NBA rumors: The Magic’s offseason approach will “pivote”

NBA rumors: The Magic’s offseason approach will “pivote”

The Orlando Magic have had a successful season. They had minimal to no expectations going into the 2023–24 season.

After a squad that completed the previous season 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 34-48 record, who could

really expect anything? Unexpectedly, though, Orlando reversed the outcome and advanced to the playoffs with a

47-35 record.Sadly, they lost Game 7 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, which brought an end to their

season. Nevertheless, the Magic have set the stage for what promises to be an exciting offseason.

So much so that, according to Matt Moore of Action Network, the Magic are abandoning their prior summer plans in favor of a new one.

The Magic have been looking for point guard additions in free agency and at the deadline for the past two years. To improve its offensive backcourt, Orlando has attempted to acquire guards like Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet, but has not been successful in doing so. But according to two sources this week, Orlando has made a small shift following the Magic’s postseason run and a Game 7 featuring Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Instead, what will the Magic do? Moore starts out by saying that the team will no longer be pursuing point guards in the free agent market. The squad began to believe in Jalen Suggs as the starting quarterback after his All-Defense campaign. Rather, Orlando will try to match Suggs with a guard who is focused on scoring. This offseason, Klay Thompson has been suggested; however, Moore also cites other guards as potential targets.

Second, more two-guards are anticipated to hit the market. The Magic are Klay Thompson’s worst-kept secret suitor, according to Bay Area insiders like Tim Kawakami of The Athletic and Hall of Fame reporter Marc Stein. Orlando is anticipated to acquire a scoring two-guard because there are other players on the market with greater scoring, such as Malik Monk.

Magic’s goals for the offseason

At the guard position, the Magic could use a little more scoring. Anthony Black and Cole Anthony haven’t yet contributed that much scoring. Suggs has made progress in that area, but in the modern day, he still scores 12 points each game. Typically, scoring guards are poor defenders, but with Suggs in their backcourt, they should be able to get away with it.In principle, Thompson is a suitable target for the Magic.

In addition to being one of the all-time great shooters, he still possesses enough defensive savvy to be effective. Nevertheless, Thompson struggled with consistency during the previous Warriors season. After being benched in the middle of the season, he regained some of his form, but he struggled in the Play-In.

If the Magic need a scoring guard, D’Angelo Russell and the previously mentioned Malik Monk are more choices. For the upcoming season, they are unexpectedly well-positioned outside of the guard position. For them, Paolo Banchero has been outstanding. Despite having a difficult postseason run, Franz Wagner is still a valuable player for a young squad. Orlando has a bright future ahead of it. They believe they can now build on their previous season’s success and attempt to contend for a postseason berth.