5 Free Agent Targets For The Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic don’t have max cap space, but they are in position to add some complimentary pieces.
In the dozen or so teams with usable cap space, the Orlando Magic are among the least appealing teams. They won’t be attracting any of the top free agents — not that they have the room to do so anyway — and they have future obligations to consider, in the form of potential extensions to Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon.
In other words, the Magic are in a precarious position. They will have the opportunity to sign a mid-tier free agent, but if they approach those negotiations the wrong way, they’ll hurt both their short-term and long-term prospects. Above all else, the Magic can’t lock themselves into this team for the next three to four seasons. It may be tempting to sway free agents to the team with long-term money, but Orlando should resist that temptation. The Magic won’t admit it, but they are in the middle of a mini rebuild, and they should operate accordingly.
That doesn’t mean they have to sit out free agency altogether, however. If they want to field a semi-competitive team this season, they certainly have plenty of short-term needs. To that end, here are five free agents the Magic might target — players who might help in the short-term, but hopefully won’t ruin their flexibility long-term.
Tyreke Evans
Evans is probably at the high end of the talent spectrum that Orlando could go after, but it might need to take a one-year gamble on Evans’ fit with the team. If he’s willing to take a short-term, high-money contract in an effort to prove himself to the league, he represents a higher upside version of the deal the Magic struck with Jeff Green next season.
Evans, like most of the players on this list, is an attempt to find a wing solution for a team with no quality small forwards. The Magic project to start both Terrence Ross and Evan Fournier in a hybrid 2/3 situation, but they could really use someone to play the proper “wing creator” role. Evans has been up and down his whole career, but perhaps he could find his place playing alongside a big-time athlete in Gordon.
To be fair, this could also backfire in a big way. Personally, I’m not a big Evans fan, and if I had to lay odds on him having a successful stint with the Magic, I’d put them below 50/50. If the coaching staff insists on playing him the same way as Green (which is to say, plenty of playing time despite actively hurting the team), he could sink their season.
Still, if it’s a one-year deal, it might be worth the risk. Manage his playing time carefully, don’t let him interfere with Jonathan Isaac’s development, and maybe he can be a positive force for the team.
P.J. Tucker
Like Evans, Tucker fits into the “big money one-year deal” category, and as a 32-year-old, he might be willing to go for that if he finds other teams unwilling to pay up over the long-term. Unlike Evans, he presents a higher floor and lower ceiling. There’s no chance he steps up to become the star of the team, but there’s a very high chance he helps out somehow.
Frank Vogel is surely pining for some veterans who can defend, and Tucker checks both of those boxes while also posing a credible shooting threat. This is probably a better route to take than trying to hit a home run with a player like Evans — signing someone to provide legitimate veteran leadership and set an example for everyone else. In particular, Tucker would be a great vet to lead Isaac’s first year in the league.
Michael Beasley
Which Michael Beasley do you believe in? Do you think he’s the player who washed out of the league and ended up in China? Or, do you buy into the Michael Beasley redemption tour? So far, in his time back in the NBA, Beasley has stepped up wherever he’s gone, so the Magic have to ask: What can he do for us, even for just a year?
Think about Beasley as the middle option between Tucker and Evans. There’s a chance he doesn’t work out and doesn’t contribute much to the team, but it’s unlikely he’s going to be a huge detriment, either. Worst case scenario, the Magic would probably be willing to slot him in for 10–12 minutes a game, as he did at times for the Milwaukee Bucks. All-in-all, he can be a nice option off the bench behind Ross/Fournier, or even Gordon as a backup four.
Shaun Livingston
It’s unlikely the Magic look too hard for backup point guard options unless a surprise Payton trade happens, but if they do decide to shore up the backcourt, they could do much worse than grabbing Livingston for a year or two. Bringing in a high-quality vet like Livingston is a great way to start establishing the culture Orlando’s lacked the last few seasons.
On the court, Livingston should be able to fit in regardless of who he plays with, thanks to the unusual skill-set he possesses for a guard. He doesn’t offer the skill the Magic need the most — long-range shooting — but he makes the players around him better and can get buckets off the bench with his excellent midrange and post game.
Kyle Korver
Korver probably represents the highest-quality shooter the Magic could plausibly sign, depending on his interest. If he’s looking for one more big payday, the Magic could hook him up. If he’s still hunting for that elusive ring, perhaps he sticks with the Cavs or another similar team.
If he does show interest in the Magic, however, he’s the anti-Livingston: only provides one skill, but one the Magic desperately need. At the very least, putting him in a lineup with, say, Payton, Fournier, Ross, and Vucevic would give the Magic the opportunity to see what Payton can do with a full-shooting lineup.
