The Orlando Magic have, somewhat expected, been eliminated from the Playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
This now raises the obvious question, as the organization heads into the offseason.
How do they upgrade the guard spot?
Return of Jalen Suggs isn’t enough
Orlando’s best guard – Suggs – wasn’t available for the postseason, and while his presence does help a great deal, especially on the defensive side of the ball, he isn’t an overwhelming offensive player, nor is he a particularly good playmaker.
There remains a major need in Orlando for a guard who can consistently create offense for himself, and others, despite how much the ball is going to go through the hands of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
The organization has insisted upon turning the star duo into their primary creators, but it should be apparent by now that such an experiment leaves virtually no margin for error, especially as neither is a strong long-range threat.
This isn’t to say the Magic can’t run major chunks of its offense through those guys. They obviously can, but without a reliable floor leader, it’s asking too much, and putting the team in a situation where they only go as far as those two go.
In many ways, that’s an unsustainable way to construct a roster, and it’d be especially egregious if the front office decides to maintain the status quo.
The onus is on management to be buyers this summer, and in particular identify and acquire a guard, who can help the Magic reach a higher level. Chicago’s Coby White should be gettable, and his contract of $12.8 million is easy to match in trade scenarios.
What’s the plan up front?
Many heads were scratched when the Magic decided to extend Wendell Carter Jr to $59 million over three years, as the center has not shown significant improvement in recent years.
In fact, the center has just come off arguably his worst NBA season, in which he regressed as a floor spacer, and his overall efficiency took a severe dip.
Moe Wagner, lost for the season to an ACL tear, can score but offers little else. Goga Bitadze offers size and skill, but can get played off the floor, especially in the postseason.
In short, the Magic also need a center. Someone who can stick in a Playoff rotation, and who can preferably help space the floor if the organization insists upon giving Banchero and Wagner the same playmaking responsibilities as this year.
Finding a player like that is far more difficult than identifying guards who can help right away, but the Magic will need to try to deepen their search to see if they can somehow upgrade that spot.
Overall, the Magic are in for an offseason in which crucial holes need to get plugged, at least if they wish to level up, and make a real push towards a championship.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.