2015-16 Finish: 42-40

Season Highlight:

The Magic had another up and down year under GM Laddas but he looks now to have finally put the cattle on the park to push up to that playoff spot he’s been coveting. The highlight last season was most definitely proving the naysayers wrong with the acquisition of DeMar DeRozan. Sure, you could still argue the “price” was high, but then can you? DeMar put together a near MVP season in which he averaged 30 points a game on 50% shooting, dominated all comers and has now also verbally agreed to return to the Magic. What more could you want out of the stud you’ve acquired to build around?

Season Lowlight:

The lowlight is plain for all to see for the Magic…they came up a mere 2 games shy of a playoff birth after steaming home once they had a clean bill of health. The Pacers managed  to hold on though despite their near season long fall back down the standings, and their GMs attempts to sabotage his team along the way, leaving the Magic in 9^th place on the outside looking in. Despite the good place they are in now, it was a disappointing end.

Ok, so loading the Transactions page melted down my computer…
Best Trade:

Magic receive: Brook Lopez and Miami 2017 1^st
Magic send: Wesley Matthews, Kevin Seraphin, Denver 2016 1^st and Orlando 2018 1^st.

Oh this is probably going to be controversial! It’s not the DeRozan trade! Sure DeMar was great, but I’ll discuss that later. This trade I think set the Magic up to be a contender now and in years to come. Genuine stud bigs are not particularly common around the league and Lopez is a stud big. He had an injury cloud which shrouded his value, but a fit and able Lopez I feel is a structural game changer compared to an undersized and unneeded SG/SF. Without the big man, where is the Magic roster actually placed?

Worst Trade:

Magic Receive: Nikola Pekovic + Cash
Magic Send: Jeremy Lamb

Ok so I just finished up saying how important getting a big man was in exchange for an unneeded wing, but this trade was fairly ill-advised even if Pek hadn’t ended up now effectively retiring 12 months later. Pek was injured at the time, had a very sketchy timetable, had been injured for years prior and was he ever really that great to begin with? That’s not to say Lamb was/is/will be anything particularly great, but he’s a young scoring wing in a young scoring wings league and all he could fetch was a broken man.

Other Notable Trades:

Magic Receive: DeMar DeRozan, RJ Hunter and Philadelphia 2016 1^st
Magic Send: CJ McCollum, Kelly Oubre, Pelicans 2016 1^st, Magic 2016 1^st and Magic 2017 1^st.

The trade that divided a league…and probably could still divide a league! The price is high, but DeRozan’s heights were also high. CJ busted out, Oubre looks promising, and there was another 3 1sts involved. Hunter and a 2^nd turned into a late 1^st and the Philly pick is ever the end of the 1^st round.

Magic Receive: Jeremy Lamb, Kelly Oubre and CJ McCollum
Magic Send: Chris Bosh

Could this have been their best trade really with hindsight on the Bosh clot? Bosh for Pekovic and the right half of DeRozan?

Magic Receive: Ryan Anderson
Magic Send: Mario Chalmers

Big for small, classic deal, the start of the pursuit for big bodies by Laddas.

Magic Receive: Luol Deng
Magic Send: Maurice Harkless

NY cutting salary, Magic gaining the vet over potential.

Magic Receive: Wesley Matthews and SA 2^nd
Magic Send: Luol Deng, Joel Embiid and Magic 2^nd

Giving up on the big man and getting a scoring stud.

Magic Receive: Tiago Splitter, Tyler Ennis, Reggie Bullock, Indiana 2016 1^st and Pelicans 2016 1^st
Magic Send: Ricky Rubio

Somehow this didn’t draw the same ire around the league as the DDR trade, but it’s 2 1sts, 2 former 1sts and a vet big for just Rubio who was fresh off an injury plagued year.

Magic Receive: Larry Nance and Denver 1^st
Magic Send: Dwight Powell and Philadelphia 1st

Kid swap, pick swap.

Magic Receive: Jose Calderon and TJ Warren
Magic Send: Ryan Anderson, Shelvin Mack and Orlando 2^nd

Needed PG and young stud for soft big and role player.

Magic Receive: Kevin Garnett and Marco Belinelli
Magic Send: Nikola Pekovic and Garrett Temple

#Winning

Magic Receive: Dallas 2016 1^st
Magic Send: RJ Hunter and SA 2016 2^nd

Classic trading up move.

Magic Receive: Cody Zeller
Magic Send: Marco Belinelli

Big for small. Young for old. Good production, for Zeller.

Magic Receive: KJ McDaniels, GS 2016 1^st and Boston 2016 1^st
Magic Send: Marcus Smart, Larry Nance and Dallas 2016 1^st

Trading the known quantity in Smart for the potential winning pick. It didn’t pan out.

Magic Receive: Kendall Marshall
Magic Send: Archie Goodwin

Just a little bit forgettable.

Magic Receive: Anthony Morrow
Magic Send: TJ Warren

A wee bit peculiar.

Magic Receive: Amir Johnson
Magic Send: Anthon Morrow and Jose Calderon

Less peculiar, good move.

Magic Receive: Michael Carter-Williams and Alonzo Gee
Magic Send: GS 2016 1^st (Pick 8)

So I basically flipped a coin here between this trade and the Pekovic trade for worst trade. MCW for such a high pick has a certain odour to it.


Best FA Signing:

There were only a handful of FA signings by the Magic but I am going to go ahead and cheat here and say matching the offer sheet on Will Barton as an RFA. It’s a cheat cause he was always going to be matched, but when it’s up against UFA signings of Kevin Seraphin and Lance Thomas, it’s a hands down winner. Match an offer of $3.3mil a year on Thrill or not? Tough choice…not! Good move.


Worst FA Signing:

CJ Wilcox was the worst signing. Not cause he played poorly. Not cause he couldn’t cut it. But because he was bought out only 5 days later which cost the Magic 1 GM Point to do…so he cost them coin for nothing.

Star:

DeMar DeRozan.

It’s not even close! The man averaged 30.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks while shooting it 50% from the field, 37% from deep and 94% from the line. He was nearly the league MVP and he’s pretty much the only player that survived on the roster the entire season!
 
Surprise:

Brook Lopez.

Lopez earns the surprise for a couple of reasons. One, he stayed on the floor the entire 82 game season! The man is back and his feet are better than ever. Two, he slotted into a team next to DDR and suddenly found his stud big man status again. He averaged 15.5 points which was his highest tally for a couple of years, but he also decided he knew how to rebound after all and hauled in 11.6 a game! Not only that, but he went from shooting 42% in Memphis, to 52% in Orlando. Brook, Brook, he’s our man!

Goat:

Nikola Pekovic.

It is genuinely hard to choose a GOAT on a roster that fluctuated so much through the year, and really did click in its current format at the end of the season. Pekovic can have it because he never played a game after being acquired for Lamb, before then also being shipped himself for a retirement age KG.

Draft Report Card:

The Magic had 2 picks in the draft, pick 19 and 38, after they traded their highest pick for…MCW…but if we look past that, they really did own this draft.

Anyway, Pick 19 became Malachi Richardson who is a great choice here. He has legit wing size and in time could develop into another DeMar DeRozan as a threat to score from everywhere.

Pick 38 was Pascal Siakam and I can tell you right now that if teams had choices again, they’d probably be grabbing this guy much higher already…and he hasn’t even played a game! He’s already turning heads in camp and could be seen sooner rather than later.

Looking to the Future:

The Magic look like a playoff contender this coming season with a strong list of veteran depth and a nice mix of youth also. They nailed their draft that should help continue that long term progression as they transition with their core stars all sliding into their prime in the next couple of years, in time to teach the kids and bring some winning to the city of Orlando. New long term deals for the big 3 would be the first step, but there’s verbal indications that this is exactly what is going to happen when free agency opens up in a couple weeks time, and the Magic look well placed to be up in that playoff race for years to come.

Upcoming Free Agents:

DeMar DeRozan (UFA) – DDR was always a threat to walk and did give management some headaches along the way through the year, but the moves made and the improvement shown has seen him verbally commit to coming back already.

Brook Lopez (UFA) – Lopez never gave any indication that he was going to do anything but resign with the Magic and we believe this will be the case upon free agency opening.

Nicolas Batum (UFA) – Batum was a recent acquisition, but he indicated fairly quickly that he would like to sign a long term deal with the Magic. It too looks like a forgone conclusion.

E’twaun Moore (UFA) – Moore looks like he could be a player squeezed out at this point as he goes in search of somewhere that he can be more of a focal point and get more court time. Time will tell though.

Toney Douglas (UFA) – Douglas is way down the depth chart and not expected to be brought back.

Tim Frazier (RFA) – A QO has been extended to Frazier showing the Magic intend to keep the promising PG around. We’d expect not much fuss in free agency and an easy return.