All Eyes On Me

The magical run is over, and after an overachieving season, there’s more momentum for building a contender in the O than there has been in 15 years. Key free agents: Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris, Goga Bitadze, Joe Ingles (team option), Moe Wagner (team option), Chuma Okeke Projected cap space: $32 million assuming we bring back Joe and Moe, pick up Caleb and JI’s option and includes our first round pick’s salary. Also be on the look out for Franz and Suggs’ extensions this summer. NBA Draft June 27. We have the 18th pick at the moment but I imagine it’s very much on the block Free Agency negotiations can start on June 30 and free agents can sign starting July 6th.

I just don’t see how Cam Johnson fits. I like our rotation wings more than him, and we can’t afford to trade a guard for another wing.

With the signing of our last roster spot today, the Markelle Fultz era in O-Town has officially come to an end. It had some high highs, and it had some low lows, but I can’t help but think Kelle helped get us through the darkest times of the rebuild with some highlights and some hope and played a huge role in where we are now. I wish Markelle the best going forward with his health and his career, and although it was time to move on and the right decision, I will miss seeing him in Magic blue. He joins so many other Magic Men in the past thats memories are accompanied by what could have been.

Yeah, we didn’t sign Cory Joseph because he was the best player we could grab, we signed him because he won’t expect minutes or disturb the locker room if he doesn’t get them, and he’s a vet presence with deep playoff run experience. If we wanted our 15th man to be able to play consistently, we would have re-signed Markelle to the minimum

Last roster spot finally filled. Not Tyus, not Markelle. Cory Joseph on a 2 year deal. Gotta imagine it’s a minimum with a team option on year 2

I’m out in Denver too! For whatever reason it seems like the Nuggets seem content with the one title and have been afraid to get into the luxury tax to maintain a dynasty. Let Brown walk a year ago and then KCP this year. They’re wasting away the rest of Joker’s prime. Frustrating

Gary Trent Jr on a one year to Milwaukee

Some contract details starting to come out, and wow, Weltman cooked this off-season. Harris and Moe have teams options after the first year. Isaac has next year and the year after fully guaranteed, but only half guaranteed in year 3 and unguaranteed years 4 and 5.

Think we’ll miss Joe more than most of you guys think. Maybe not on the floor, but from a leadership and veteran presence, he meant a huge amount to this team’s growth last year. Minnesota musta promised him playing time that we couldn’t.

We’re bringing back Kelle for cheap, aren’t we.

I’ll tell you now that with how we’re treating Moe Wagner, Franz is very much in our future plans as a max contract

Sounds like the JI contract does have an exhibit 3 built in again that could void the contract if an injury occurs to a specific body part… so it’s a massive win of a deal…

I’d expect Isaac is front-loaded this year and will be on a cheaper per season deal near the end to even out Paolo, Franz and Jalen’s extensions.

Yeah, im looking forward to seeing the structure and the guarantees. I don’t buy for a second that he’s magically healthy, and I hope we’re smarter than that. Also 5 year $84 mill is only about $18 mill a season, not a bad contract at all compared to what some of these guys are getting paid this off-season

5 year $84 million extension for JI

Probably. Unless we go point guard instead and bring in Tyus or bring back Markelle instead of Ingles

So Moe back at $11 million a year, GH $1 more than reported, Goga will get the Room exception and it looks like we have one roster spot left and about $12 million in cap space.

Everything in FA so far has just been verbal, nobody can sign anything yet. When the moratorium period is over on the 6th things become officially official. Trades and free agency are still open and remain open until the deadlines during the season.

Reminder that the moratorium period runs until July 6. Once that period is over all the pens start to hit the paper and that’s when we can flame or praise our off-season plan or lack there of fully

According to Keith Smith, he’s crunched numbers and we still have $23.7 million in cap space, not including Goga as his contract does meet the criteria for the room exception. I don’t know, something still seems up to me. Maybe I’m just hopeless, but that’s still a good chunk of change that we could use to absorb a contract. Collin Sexton only makes $18.1 million next season… :)

WCJ, AB, Jett and multiple picks I think

Ok, now if Mitchell re-signing in Cleveland leads to a Garland trade and we aren’t rumored to be heavily involved in the discussions, yall can be mad… lol The last 2 moves will inevitably be Wagner and Ingles re-signing, so this off-season we are running it back but with TDS and KCP in place of Fultz and Chuma. It’s not sexy at all, but at least we didn’t hamstring ourselves with a horrible overpay for a guy that makes us marginally better (Hartenstein). FWIW, I would’ve given PG the 4 year max, but I understand why we didn’t.

My favorite part about the off-season so far is all of the insiders and even the majority of non-Magic fans online loving what we’re doing every time we make a move, and a good amount of our fanbase losing its mind… isn’t basketball fun? lol The only other move I expect is bringing back Moe Wagner, and hell I wouldn’t be surprised if we brought back Kelle on a sweetheart at this point. The depth is insane, probably too deep, but just gotta enjoy the ride because as much as I’ve tried in my years as a fan, I have very little say in what the GM decides to do.

KCP is a huge improvement at the starting 2 offensively, defensively and most importantly from an availability standpoint. I understand you’re disappointed in the off-season so far, but I fully believe we’re better now than we were 2 days ago and I’d love to hear an argument how we’re not.

Feel like it’d be Wendell and picks to bring in a guard. Sexton, Simons, McCollum? I know a lot of people are throwing Cole‘s name out there as someone we’d trade but I’d be shocked. He’s too important to the culture and chemistry of the team.