The Orlando Magic knew this offseason would mark a lot of changes with the team. Trading Tobias Harris and Channing Frye for cap relief in February opened the door for the Magic having room to sign two max-contracts—or to swing trades.
It appears GM Rob Hennigan may have preferred to go another route.
On draft night, he traded Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to No. 11 pick Domantis Sabonis to the Oklahoma City Thunder for defensive demon Serge Ibaka. The move was highly criticized because many felt Orlando gave up too much, but Ibaka offers the opportunity to change Orlando’s defense in a major way.
He can protect the rim and is an elite shot blocker, something Orlando desperately needed after four seasons of languishing behind mediocre frontcourt play.
But that was not Orlando’s lone acquisition. The Magic signed Jeff Green to a one-year $15 million deal, and that basically completes Orlando’s starting frontcourt. Green will play the 3, while Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and Serge Ibaka are a three-man rotation at the 4/5 spots.
Vucevic may even end up being dealt, with the idea that Ibaka would man the 5-spot and leave Gordon starting at power forward. No matter how Hennigan continues to tinker, the Magic have some athleticism, defense, and length in its frontcourt now.
That will be a major change from the first four years of this rebuild.
But did Orlando find some shooting?
Also on Orlando’s checklist was to add some perimeter shooting. The Magic signed D.J. Augustin and traded a second round pick to the Detroit Pistons for former Kentucky Wildcat Jodie Meeks.
Both are good three-point shooters, and the Magic struggled to hit the three ball last year.
Orlando also now will likely run a lot of lineups featuring two point guards. Augustin can allow the sometimes erratic Elfrid Payton to play more off the ball, while Jodie Meeks will spell Evan Fournier as the sharpshooter of the second unit. Neither player should really be underestimated because both Augustin and Meeks have had their explosive scoring games.
The Magic should now have sufficient marksmen to wreak some havoc. Throwing a “lights out” Mario Hezonja into the rotation, and the Magic can fill the wings with shooters no matter how the rotations shake out. Hezonja came on strong in the last two months of the season, earning a starting role while Elfrid Payton was injured. Hezonja even showed the ability to run the point, so he can now function at three positions. Flexibility will be a strong suit for Frank Vogel’s team.
What can be seen here clearly is that Vogel has a lot to work with. He will have options at every position, and at this point, the backcourt is still somewhat open to change.
Fournier signed a hefty five-year $85 million deal. That signifies Orlando’s commitment towards him being a featured piece on the team. He will most certainly start, and Green’s $15 million deal speaks much the same.
Is Rob Hennigan giving Frank Vogel enough to work with?
For the first time since Dwight Howard’s departure, the Magic sport real depth and that gives Vogel a lot of options. The coaching change following Scott Skiles resignation was sudden and unexpected, but the Magic made a serious upgrade in inking Vogel. His sustained success and defensive vision should transform the Magic into a postseason threat.
The rebuild is still somewhat in its infancy (even though this marks year five), but the chance to take a quantum leap towards playoff success is not unrealistic. This Magic roster’s latent potential meant that, eventually, it would translate towards acquiring the missing pieces.
Orlando needed a shot blocker and defender, and it needed some three-point marksmen. The Magic filled both needs. Rob Hennigan has had a sneakily good offseason thus far, and he has now crafted a roster that is more like a team. Orlando's 2013 No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo may go on to have a fantastic career, but the Magic felt it better to commit to Fournier.
Given that the Magic lack shooters, or did at least, the move made nothing but good sense.
So, while pundits say that Ibaka, Green, Meeks, and Augustin are hardly enough to make over a team, it is without consideration that the Magic already had the makings of a good team.
A 35-win season is not horrible, and it represents progress towards Orlando’s goal of making the playoffs once again. By addressing team needs, the Magic may finally have the makings of a tougher team, one not wrought with weaknesses caused by lack of balance.
Failure to crash the postseason this year would be a grave shortcoming for Hennigan, who many feel already resides on the "hot seat." He seems to have done all the right things, but if this roster does not pan out, the Magic may seek to go another direction and hire a new GM. Five years is a sufficient window to return a team to contention, and the Magic are knocking on the door.
And truly, the good thing is that all signs indicate things will be better. And even if it is just slightly better, that means Orlando is in the playoffs.