Soul Bro

With the core we now have in place, free agents should be pushing to play in Orlando. Add to that the no state sales tax and sunny weather, and we have a great pitch for value signings. I'm personally hoping guys like Smart or Middleton get bought out, as I think either would be great off the bench for us on bargain deals.

It wasn't just Vecenie. It was Windhorst and others, too. KCP was unplayable in the playoffs (https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203484?SeasonType=Playoffs). I get the matching salaries bit, but my point is signings only matter for how they deliver wins to a team. KPC and Cole, even with his expiring this coming year, were bad deals in hindsight.

Something to consider: The KCP signing was an overpay and a mistake. The Cole extension was a mistake. Many of us also believe the timing of the WCJ extension was a mistake, too.That all being said, I think we need to temper our expectations with WeltHam's ability to sign free agents/pay guys.

Jett was such a bad pick. Honestly, we knew it at the time, but here we are. Not only was it a miss, but it's now a 5MM payroll burden. I'm really surprised we haven't done something with that contract.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25217834-top-30-nba-free-agent-predictions-after-kyrie-vanvleet-and-naz-reid-signings I'm not a big Tyus Jones fan, as I think his defense is lacking.

Whatcha talkin bout Willis?

The Penda pick seems like a potential Isaac replacement to me. He’s young but reportedly a tough and switchable 3-5, given his thickness and wingspan. Are we done for the summer? We’ll see!

We finally got aggressive and made a second round pick. I have zero knowledge of this guy other than what I’ve read, but I credit WeltHam for going all on.

I like the Pritchard offensive comp and Wallace defensive comp in there, too. Great video.

I'm actually not worried about Jase's offensive fit at all. I agree he's likely just a sniper on the second unit. I brought about the Conley size bit as a defensive reference. I hope he gets/earns some burn, as we could really use his spacing.

Just thinking of a size comp for Jase, and Mike Conley comes to mind. If that dude can make it, Jase can make it. I’ve also seen his playing style comped to guys like D. White and Brunson. Let’s go!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/matissa/2025/06/24/why-jase-richardson-is-the-most-underrated-player-in-the-2025-draft/ What a crazy good article, and what an exciting pick!

I’m excited and super curious about this pick. Jase’s numbers were superb at MSU, and his skillset matches a ton of what we need in Orlando. Let’s go!

https://x.com/YossiGozlan/status/1937646880508510406 That's a lot of money saved.

That's a very weird trade for Boston. Sure they traded KP but got basically nothing in return. Maybe that was the goal... to really dump salary.

At some point Portland needs to grow up, and given Billups history as a point guard, I think he’d be a great mentor and floor leader for those guys. Their guard play has especially been a mess since Dame was traded.

How about a trade for Grayson Allen? The Suns have too many wings and need a big. He’d be great off the bench and matches our timeline. JI?

It's crazy that Tatum, Dame, and now Hali have all torn their achilles during these playoffs. Add to that the injury concerns of Embiid and George, and the East is wide open. It's wild. I'm super grateful for our youth and our core, and I can't wait to see what's next.

Lowe is the best NBA talking head, imo. I love that he loves Bane's fit on the Magic. A real good listen. Go Magic!

I'm grateful when you find these podcasts/links. Thank you! As to what was said, I'm glad we chose Bane over White. He's signed long-term and a better player.

Agree. Boston won with two all-star wings who served as the primary ball handlers. OKC is doing the same thing with SGA and JW. That is how the Magic are constructed. It hasn’t been said in a while, but Paulo himself needs to look in the mirror and continue to grow as a decision maker and player. The ball can’t stop in his hands, which it frequently does. Franz also needs to look in the mirror and fix that hitch. Lastly, when other guys get open looks from our stud wings, they’ve got to be able to make the open shots. This how the Magic are constructed, and our championship aspirations will come down to improvement in these areas.

A lot of this chatter brings up the coaching competency of Mose. Can this man best utilize this updated roster? Additionally, I still can’t shake all of the times WCJ shot faked himself from the three point line last year only to pass up a wide open shot. We need every player in our rotation to play with clarity and intentionality.

On the surface I agree with you, but Bane is a better facilitator than many of the guys I was hoping we’d target (e.g. C. White, D. White, J. Holiday, etc). I think the bigger question is can Mose run an effective offense that includes a lot of movement, passing, etc?

Honest question: Who would you have liked us to trade for instead of Bane who fits our switchable DNA?

I don't know much about NAW, but what I can see is he's a solid, young, three-point shooting, decent passing, bench SG. In fact, his +/- stats over the last two years are really impressive: https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1629638?SeasonType=Regular+Season. Now to the need for a point guard, similar to the Thunder, I believe our plan is to have our wings serve as our primary facilitators. The difference this year being that Bane can actually play PG and really pass, as he stepped into that role when Morant was out in Memphis. If we do add a point guard, I believe the focus will be on that player's two-way play and shooting ability.