2024 Free Agents

[Residual-Heat]

Once again we will enter next season with a lot of capspace (as much as 50 mill i believe, someone can correct me if im wrong). It maybe our last chance to sign some good FAs. Its possible that the FO just re-signs Fultz, Cole and give the rest to some vet, but what would YOU do if you were GM?

Here is the list of 2024 FAs:

UFAs: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2024/ufa/?ref=trending-pages

RFAs: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2024/rfa/
keep in mind that you would need to overpay RFAs to get their teams not to match.

Assume 2024/2025 salary cap to be at 150 mill.

[cedric76]

We ll use that space in a trade

[RichCollab]

I see us making a trade.

[drsd]

I see us making a trade.

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

[Bensational]

Don’t forget to include the 2025 UFAs who are going into the final years of their deals. Surely there will be some forced trades ahead of contract extensions.

Ingram, Lauri and OG are some of the bigger names in that class (plus old PG and Kawhi).

That’s without counting the next Beal/Lillard/KP/Harden forced trade situation either, or the next emerging Austin Reaves.

[Residual-Heat]

I see us making a trade.

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

by a "bunch of its own players" i guess you mean Cole and Fultz mainly. Giving a combined 40+ mill/yr to two point guards neither of whom is a good starter seems like a horrible idea to me.

[drsd]

I see us making a trade.

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

by a "bunch of its own players" i guess you mean Cole and Fultz mainly. Giving a combined 40+ mill/yr to two point guards neither of whom is a good starter seems like a horrible idea to me.

If I had authority over WeltPark, I would have traded Anthony and G-Harris for a starting-competent SG. That means:

Fultz/Black/some-dude
nice-SG/Suggs/Howard
F-Wagner/Ingles/Houstan
Banchero/Isaac/Okeke
Carter/M-Wagner/Bitadze

I love that team for at least 38 wins. 45 is not unimaginable. Plus the whole roster has room to grow to be a 50 win team in 2024/25.

Now: what are we left with. A hysterical belief that Suggs might have learnt how to shoot? Please.

..

[Residual-Heat]

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

by a "bunch of its own players" i guess you mean Cole and Fultz mainly. Giving a combined 40+ mill/yr to two point guards neither of whom is a good starter seems like a horrible idea to me.

If I had authority over WeltPark, I would have traded Anthony and G-Harris for a starting-competent SG. That means:

Fultz/Black/some-dude
nice-SG/Suggs/Howard
F-Wagner/Ingles/Houstan
Banchero/Isaac/Okeke
Carter/M-Wagner/Bitadze

I love that team for at least 38 wins. 45 is not unimaginable. Plus the whole roster has room to grow to be a 50 win team in 2024/25.

Now: what are we left with. A hysterical belief that Suggs might have learnt how to shoot? Please.

..

Having 2 point guards that cant shoot also seems like a terrible idea.

[yoyojw17]

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

by a "bunch of its own players" i guess you mean Cole and Fultz mainly. Giving a combined 40+ mill/yr to two point guards neither of whom is a good starter seems like a horrible idea to me.

If I had authority over WeltPark, I would have traded Anthony and G-Harris for a starting-competent SG. That means:

Fultz/Black/some-dude
nice-SG/Suggs/Howard
F-Wagner/Ingles/Houstan
Banchero/Isaac/Okeke
Carter/M-Wagner/Bitadze

I love that team for at least 38 wins. 45 is not unimaginable. Plus the whole roster has room to grow to be a 50 win team in 2024/25.

Now: what are we left with. A hysterical belief that Suggs might have learnt how to shoot? Please.

..

Even our current team as is... 45 wins is not imaginable. Health allowing... that's in the realm of where i think this team has the potential to land.

[VFX]

And-1

Orlando has to resign a bunch of its own players that will eliminate all cap-space. This team only improves via a consolidation trade.

by a "bunch of its own players" i guess you mean Cole and Fultz mainly. Giving a combined 40+ mill/yr to two point guards neither of whom is a good starter seems like a horrible idea to me.

If I had authority over WeltPark, I would have traded Anthony and G-Harris for a starting-competent SG. That means:

Fultz/Black/some-dude
nice-SG/Suggs/Howard
F-Wagner/Ingles/Houstan
Banchero/Isaac/Okeke
Carter/M-Wagner/Bitadze

I love that team for at least 38 wins. 45 is not unimaginable. Plus the whole roster has room to grow to be a 50 win team in 2024/25.

Now: what are we left with. A hysterical belief that Suggs might have learnt how to shoot? Please.

..

Why spend a top draft pick on Howard if they don't believe he can be that guy?

Keeping Cole makes more sense than Fultz if thats really your concern.

Cole will not cost as much as Fultz.I would put money on it.

[drsd]

Even our current team as is... 45 wins is not imaginable. Health allowing... that's in the realm of where i think this team has the potential to land.

If you meant "not unimaginable", as in plausible but not probable, I actually agree.

That ESPN has Orlando at 38 wins and the ten seed reveals that even the media can see stars align to get the Magic to that number. Look at the advancement of Cleveland. Orlando's current roster could (maybe) have that kind of rapid growth spurt. Perhaps.

I hope.

[drsd]

Why spend a top draft pick on Howard if they don't believe he can be that guy?

Keeping Cole makes more sense than Fultz if thats really your concern.

Cole will not cost as much as Fultz.I would put money on it.

Assuming you mean Black, I agree that Orrlando should not have retained him. He should have been drafted because he was a clear BPA, and his rights should have been traded promptly. His trade value was never higher that moments after his slection.

Black is now basically untradeable for value. So: he will ride the bench and generate even less trade value.

Orlando needs to be very, very careful in ensuring he does not start being a despondent sulcker. He won't get minutes typical for a top-6 guy. Black needs to be ok with that, or Orlando will have loss Black as an asset rapidly. Orlando needs to manage his expectations.

[drsd]

Having 2 point guards that cant shoot also seems like a terrible idea.

Amen brother.

But having two PGs that can shoot as starters also doees not work. Look at Portland. They wasted the Lillard window by retaining McCollum. That pairing is as good as it gets via starting two PGs.

Think Cleveland. Garland and Sexton was never ever gonna work. So they cut bait early. There's at least some path were a Garland and Mitchell back-court can contend. This was the correct management decision, however painful it felt.

Orlando needs to move on from Suggs as a starter. Either he accepts that he is a permanent bench player, or trade him now.

[VFX]

Why spend a top draft pick on Howard if they don't believe he can be that guy?

Keeping Cole makes more sense than Fultz if thats really your concern.

Cole will not cost as much as Fultz.I would put money on it.

Assuming you mean Black, I agree that Orrlando should not have retained him. He should have been drafted because he was a clear BPA, and his rights should have been traded promptly. His trade value was never higher that moments after his slection.

Black is now basically untradeable for value. So: he will ride the bench and generate even less trade value.

Orlando needs to be very, very careful in ensuring he does not start being a despondent sulcker. He won't get minutes typical for a top-6 guy. Black needs to be ok with that, or Orlando will have loss Black as an asset rapidly. Orlando needs to manage his expectations.

No, I meant Howard.

He’s drafted as a guy that is a 6’8 shooter.

Your initial proposal was to trade off the only other two shooters in the guard rotation while keeping Jett as a third string SG.

Edit: Nevermind. I just read your response above this one. You are not a serious person.

[drsd]

I just read your response above this one. You are not a serious person.

I am not a serious person because I believe that a Garland and Mitchell back-court can contend and that Garland and Sexton couldn't; revealing that a Fultz/Suggs backcourt pairing is doomed to be mediocre.

OK. So then: I agree I am not a serious person.

..

[VFX]

I just read your response above this one. You are not a serious person.

I am not a serious person because I believe that a Garland and Mitchell back-court can contend and that Garland and Sexton couldn't; revealing that a Fultz/Suggs backcourt pairing is doomed to be mediocre.

OK. So then: I agree I am not a serious person.

..

You are correct that a backcourt pairing of a net negative shooter and a middling one isn’t a good idea.

Your solution to the problem is what doesn’t make sense. Both back court players have to provide everything off-ball as well as provide ++ defense.

Why? Because Paolo and Franz at this stage in their young careers are not proficient in those areas and will require the ball in their hands most of the time. Even more so than what we’ve already seen.

The player you are looking for is Houston era James Harden to provide both shooting volume and distribution at one single position. Does that player exist? Is that player available in Orlando’s position? The answer is no.

The better solution to the major concern for lack of shooting is moving Fultz. I’ve already explained why. People are incapable of processing that as a solution, so you can continue to live the dream that you’ll find this perfect high volume shooting guard that can do everything Fultz can’t.

Your current solution is to move every guard that does shoot to accommodate a flawed player that simply doesn’t. That’s why you aren’t serious.

[drsd]

The player you are looking for is Houston era James Harden to provide both shooting volume and distribution at one single position.

Nope. zero interest in that sort of SG.

The player I am looking for is Luke Kennard. And maybe Howard is that guy.

..

[Max Power]

I think I’m with the masses here, thinking our cap space will be there to acquire a star level guy via trade, a final step to contendership. I believe a healthy Magic squad as currently constructed is a lower seed playoff team. I think this team can win somewhere between 42-45 games if some stars align and health reigns. Even more perhaps if Black and Howard hit.

Outside of a guy like Pascal Siakim, I don’t see anyone who really levels up this team while advancing our guys. Harden being a prime example of a guy none of us should want, and Siakam already plays a position this team has all star talent at anyway. So probing the trade market with our cap space makes sense.

[pepe1991]

Cap space sounds great until you figure Cole, Fultz, Okeke, Harris are free agents + Franz will sign his designed max, that won't kick in immediately, but you have to keep in mind Banchero's designed max is pending for year after that.

Let's say Magic sign somebody on $28M a year, by year 3 , that guy, Franz & Banchero will fill around $90M of cap on their own.


I would not put too much stock on idea Howard can play SG. 6'8, unathletic, lacks latheral quickness, struggled to guard space even at college.
Normally when player skills something in combine he has something to hide, when he skips whole combine, you should aks yourself how bad he is compared to other to not attend anything, including basic - height-weight- bodyfat measurments.

We had similar situation with Okeke, albet due injury. But alleged 6'8 PF turned to be 6'6

[Residual-Heat]

Having 2 point guards that cant shoot also seems like a terrible idea.

Amen brother.

But having two PGs that can shoot as starters also doees not work. Look at Portland. They wasted the Lillard window by retaining McCollum. That pairing is as good as it gets via starting two PGs.

Think Cleveland. Garland and Sexton was never ever gonna work. So they cut bait early. There's at least some path were a Garland and Mitchell back-court can contend. This was the correct management decision, however painful it felt.

Orlando needs to move on from Suggs as a starter. Either he accepts that he is a permanent bench player, or trade him now.

i assume you mean Fultz, in which case i agree.

Obviously i meant Fultz-Black as the two PGs that cant shoot...