The Orlando Magic attempted to accelerate their rebuild when they agreed to a multiplayer deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in which they traded Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and rookie first round pick Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Serge Ibaka. The move certainly made headlines. However, it’s unclear whether it improved or hurt Orlando’s prospects both for this season and moving forward. The Magic sacrificed a lot to shake things up in the offseason but there is no guarantee it puts them on a path towards the playoffs.
Offseason Changes
The consensus opinion around the NBA was that Orlando gave up far too much when they traded an All-Star guard, veteran stretch-four and rookie first round pick in order to land the veteran Ibaka. Complicating matters even further was the fact that the Orlando Magic also paid good money to bring in Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green when they already have Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon on their roster. Orlando certainly has plenty of options in their frontcourt but the problem is they still don’t have a true star big man and their backcourt has been downgraded with the loss of Oladipo. And don’t forget about the coaching change. Scott Skiles is out while Frank Vogel is in. It’s just another change for a team that has had little consistency at the position over the last decade.
Strengths
The addition of Ibaka and Biyombo will significantly improve the Orlando Magic’s ability to defend the paint. It’s clear that Orlando didn’t want to continue to get torched around the rim so they brought in a couple of veteran big men that thrive when it comes to defending and rebounding. There has been talk about Gordon potentially moving to the small forward position, which could create matchup nightmares for opposing teams. Gordon remains the team’s most promising young asset and his development will be an x-factor for the Magic this season. Whether he’s nimble enough to make that move is still to be seen.
Weaknesses
Orlando’s upgrades up front could create issues in a backcourt that has been stretched a little too thin following their offseason moves. And before we get to the backcourt, we have to sort out how they’ll share minutes in that crowded frontcourt. For starters, why sign Bismack Biyombo and acquire Serge Ibaka when you have Gordon and Vucevic already. Gordon was a lottery pick and need playing time to determine what he is while Vucevic has performed as one of the better centers in the NBA. Is it really necessary to over-invest here? The logjam makes it difficult to sort out the roles.
Meanwhile, in the backcourt, Evan Fournier took a major step forward a year ago and the Orlando Magic are banking on his continued development as their starting shooting guard while Elfrid Payton will be relied on to lead the offense at the point guard position. Neither one of them is an All-Star and the depth behind them is questionable as well with Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin the first guards off the bench. Remember that former head coach, Scott Skiles, basically quit because he didn’t believe Payton was a starting-caliber point guard in this league. Vogel has a big job to go in there and prove otherwise.
Three-point shooting was another major weakness for Orlando a year ago and they might have actually become worse in that area after Oladipo and Ilyasova were traded to Oklahoma City.
Outlook
While Orlando Magic fans are cautiously optimistic about what is on the horizon this season, there is a sense of uneasiness in terms of the direction of the franchise. Orlando attempted to speed up its rebuild with some major offseason moves. It would be a tough blow if they failed to contend for a playoff spot this season but the bigger concern would be overall regression. At this point the Magic has too many holes to expect a significant jump in the Eastern Conference standings but it might be enough for basketball fans in Orlando if they can show enough progress to indicate they are headed in the right direction moving forward.
Prediction: 5th in Southeast Division; 12th in Eastern Conference
