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The NBA salary cap for 2022-2023 is expected to increase to $121 million.

As it stands right now the Magic have 9 players under guaranteed contracts for a total of $81.2 million.

That gives the Magic $39.8M in potential cap space. This number, however, will decrease due to the cap hold of the Magic's first round pick which right now is slotted 2nd. That amount would be $7.93M for 2nd and would reduce the Magic's potential cap space to $31.87 million with 10 players locked in.

That leaves 5 open roster spots.

2022-2023 Current Guaranteed Contracts
Jonathan Isaac: $17.4M
Markelle Fultz: $16.5M
Wendell Carter: $14.15M
Terrence Ross: $11.5M
Jalen Suggs: $6.92M
Franz Wagner: $5.28M
Cole Anthony: $3.61M
Chuma Okeke: $3.43M
RJ Hampton: $2.41M

Team Option
Moritz Wagner: $1.87M

Unrestricted Free Agents
Gary Harris
Robin Lopez

Restricted Free Agents + Qualifying Offer Amounts
Mo Bamba: $10.09M
Bol Bol: $2.68M
Ignas Brazdeikis: $1.57M
Admiral Schofield: $1.57M

So my question to the board...

Should the Magic use their $30+ million in cap space this summer or should they wait until the summer of 2023? If your answer is "yes" to this summer, what way do you think should they use it?

A recent general board thread which posed the question "Who is the next Cleveland?" really made me consider this question.

There was actually a surprising push for us in that thread as many thought adding Isaac/Fultz plus a top 5 draft pick to a core of Wagner/Suggs/WCJ could have us surprisingly competitive next season.

I'm still not so sure about that. The difficulty is not knowing where Isaac is health-wise. If we were replacing Bamba with a fully healthy Isaac entering his prime age, I'd say we would be more ready to compete. The age of this team can be a bit deceiving. Franz/WCJ though young, play well beyond their years and impact the game in a winning way. The game moves fast offensively for Suggs, but he is already one of the better guard defenders in the league.

If we knew for sure we'd be adding a healthy Isaac to this group, someone like Brunson would intrigue me. Especially to fill that Fultz/Cole starting role and take some of the lead guard pressure off of Suggs. Then you'd have Fultz/Cole/Okeke/Draft pick as solid reinforcements off the bench and we could even bring Harris back as a veteran presence.

With the unknowns right now though, I'd probably settle with a short-term deal for Harris and hope things are clearer by the following summer.

I don't think straight cap space will get us where we want to go. what is available for FA isn't really worth burning all the space.
We'll need some subtraction to get a really beneficial addition.
Fultz, Cole, Suggs,RJ & Ross Isn't the back court group I want.
I think it'll cost us Ross, a healthy J.I. or WCJ along with Draft capital to make any real difference.

Cap space wont matter in 2023 if we dont improve next year. I would try to resign Gary Harris, something around 3/40. We are being cute but Harris is our best guard right now. If we want to win next year we should go Suggs/Harris or Fultz/Harris.
I want Bamba gone unless he signs for 5 M a year. Waste of roster space.
I would like to see Schofield and Gravett on roster.
Some under the radar targets: Isaiah Hartenstein, Cody Martin, Amir Coffey.

If we can add talent without compromising our future, then yeah, we should use the cap space. We’d just need to ensure we have the room and flexibility to continue adding once we secure one obvious core piece.

Though the market doesn’t look all that appealing right now.

Yeah... can you post the FA choices we have for this upcoming cap space bonanza? Im all for competing next season rather than another tank season but not at the expense of our long term goals

It depends who is available whether we’d spend or not I suppose. If we have any real prospects of signing a superstar star, you have to heavily consider it. Or we could wait and see how our young guys develop and use it to make a trade for a superstar to finish off the rebuild quickly. I’m in favor of either scenario. I am not in favor of resigning guys that aren’t winning to big contracts, there’s no point to extend Cole Anthony if he’s scoring gobs but the Magic win 35 games.

Zach Lavine as UFA and Ayton as RFA could be options for us, depending how their current teams value cap space.

I'm looking at the list and nobody is really available that fits. Ayton is the only one but I don't see the Magic adding him seeing what is going on with Wendell Carter and his improvement (Also signed him to a nice contract too). Simmons is most likely to resign with the Blazers.

They likely stay pact when it comes to the core, most likely make acquisitions for Vet role Players and the 2022 Draft Pick.

Guys Like Bobby Portis, Joe Harris, Patty Mills, and Robert Covington seem like guys the FO would most likely go after (IMO)

So I've been thinking about this a lot...

Let's say the Magic add a top 5 draft pick and also add a 25M dollar free agent this summer while letting Harris, Lopez and Bamba walk all.

Then they play out next season and then let Ross and Fultz walk.

The Magic would head into the summer of 2023 with the following contracts on the books.

2022 Free Agent Signing: $25M
Isaac: $17.4M
Carter: $13.05M
2022 1st Round Pick: 8M approx
Suggs: $7.25M
Wagner: $5.5M
Anthony: $5.53M
Suggs: $5.26M
Hampton: $4.22M
2023 1st Round Cap Hold: 8M approx
Fultz Dead Cap: $2M

Total committed salary: Approximately $101.2M.

The projections are that the salary cap will increase from to roughly 129M or so, which would give the Magic another $25M in cap space

The Magic could, theoretically, sign a $25M AAV free agent in each of the next two summers if they were so inclined.

Knowing that, does that change the feeling at all? Or would you rather have over $50M in cap space in the summer of 2023?

I think OKC had to pay around 20m to their current players this year because they were under the salary floor.

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I would rather use the salary cap space to resign Harris and Bamba. There is no big fish in 2022 Free Agency. The biggest one is Zach Lavine and he is most likely to stay in Chicago. James Harden already opt in his player option for next season.

If we need to spend our Salary Cap, the biggest reason, regardless, should be to sign a Star or super star. But there isn't one. So we spend it on our own Free Agent

only big FA id sign is ayton and thats only if we dont draft a PF\C in the draft

Throw out a lineup of say
Ayton | WC | Franz | Johnny Davis (or jaden Ivey) | Suggs
With Isaac (lol sure), fultz, cole, Okeke and Ross off the bench

I dont think im wrong to say thats a playoff team next year

MasterGMer wrote:I would rather use the salary cap space to resign Harris and Bamba. There is no big fish in 2022 Free Agency. The biggest one is Zach Lavine and he is most likely to stay in Chicago. James Harden already opt in his player option for next season.

If we need to spend our Salary Cap, the biggest reason, regardless, should be to sign a Star or super star. But there isn't one. So we spend it on our own Free Agent

Bradley Beal is a free agent and they're having turmoil in the Washington locker room. Not sure we have the room to sign him tho. He can receive a 4 yr. 179m deal. If he'd take our 4 yr 140m deal, I think you do it.

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If we’re going to spend the money, please spend it on a shooter.

Spend it on who though? This FA class is WEAK.

Zach LaVine? Sure throw a max contract his way but we're not landing him considering how good the bulls are.
Ayton? Restricted
Miles Bridges? Restricted
Jalen Brunson? For how much and to take minutes from who? Fultz or Suggs?
Anfernee Simons? Restricted
Sexton? Hell no
Nurkic? You want to lock up future cap space for Nurk? Nope
Montrezl Harrell? More undersized bigs that can't shoot? I like him but not on this roster

I just don't see the restricted guys being let go from their current teams and the other guys, minus LaVine, aren't worth locking up future cap space for.

basketballRob wrote:

MasterGMer wrote:I would rather use the salary cap space to resign Harris and Bamba. There is no big fish in 2022 Free Agency. The biggest one is Zach Lavine and he is most likely to stay in Chicago. James Harden already opt in his player option for next season.

If we need to spend our Salary Cap, the biggest reason, regardless, should be to sign a Star or super star. But there isn't one. So we spend it on our own Free Agent

Bradley Beal is a free agent and they're having turmoil in the Washington locker room. Not sure we have the room to sign him tho. He can receive a 4 yr. 179m deal. If he'd take our 4 yr 140m deal, I think you do it.

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Beal isn't going to decline his huge player option to take a pay cut.

Lead, gotta agree with you on this 100%. Nobody available in free agency really moves the needle. Lavine is a fantastic player, but as a lead guy I don’t think he changes the Magic’s fortunes unless our draft pick this year and Franz turn into star level guys really fast. Lavine is in the perfect situation in Chicago with 2 all stars and a bunch of quality guys flanking him.

I’d love Miles Bridges but Charlotte would be foolish to let that guy walk.

I think the Magic will hold onto the cap space and wait to see what their young guys do and see if any earn extensions and possibly use it to trade for a star later and extend him. That seems more plausible.

thelead wrote:

basketballRob wrote:

MasterGMer wrote:I would rather use the salary cap space to resign Harris and Bamba. There is no big fish in 2022 Free Agency. The biggest one is Zach Lavine and he is most likely to stay in Chicago. James Harden already opt in his player option for next season.

If we need to spend our Salary Cap, the biggest reason, regardless, should be to sign a Star or super star. But there isn't one. So we spend it on our own Free Agent

Bradley Beal is a free agent and they're having turmoil in the Washington locker room. Not sure we have the room to sign him tho. He can receive a 4 yr. 179m deal. If he'd take our 4 yr 140m deal, I think you do it.

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Beal isn't going to decline his huge player option to take a pay cut.

I think he has a 36m option. If he signed with us he'd have a deal starting around 30 for 4 years. Beal is 100% going to opt out and likely re-sign with Washington.

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Knightro wrote:So I've been thinking about this a lot...

Let's say the Magic add a top 5 draft pick and also add a 25M dollar free agent this summer while letting Harris, Lopez and Bamba walk all.

Then they play out next season and then let Ross and Fultz walk.

The Magic would head into the summer of 2023 with the following contracts on the books.

2022 Free Agent Signing: $25M
Isaac: $17.4M
Carter: $13.05M
2022 1st Round Pick: 8M approx
Suggs: $7.25M
Wagner: $5.5M
Anthony: $5.53M
Suggs: $5.26M
Hampton: $4.22M
2023 1st Round Cap Hold: 8M approx
Fultz Dead Cap: $2M

Total committed salary: Approximately $101.2M.

The projections are that the salary cap will increase from to roughly 129M or so, which would give the Magic another $25M in cap space

The Magic could, theoretically, sign a $25M AAV free agent in each of the next two summers if they were so inclined.

Knowing that, does that change the feeling at all? Or would you rather have over $50M in cap space in the summer of 2023?

The 2022 and 2023 FA classes are pretty uninspiring IMO but we have to sign players. While 2023 is better, I wouldn't hold my breath on landing any of the restricted guys and the notable (not 32+ years old) unrestricted FA's are:

D'Angelo Russell
Dillon Brooks
Caris LeVert
Andrew Wiggins
Jerami Grant
Christian Wood
Steven Adams
Jokic
Myles Turner

Notable restricted FA's:
Ja Morant
Ayo Dosunmu (we could have just drafted him last summer...)
Tyler Herro
Thybulle
RJ Barrett
Keldon Johnson
Zion Williamson

Definitely good talent to add to the roster but I think it's way too early to start piecing things together until we know what we have IMO.