to this, Orlando later emerged as a leading suitor for VanVleet at the trade deadline. As it turned out, however, Toronto decided to keep their enticing trade pieces, while also adding San Antonio’s Jakob Poeltl at the 2023 NBA trade deadline. With Vanvleet, Trent Jr, and Poeltl all slated to hit free agency, though, the Raptors may not be able to afford Vanvleet. According to Sportrac, Toronto is $39.8 Million over the cap, meaning they’ll need to offload some of their current contracts on their roster to retain VanVleet. Due to this, Orlando has a prime opportunity to add Vanvleet to the young roster with a reasonable contract.
Throughout the 2022-2023 season, VanVleet has played an integral role in Toronto’s offense, as the 6’1″, 197-pound guard averaged 36.7 MPG, 19.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.8 SPG in 69 starts this season. Despite a heavy workload in Toronto, VanVleet has remained durable, missing 65 out of 482 games in his first seven seasons in the NBA. It’s worth noting VanVleet has endured serious shooting struggles, going just 39.3% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range, both career worsts. Even with taking 8.8 three-point attempts per game (first on TOR) Vanvleet’s dip in his three-ball conversion is quite concerning.
As a small-market team, however, opportunities to sign a former NBA champion and one-time all-star don’t come around often for Orlando. As a skilled two-way guard, Vanvleet would pair nicely with rising stars Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. in the Magic’s frontcourt. In addition, VanVleet’s ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates would add another dimension to the Magic’s offense, as his 495 total assists this season was vastly greater than any player on Orlando (M. Fultz Led ORL with 341 AST). At 28 years old, VanVleet would still fit the timeline of Orlando’s current roster, and would be an excellent addition to make this offseason.
2. Gary Trent Jr, Toronto Raptors, Shooting Guard (Player Option)
If Orlando is unable to acquire Vanvleet from Toronto this offseason, then prying Trent Jr. away from the Raptors would be a nice consolation prize. Since Trent was traded by Portland to Toronto in exchange for Norman Powell on March 25th, 2021, Trent Jr. has been an excellent backcourt partner alongside Vanvleet. In 153 games (128 starts) with the Raptors, Trent Jr. averaged 33.4 MPG, 17.7 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.6 SPG while shooting 42.0% from the field, 37.4% from three-point range, and 84.3% from the free-throw line. In spite of Toronto’s down year, Trent Jr. made the most of the situation, averaging 32.1 MPG, 17.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, and 1.6 SPG on 43.3%/36.9%/83.9% shooting splits in 66 games (44 starts) this season.
Although Trent Jr. has been one of Toronto’s best players this season, they have been multiple signs of this possibly being the last season for Trent as a Raptor. Similar to Vanvleet, Toronto was actively listening to offers for Trent Jr. ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline, but decided to Trent Jr. and the remainder of their roster. With this said, Trent Jr. has a $17.3 Million player option for the 2023-2024 season, but based on his production, age, and dynamic two-way play, Trent Jr. will seemingly earn more money by signing with another team as an unrestricted free agent. As previously mentioned, Toronto will enter the 2023 offseason with $-39.8 million in salary cap space, meaning it’ll be hard for the Raptors to resign Trent Jr. if he opts out of his player option. Based on their financial inflexibility, Toronto may have to choose between Vanvleet or Trent Jr. this offseason, with the risk that both guards may leave in unrestricted free agency.
3. PJ Washington, Power Forward/Center, Charlotte Hornets (Restricted Free Agent)
Although Charlotte finished the 2022-2023 season with a dreadful 27-55 record and 14th place finish in the Eastern Conference, there were a few bright spots that emerged surrounding the Hornet’s roster. First and foremost, four-year forward PJ Washington turned into a budding star alongside star guard LaMelo Ball. With the extended absence of Miles Bridges, Washington was re-inserted into the starting lineup under head coach Steve Clifford, and averaged a career-high 32.6 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 1.1 BPG in 73 starts. In addition, Washington was one of Charlotte’s most efficient shooters, going 44.4% from the field (seventh on team), 34.8% from three-point range (third on team), and 73.0% from the free-throw line (eighth on team). While some of Washington’s shooting percentages may seem low, it’s worth noting that the former No. 12 pick in the 2019 NBA draft is a high-volume shooter, as he took 978 field goal attempts (13.4 FGA per game), 428 three-point attempts (5.9 3-PA per game), and 174 free-throw attempts (2.4 FTA per game. all top-three marks on Charlotte.
Despite playing for Charlotte, who has allowed the fourth-most points to opponents this season, Washington has been a reliable defender, totaling 66 steals (fifth on CHA) and 79 blocks (first on CHA) this season. Washington’s versatile defense paired nicely with the excellent rim protection of 2022 No. 15 draft pick Mark Williams, which did help overshadow Ball (-0.8 DBPM) and Terry Rozier (-1.1 DBPM), both of which were obvious defensive liabilities. While Charlotte will undoubtedly be interested in retaining the 24-year-old Washington, plenty of other teams have shown interest in the emerging forward. As a restricted free agent, Charlotte will have the ability to match any offer sheet on Washington, along with the right of refusal. Since Washington did meet the “starter criteria” this season, the Hornets are subject to pay a qualifying offer of $8.4 Million, rather than $7.7 Million. With ~$32 million in salary cap space, Charlotte should have no issue in resigning Washington this offseason, but he is still an intriguing target for Orlando nonetheless.
4. Shake Milton, Point/Shooting Guard, Philadelphia 76ers (Unrestricted Free Agent)
There’s no doubt that Philadelphia’s roster is full of talent. From perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid to budding young star Tyrese Maxey and reliable veterans James Harden and Tobias Harris, the 76ers are an extremely well-constructed and coached team, as shown by their 54-28 regular season record and 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference. In order to unlock their full potential, the 76ers needed to place sharpshooters around Embiid, such as Milton, De’Anthony Melton, Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House, and Georges Niang. Of the five aforementioned players, though, Milton has undoubtedly been the best fit as a sharpshooter in Philadelphia’s lineup this season. In 76 games (11 starts) this season, Milton averaged 20.6 MPG, 8.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 3.2 APG while shooting 47.5% from the field, 37.8% from three-point range, and 85.3% from the free-throw line.
In addition to this, Milton notched a 57.5% true shooting percentage this past season, an absurd amount for the former No. 54 pick in the 2018 draft. At 6’5″ and 205 pounds, Milton is also an above-average defender, and has shown considerable improvement as a defender from his first few seasons in the NBA. Per Sports Reference, Milton finished the 2022-2023 season with 1.6 offensive win shares (OWS) and 1.2 defensive win shares (DWS), which are much better than his 0.1 OWS and 0.3 DWS from his rookie season. With Philadelphia exercising Milton’s $1.9 million team option in 2022, Milton will enter the 2023 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Although the 76ers can definitely use Milton’s three-level scoring ability, Philadelphia is projected to have -$15.3 in salary cap space this offseason.
5. Christain Wood, Power Forward, Dallas Mavericks (Unrestricted Free Agent)
Since signing with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in September of 2015, Wood has had quite the NBA career. At just 27 years old, Wood has already been on seven different teams, including Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Detroit, and Houston. During the 2022 offseason, Wood was traded from Houston to Dallas, joining his seventh different NBA team. As it turns out, Wood has been an exceptional addition in Dallas alongside MVP candidate Luka Doncic and All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. In his first season as a Maverick, Wood averaged a respectable stat line consisting of 25.9 MPG, 16.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 1.1 BPG while shooting 51.5% from the field, 37.6% from three-point range, and 77.2% from the free-throw line in 67 games (17 starts). It’s worth noting that Wood posted his solid stat line as Dallas’ sixth man, a role that Wood has thrived in over the past few seasons.
Although Wood is typically known for his quality scoring ability, he has been an above-average defender for Dallas this season. According to Sports Reference, Wood finished the 2022-2023 season with a 27.4% defensive rebound percentage, 3.7% block percentage, and 2.1 defensive win shares, all of which were top-two marks on Dallas. In spite of this, Wood has still struggled on defense, as shown by late rotations or mistiming block attempts. While Dallas does have Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and JaVale McGee in their frontcourt rotation, Wood is undoubtedly a defensive liability, the last thing the Mavericks need alongside Doncic and Irving, two below-average defenders. With Irving set to enter the 2023 offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Dallas must make a tough financial choice on Wood, who is coming off a three-year, $41.0 Million contract he signed with Houston in 2020.
6. Max Strus, Shooting Guard, Miami Heat (Unrestricted Free Agent)
Based on the construction of Orlando’s backcourt rotation, adding another floor general would be pointless. Due to Markelle Fultz’s career year, along with the continued development of 2020 No. 15 pick Cole Anthony and 2021 No. 5 pick Jalen Suggs, the Magic have plenty of emerging guards capable of facilitating the offense. With this said, the Magic are severely lacking a guard that is able to play without the ball in their hands, and is able to convert on three-point attempts at a high rate. Luckily, Miami’s Strus does both aforementioned tasks quite well, quickly developing into one of the Heat’s top three-point shooters. In 80 games (33 starts), Strus averaged 28.4 MPG, 11.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG while shooting 41.0% from the field, 35.0% from three-point range, and 87.6% from the free-throw line.
Although Strus’ field goal and three-point percentages may seem low, Strus took 10.9 field goal attempts (fourth on Miami) and 7.6 three-point attempts (second on Miami) per game, a staggering amount. At 6’5″ and 215 pounds, Strus has the size to play the small forward position, which is where he played 55% of his minutes with Miami this season. With the ability to play as a small forward, Strus would certainly receive more playing time in Orlando, likely serving as Franz Wagner’s backup. Combined with his reliable shooting and positional versatility, Strus has certainly outplayed the two-year, $3.4 Million contract he signed with Miami in August of 2021. With Miami set to have -$19.1 million in cap space this offseason, the 26-year-old Strus will be paid generously this offseason as an unrestricted free agent entering his prime.
7. Cam Reddish, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Portland Trail Blazers (Restricted Free Agent)
In spite of an overall record improvement from the 2021-2022 season, Orlando’s defense has continued to yield decent results under second-year head coach Jamahl Mosley. As a team, the Magic finished the 2022-2023 season with a 114.2 defensive rating, which was 15h in the NBA. Compared to their 112.5 defensive rating (17th in NBA) from 2021-2022, the Magic haven’t improved too much from a defensive standpoint. Outside of Jonathan Isaac, Suggs, and Carter Jr, Orlando lacks a true lockdown defender, which will become a necessity as the Magic continue their climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Fortunately for Orlando, Reddish, a budding three-&-d wing, may be available this offseason. As part of the Hawks, Knicks, and Trail Blazers, Reddish’s defense has remained his specialty.
While in Atlanta from 2019-2022, Reddish managed to average at least 1.0 SPG and eclipsed 45+ total steals twice while complying with a respectable 2.0 DWS. After being traded to New York on January 13th, 2022, Reddish averaged 0.8 SPG and recorded 27 total steals in just 35 games, translating to a 0.8 DWS. In Portland, Reddish was still a good defender, as he averaged 1.2 SPG while recording 24 steals for a 0.3 DWS in 20 games (12 starts). It’s worth noting that Reddish’s offensive game is also coming together, as Reddish averaged 24.8 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG on 44.6%/31.3%/85.3% shooting splits in 40 games (20 starts) with the Knicks and Trail Blazers. As a restricted free agent, Reddish will be harder to obtain than other free agents, but would be an excellent defensive upgrade for the Magic to sign this offseason.
8. Coby White, Chicago Bulls, Point Guard (Restricted Free Agent)
Shortly after being drafted by Chicago with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, White quickly impressed with his three-level scoring ability and veteran-like approach to the NBA, averaging 28.6 MPG, 14.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG on 40.6%/35.7%/84.9% shooting splits in 134 games (55 starts) from 2019-2021. Since then, however, White has seemingly fallen out of Chicago’s rotation this season, averaging 22.3 MPG and notching one start, both career lows. Likewise, the Bulls have opted to give 2021-2022 All-Rookie second-team Ayo Dosunmu and veteran guards Alex Caruso, Goran Dragic, and Patrick Beverley greater roles over White in their pursuit to make the 2023 Play-In tournament as the No. 10 seed. As a result, White’s stats took a considerable hit, as White finished the 2022-2023 season with just 23.4 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 74 games (two starts), all career-worsts.
Even with Lonzo Ball missing the entire 2022-2023 season with a knee injury, it was surprising to see Chicago give White as little playing time as they did, it’s a telling sign of White’s future outlook with the Bulls. Since Chicago did exercise White’s $7.4 Million team option for the 2022-2023 season, White will be a restricted free agent this offseason. To clarify, White is able to sign an offer sheet with any team, but Chicago can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. Due to this, it may be harder for the Magic to sign White away from the Bulls this offseason. One way Orlando can work around the aforementioned barrier is to make an offer to White that Chicago financially can’t match. Per Spotrac, Chicago has $5.4 cap space this offseason, compared to Orlando’s $35.3. Unless the Bulls decide to part ways with veteran cornerstones DeMar DeRozan or Nikola Vucevic, White will have no other choice but to sign elsewhere this offseason.
9. Jaylen Nowell, Shooting Guard, Minnesota Timberwolves (Unrestricted Free Agent)
Similar to Miami’s Strus, Nowell has enjoyed a career year in Minnesota as a solid three-level scorer. In 65 games (two starts) this season, Nowell averaged 19.3 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 0.6 SPG, all career-highs. In addition, Nowell shot 44.8% from the field, 50.2% on effective field goals, and 77.8% from the free-throw line, all impressive splits considering the amount of depth and scoring options in Minnesota. Although Nowell shot just 28.9% from three-point range, he is taking 3.6 three-point attempts per game, the fifth-highest mark in Minnesota. In addition, Nowell scores a majority of his points on mid-range jump shots, as Nowell is shooting 54.2% on two-point attempts this season, while taking 393 two-point attempts nonetheless. Finally, Nowell has drawn 51 shooting fouls (sixth on MIN) this season, 18 of which turned into “And-One” opportunities (third on MIN), per Sports Reference.
Since the Timberwolves traded former All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell at the 2023 NBA trade deadline to the Lakers, Nowell received a boost in overall playing time. As a result, Nowell was tasked with a greater role in the Timberwolves’ offense for the remainder of the season, and Nowell was definitely up for the task, averaging 14.8 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG on 45.9%/25.0%/75.0% shooting splits. At 23 years old, Nowell is beginning to enter his playing prime, and will only become better. As a pending unrestricted free agent, Nowell should have plenty of interested teams, but Orlando makes lots of sense as a free-agent destination for Nowell. What Nowell lacks in playmaking, he makes up for with his shooting, which is what the Magic need more of on their roster. As previously mentioned, Fultz, Anthony, and Suggs all provide solid playmaking, so Nowell would really just need to convert on shot attempts at a respectable rate, as he did in Minnesota.
10. Matisse Thybulle, Shooting Guard, Portland Trail Blazers (Restricted Free Agent)
Similar to Reddish, Thybulle is an incredibly gifted defender capable of shutting down a team’s best scoring option on any given night. Since being drafted by Boston with the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Thybulle has showcased his excellent defense while with Philadelphia and Portland. In 71 games (28 starts) this season, Thybulle averaged 16.9 MPG, 4.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG, and 0.5 BPG. At face value, Thybulle’s statline is obviously underwhelming, but this is due to a lack of overall playing time in the 76ers’ and Trail Blazers’ crowded frontcourt. When Thybulle had a greater role in Philadelphia, the 6’5″, 201-pound forward was considerably better, as Thybulle averaged 21.8 MPG, 4.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 1.0 BPG in 196 games (72 starts).
In addition, Thybulle recorded totals of 397 steals and 221 blocks during his first four seasons in the NBA, a staggering amount. Finally, Thybulle managed to notch defensive box plus/minuses (DBPM) of 3.1, 4.5, 3.3, and 3.1 in Philadelphia from 2019-2022, all team-highs. In spite of being traded to Portland at the 2023 trade deadline, Thybulle’s stellar defense remained, as shown by a 1.1 DBPM as a Trailblazer. There’s no doubt that Thybulle needs to improve his offense by vast margins, as a career average of 4.4 PPG is extremely low for a former first-round pick. With this said, Thybulle isn’t a bad shooter, as he knocked down 43.5% of his field goal attempts and 36.5% of his three-point attempts. As a restricted free agent, retaining Thybulle wouldn’t be a problem for Portland, but they also have Reddish, another gifted defender with a lackluster offensive skillset.