Official 2025 Offseason Thread

[magicfan217]

just so everyone knows we can go over the cap to resign guys we have bird rights to but we will be in the luxury tax. Which is a dollar per dollar tax.

Yes, bird rights help with the cap. However, they do not help when an apron is triggered. Won't help us with Mo & Caleb, if Tyus money stays at $7M.

Trade away Jett and a 2nd for some minimum contract?

It would seem like this is what we are trying to do. I am sure teams are trying to squeeze us on taking Jett's contract.

I do wonder if they eventually look at dealing one of Wendell or JI. I just can't see us fitting BOTH of those contracts in moving forward. It doesn't have to be right now...but it feels like they need to probably move one of those two guys long term.

[BadMofoPimp]

Yes, bird rights help with the cap. However, they do not help when an apron is triggered. Won't help us with Mo & Caleb, if Tyus money stays at $7M.

Trade away Jett and a 2nd for some minimum contract?

It would seem like this is what we are trying to do. I am sure teams are trying to squeeze us on taking Jett's contract.

I do wonder if they eventually look at dealing one of Wendell or JI. I just can't see us fitting BOTH of those contracts in moving forward. It doesn't have to be right now...but it feels like they need to probably move one of those two guys long term.

I am sure that Brooklyn/Juwan with all that cap room can absorb Jett easily. As far as WCJ vs JI, I would lean towards keeping Wendell as he has been much more reliable and a legit starter while Slim is a 15mpg, sometimes injured defensive only specialist.

[magicfan217]

Trade away Jett and a 2nd for some minimum contract?

It would seem like this is what we are trying to do. I am sure teams are trying to squeeze us on taking Jett's contract.

I do wonder if they eventually look at dealing one of Wendell or JI. I just can't see us fitting BOTH of those contracts in moving forward. It doesn't have to be right now...but it feels like they need to probably move one of those two guys long term.

I am sure that Brooklyn/Juwan with all that cap room can absorb Jett easily. As far as WCJ vs JI, I would lean towards keeping Wendell as he has been much more reliable and a legit starter while Slim is a 15mpg, sometimes injured defensive only specialist.

I agree. Wendell seems to be the guy you want to keep. He fits our defensive/switching scheme perfectly. Wendell reminds me of Horford...he's just not the shooter. Maybe he still develops that. Better guard play this year will help the whole team hopefully.

[BadMofoPimp]

It would seem like this is what we are trying to do. I am sure teams are trying to squeeze us on taking Jett's contract.

I do wonder if they eventually look at dealing one of Wendell or JI. I just can't see us fitting BOTH of those contracts in moving forward. It doesn't have to be right now...but it feels like they need to probably move one of those two guys long term.

I am sure that Brooklyn/Juwan with all that cap room can absorb Jett easily. As far as WCJ vs JI, I would lean towards keeping Wendell as he has been much more reliable and a legit starter while Slim is a 15mpg, sometimes injured defensive only specialist.

I agree. Wendell seems to be the guy you want to keep. He fits our defensive/switching scheme perfectly. Wendell reminds me of Horford...he's just not the shooter. Maybe he still develops that. Better guard play this year will help the whole team hopefully.

WCJ shot 37% from 3 two years ago. Just needs to shoot over 35% this year.

[magicfan217]

I am sure that Brooklyn/Juwan with all that cap room can absorb Jett easily. As far as WCJ vs JI, I would lean towards keeping Wendell as he has been much more reliable and a legit starter while Slim is a 15mpg, sometimes injured defensive only specialist.

I agree. Wendell seems to be the guy you want to keep. He fits our defensive/switching scheme perfectly. Wendell reminds me of Horford...he's just not the shooter. Maybe he still develops that. Better guard play this year will help the whole team hopefully.

WCJ shot 37% from 3 two years ago. Just needs to shoot over 35% this year.

He was trending every year until last year. I have to believe that guard play was a huge issue for this team's role players last year. Bane + Jones + a healthy Suggs is going to be a MAJOR upgrade and I think the effect will be felt across the roster.

[BadMofoPimp]

I agree. Wendell seems to be the guy you want to keep. He fits our defensive/switching scheme perfectly. Wendell reminds me of Horford...he's just not the shooter. Maybe he still develops that. Better guard play this year will help the whole team hopefully.

WCJ shot 37% from 3 two years ago. Just needs to shoot over 35% this year.

He was trending every year until last year. I have to believe that guard play was a huge issue for this team's role players last year. Bane + Jones + a healthy Suggs is going to be a MAJOR upgrade and I think the effect will be felt across the roster.

I think with all the teams injuries, that WCJ didn't have the spacing he needed to set up his 3's. Now, he will have more uncontested shots in my opinion. We hope that he should get back on track.

[Skybox]

I agree. Wendell seems to be the guy you want to keep. He fits our defensive/switching scheme perfectly. Wendell reminds me of Horford...he's just not the shooter. Maybe he still develops that. Better guard play this year will help the whole team hopefully.

WCJ shot 37% from 3 two years ago. Just needs to shoot over 35% this year.

He was trending every year until last year. I have to believe that guard play was a huge issue for this team's role players last year. Bane + Jones + a healthy Suggs is going to be a MAJOR upgrade and I think the effect will be felt across the roster.

I'd like to expect nearly everyone's 3pt% jumps up (like it jumped down last year) to at least league average. There are very few guys on the roster that are just NON-shooters...there's really a lot on the coaching staff now to make efficient use of the new talent in ways that lift them and the whole team. It's a good problem, but still a very significant task...can't just roll the ball out this year and say "Give it to the Italian"

[KillMonger]

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[eyriq]

Clearly we are working on something or we would have already announced the deal for Moe.

Moritz could be shopping for a better offer to drive up the price. But it's also true that by spending more than the T-MLE on Tyus, Weltman hard-capped how much he can offer Moritz.

He gave WCJ, JI, and Goga multi-year deals with guaranteed money, used Moritz for flexibility, and now he's capped the number he can bring him back at. So the question is... why would Weltman do that?

[Skybox]

Clearly we are working on something or we would have already announced the deal for Moe.

Moritz could be shopping for a better offer to drive up the price. But it's also true that by spending more than the T-MLE on Tyus, Weltman hard-capped how much he can offer Moritz.

He gave WCJ, JI, and Goga multi-year deals with guaranteed money, used Moritz for flexibility, and now he's capped the number he can bring him back at. So the question is... why would Weltman do that?

I think he WILL dump salary via trade to pay Moe something around $8m x 3y...first choice is Jett for a srp to a team with cap space or a TPE. He's probably trying to get something small back rather than paying- knowing Weltman, he's shopping around for a deal with no feeling of urgency. IF he can't do that - we may see a bigger deal like Goga, but I think he'll be able to unload Jett (one way or another).

As always, I'd like a more aggressive move for a starting C, but I think, when the dust settles, Jett will be gone and Moe and Caleb will be back.

*AND, I think Moe and his agent are completely up to date on what's happening and what he's trying to get done.

EDIT: and, if I'm making predictions...if the offense doesn't cook by mid-season, Mose won't make it until summer. Not a hope or a prediction of mine, but when patience from the GM stops, patience with the Coach heats up.

[Fortune Teller]

Can you imagine being Moe Wagner and they offer you around half of what freaking Isaac is going to make this season, 1/3 of what JI made last season? I would like to think they are trying to move Isaac to free up money for a player or players who actually contribute -- including Moe -- but I'm not holding my breath.

[Knightro]

I would be a lot more comfortable moving Goga (or Carter but I think that is less likely) if I was very confident Moe would be ready for the start of the season.

I wouldn’t want to play the first 20-25 games with one big, or have to rely on Isaac or Penda to try and fill those minutes.

[Knightro]

Clearly we are working on something or we would have already announced the deal for Moe.

Moritz could be shopping for a better offer to drive up the price. But it's also true that by spending more than the T-MLE on Tyus, Weltman hard-capped how much he can offer Moritz.

He gave WCJ, JI, and Goga multi-year deals with guaranteed money, used Moritz for flexibility, and now he's capped the number he can bring him back at. So the question is... why would Weltman do that?

I don’t think there’s anything nefarious about it.

They really wanted Tyus and had to pay $7M to get him. That simple.

[Orlando Dawg]

The Magic held the cards when declining MoW for next year 11 mil
They may have had an agreement in place
Options:
Get like 16 mil in cap room and give him a real contract
Give MoW a new contract worth 11 mil and he can opt out after next year (essentially the same as if he wasn’t declined but with more player flexibility) or
Resign him to the most player friendly 5 year 7.5 mil deal possible with the idea that if he opts out next year (if a player can opt out the 1st year of a 5-year deal) then we will give him a fat bird rights contract

[magicfan217]

We really just can't afford anyone more expensive than WCJ as a starting center. Making a move for a better player involves salary that we don't have moving forward. Even if we traded for someone better who is on a cheap contract right now we'd eventually have to pay them more than we can afford. Maybe that gets us by for a year or two but we'd be losing that player eventually.

WCJ makes sense from a financial and basketball standpoint. We need him to play better...and I think with improved guard play and another year of development that is a reasonable expectation.

[Knightro]

The Magic could also stretch provision Jett Howard's contract.

Spread his cap hit out from $5.5M in 25-26 to $1.8M over the next three years.

Would create $3.7M in cap space immediately.

[magicfan217]

The Magic could also stretch provision Jett Howard's contract.

Spread his cap hit out from $5.5M in 25-26 to $1.8M over the next three years.

Would create $3.7M in cap space immediately.

I think the argument could be made that this is easily the worst draft pick of Weltman's time in Orlando. We are two years into a lottery pick's career and we nor anyone else in the league wants to pay him 5.5 million dollars to be on their roster this year.

[eyriq]

Clearly we are working on something or we would have already announced the deal for Moe.

Moritz could be shopping for a better offer to drive up the price. But it's also true that by spending more than the T-MLE on Tyus, Weltman hard-capped how much he can offer Moritz.

He gave WCJ, JI, and Goga multi-year deals with guaranteed money, used Moritz for flexibility, and now he's capped the number he can bring him back at. So the question is... why would Weltman do that?

I don’t think there’s anything nefarious about it.

They really wanted Tyus and had to pay $7M to get him. That simple.

Who said it was nefarious? What would that even mean in this context? The takeaway here is pretty simple. They don’t value Moritz as much as some fans do. They view him as expendable, which explains the current position. The idea that they’ve backed themselves into a corner and are now scrambling to shed salary just to bring him back is absurd.

[Knightro]

Moritz could be shopping for a better offer to drive up the price. But it's also true that by spending more than the T-MLE on Tyus, Weltman hard-capped how much he can offer Moritz.

He gave WCJ, JI, and Goga multi-year deals with guaranteed money, used Moritz for flexibility, and now he's capped the number he can bring him back at. So the question is... why would Weltman do that?

I don’t think there’s anything nefarious about it.

They really wanted Tyus and had to pay $7M to get him. That simple.

Who said it was nefarious? What would that even mean in this context? The takeaway here is pretty simple. They don’t value Moritz as much as some fans do. They view him as expendable, which explains the current position. The idea that they’ve backed themselves into a corner and are now scrambling to shed salary just to bring him back is absurd.

I think they value Moritz plenty and want him to return, but there are other considerations.

I do think at this point, even though I don't agree with it, that they want to try and avoid the tax this year knowing how difficult it will be to avoid in upcoming seasons.

[basketballRob]

Moe probably sees us as a loyal partner. We could've traded him after his injury to a team who wanted an expiring.

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