ORLANDO, FLA- In spite of finishing the 2022-2023 NBA Season with a 34-48 record, 13th in the Eastern Conference, and their third straight losing season, the Orlando Magic were on one of the NBA’s most improved teams. After starting the season with a 5-20 record, Orlando managed to remain in playoff contention until the final week of games, in large part to a 22-17 midseason surge and record-setting six-game win streak, along with the exponential growth of the Magic’s young core. To clarify, 2022 No. 1 pick power forward Paolo Banchero won the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, while small forward Franz Wagner, point guard Cole Anthony, and center Wendell Carter Jr. all enjoyed breakout seasons. With this said, the 2023 offseason still held significant implications for Orlando’s future outlook in the Eastern Conference with player additions and subtractions. From the 2023 Draft to Free Agency, this is the complete recap of the Magic’s 2023 offseason.
Review of the Orlando Magic’s 2023 NBA Draft
For the second time in the last three seasons (2021 Draft), Orlando held two lottery picks in the NBA draft, with the rights to the No. 6 and No. 11 picks (Via Chicago) for the 2023 draft. With the No. 6 pick, Orlando selected Black, a standout two-way combo guard at the University of Arkansas. In 36 starts (36 games), Black averaged 34.9 MPG, 12.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 2.1 SPG on 45.3% shooting from the field, 30.1% from three-point range, and 70.5% from the free-throw line. At 6’7″ and 198 pounds, Black made a positive impact for Arkansas on both ends of the floor, as Black posted a 17.2 player efficiency rating (7th on team), 2.8 offensive box plus/minus (4th on team), 3.9 defensive box plus/minus (3rd on team), and 6.7 box plus/minus (3rd on team). Coupled with leading the Razorbacks to a 22-14 record and to the Sweet Sixteen in March Madness as the No. 8 seed in the West region, Black was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman First Team, and is set to make an immediate impact in Orlando.
In spite of selecting Black with the No. 6 pick and already having former first-round picks Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Jalen Suggs on the team, the Magic still decided to draft another combo guard in Howard, who was solid in his lone season at the University of Michigan. In 29 starts (29 games), Howard averaged 31.8 MPG, 14.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 0.4 SPG on 41.4% shooting from the field, 36.8% from three-point range, and 80.0% from the free-throw line. Throughout the 2023 college basketball season, Howard used his confident shooting stroke at all three levels of the floor to provide the Wolverines with a consistent source of offense, and was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team and All-Big Ten Freshman First Team for his offensive versatility and superb scoring. With this said, Howard’s inability to create scoring opportunities for teammates and difficulty to defend players off the dribble is concerning, even with Howard standing at 6’8″ and 215 pounds. With the right coaching and experience against NBA-level competition, however, Howard is set to improve under third-year head coach Jamahl Mosley amid Orlando’s talented backcourt.
Review of the Orlando Magic’s 2023 Free Agency
At the start of the 2023 NBA offseason, Orlando had $22.1 million in practical salary cap space, and was just one of seven different teams with $20+ million, giving the Magic valuable spending power in free agency. Instead of attempting to sign Toronto point guard Fred VanVleet, Toronto shooting guard Gary Trent Jr., Denver small forward Bruce Brown, or Washington power forward Kyle Kuzma, the Magic opted to conserve the majority of their cap space, and opted to sign veteran shooting guard Joe Ingles to a two-year, $22 million contract. Throughout his nine-year NBA career with Utah and Milwaukee, Ingles has provided a steady source of offense at all three levels of the floor with career averages of 25.5 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 0.9 SPG on 44.9% shooting from the field, 40.8% from three-point range, and 77.1% from the free-throw line in 636 games (313 starts).
Outside of signing Ingles, Orlando didn’t make any other notable moves in free agency, but general manager Jeff Weltman and the Magic’s front office did make multiple additions and subtractions to their roster during the offseason. On July 1st, for example, Black and Howard both signed their rookie scale contracts with Orlando, as Black signed a four-year, $32.92 million contract, while Howard signed a four-year, $23.17 million contract. Just three days after signing Black and Howard to their rookie contracts, the Magic surprisingly cut rising star power forward Bol Bol, who was coming off a career year in Orlando. Although Bol averaged 21.5 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 BPG on 54.6% shooting from the field in 70 games (33 starts), Orlando already had excellent frontcourt depth with Wagner, Banchero, and Carter Jr., among others.
With the departure of Bol, Orlando made sure to bolster their frontcourt depth behind Wagner, Banchero, and Carter Jr. by retaining centers Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner for the 2023-2024 season. First, the Magic exercised the $2.07 million team option on Bitadze, who provided meaningful minutes after making his season debut in Orlando on February 13th. In 17 games (one start), Bitadze averaged 15.0 MPG, 5.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 0.9 BPG on 57.% shooting from the field and 65.6% on two-point attempts. Soon after, the Magic re-signed Wagner to a two-year, $16 million contract, with the second year serving as a team option for Orlando. Similar to Bol, Wagner also enjoyed a breakout season in Orlando, as Wagner averaged 19.5 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, and 0.6 SPG on 50.0% shooting from the field and 84.1% from the free-throw line in 57 games (18 starts).