The Orlando Magic haven't always been on the good side of history in terms of free agency. Rather than landing some of the top free agents in the NBA, the Magic have seen some of their top stars leave Central Florida for other bigger market teams. Shaquille O'Neal's departure for the bright lights of Hollywood comes to mind first. The Magic did have one massive offseason where they almost created a three-headed monster that would have terrorized the entire NBA. In the summer of 2000, they were reportedly set to sign the three biggest free agents at that time — Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill.
Orlando only wound up getting McGrady and Hill, while Duncan re-signed with the San Antonio Spurs because Doc Rivers reportedly refused to allow players to bring family members on team flights. While this is one of the greatest “what ifs” in Magic history, Orlando still had its share of solid acquisitions in free agency. Here are the best Orlando Magic free agent signings in franchise history.
8. Mickael Pietrus
Orlando Magic fans from the late 2000s remember Mickael Pietrus for becoming a solid contributor to the team during their deep playoff runs through that span. Pietrus signed with the Magic in the 2008 offseason after playing with the Golden State Warriors for the first five years of his career.
The 6-foot-6 forward became a key piece off the bench for Orlando, especially during its 2009 playoff run where they reached the NBA Finals. His ability to space the floor with his accurate three-point shooting made him a perfect fit on the Magic's spaced-out offense that revolved around superstar center Dwight Howard. Throughout the 2009 postseason, Pietrus averaged 10.5 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.
In 2009-10, the Frenchman remained a steady 3-and-D guy off the bench for the Magic. In 14 games during the 2010 playoffs, where they were eliminated in the second round to the Boston Celtics, Pietrus averaged 8.4 points while shooting nearly 46 percent from downtown. Pietrus only spent a little over two seasons with the Magic, but still arguably had the best stretch of his career in Central Florida.
7. Brian Shaw
After spending time with the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat, and even playing a season in Italy, Brian Shaw signed with the Orlando Magic in the 1994 offseason. Shaw entered the Magic as an already established role player in the NBA. He instantly became a key bench piece for Orlando upon his arrival. The 6-foot-6 guard played 78 games and averaged nearly 24 minutes per game off the Magic bench. He helped Orlando reach the 1995 NBA Finals with averages of 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists throughout the 1995 postseason.
Shaw's best individual campaign for the Magic came during the 1996-97 season, where he appeared in 77 games and started in 31 of them. Through that season, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Shaw became one of Shaquille O'Neal's most favorite teammates. In fact, he followed the Hall of Fame center a few years later with the Los Angeles Lakers, where won three championships.
6. Bo Outlaw
For the new generation of Orlando Magic fans, they may not be that familiar with Bo Outlaw. But die-hard Magic fans from the 1990s remember him as one of the most beloved figures in Magic history. Outlaw signed with the Magic as a free agent in the 1997 offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Outlaw was by no means a star player. But he brought his infectious energy, hustle, and defensive prowess to a Magic team that had gone into transition mode following the departure of Shaquille O'Neal. In his first year in Orlando, Outlaw played in all 82 games and started in 76 of them. He averaged what turned out to be career bests of 9.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.2 blocks while shooting over 55 percent from the field.
Outlaw was also a key piece of the Magic's infamous 1999-00 “Heart and Hustle” season that saw Orlando finish with a 41-41 record despite having just a bunch of role players on the team. The Magic featured a “big three” of Outlaw, Darrell Armstrong, and an incredibly raw Ben Wallace. Orlando barely missed the postseason despite the talent they had on the roster and their overachievement earned Doc Rivers the Coach of the Year award. Outlaw played all 82 games again that season and started in 55 of them. He averaged 6.0 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field. The 6-foot-8 forward is still the franchise's leader in field goal percentage.
5. Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Armstrong took a long journey before he finally achieved his dream of making the NBA. He went undrafted in 1991 and had stints in other professional leagues in the United States, Spain, and Cyprus prior to the Orlando Magic giving him a shot in the NBA late in the 1994-95 season.
Armstrong didn't play much in his first couple of seasons in Orlando. He appeared in just 16 games as the team still had a crowded backcourt rotation with Penny Hardaway, Dennis Scott, Nick Anderson, and Brian Shaw. The 6-foot-1 guard finally received a larger role in his third NBA season, where appeared in 67 games and averaged over 15 minutes per game. He gained more opportunities largely due to injuries to Magic star player Penny Hardaway.
Armstrong's playing time gradually increased throughout the years and he became a steady contributor for the Magic off the bench. He won the 1999 Most Improved Player of the Year award with averages of 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Armstrong finally assumed the full-time starting job during the 1999-00 season, where he played the full 82-game slate. He played the role for Orlando for three seasons from 1999 to 2002.
Armstrong went on to become one of the most beloved players in franchise history. In nine seasons with Orlando, Armstrong averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
4. Rashard Lewis
As the Magic built around the rise of Dwight Howard, they felt like they needed to become a more perimeter-oriented team with the superstar center commanding so much attention in the paint. Therefore, in the summer of 2007, they went all-in on bringing in sharp-shooting forward Rashard Lewis on a six-year sign-and-trade deal worth $118 million.
Lewis spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Seattle Supersonics, where he established himself as an All-Star caliber player and a nightly 20-point scorer. The 6-foot-10 forward was a player ahead of his time, as his sweet shooting stroke and perimeter-oriented game would translate well in today's three-point revolution. Pairing Lewis with Howard in the frontcourt proved to be a recipe of success for Orlando. The Magic incorporated a modern-day spaced-out offense with Howard dominating inside the paint. Lewis became an instrumental piece to this scheme and the numbers proved he thrived in their system.
In his first season in Orlando (2007-08), Lewis made a career-best 2.8 threes per game, while connecting on 40.9 percent of his long-range shots. He averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 81 regular season games with the Magic.
In 2008-09, Lewis again drained 2.8 triples a night for the Magic on 39.7 percent three-point shooting. His scoring production dipped a bit to 17.7 points per game, but he still earned the second All-Star nod of his career. Lewis was Orlando's second-leading scorer throughout the 2009 NBA playoffs, where he averaged 19.0 points and shot 39,4 percent from beyond the arc. Despite losing in the 2009 NBA Finals in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers, his stellar play was instrumental in helping the the Magic make their first Finals appearance since 1995.
3. Horace Grant
After achieving their first 50-win campaign in 1993-94, the Magic looked to continue building around their superstar tandem of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. Orlando wanted to bring in more toughness to their young, up-and-coming team. That's why in the summer of 1994, they signed veteran forward Horace Grant in free agency. Grant spent the first seven years of his career with the Chicago Bulls, where he won three NBA championships and made the lone All-Star nod of his career.
Grant became the veteran the Magic needed to help elevate and guide the team to become legitimate title contenders. Orlando won a then-franchise record 57 games in the 6-foot-10 forward's first season with the Magic. He averaged 12.8 points and 9.7 rebounds as he and O'Neal built an imposing frontcourt tandem in Central Florida. The Magic went all the way to the NBA Finals, where, along the way, they took down Grant's former team, the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The Magic went through a grinder in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they beat Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Unfortunately, Orlando wound up getting swept in the NBA Finals by the Houston Rockets, who won their second straight NBA title.
Grant ended up playing seven seasons in Orlando, two of which came near the end of his career. He finished his Magic stint with averages of 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 411 games.
2. Hedo Turkoglu
Following the Tracy McGrady era in Orlando, the Magic looked to build around their 2004 first overall pick Dwight Howard. Orlando signed Hedo Turkoglu for their first free agency move after trading away McGrady, who had grown frustrated with the franchise's inability to surround him with winning talent. As the team ushered in a new era, Turkoglu became a key piece for the future-building Magic and into a point-forward type player that complemented Howard well.
Playing the full 82-game route, Turkoglu averaged career-highs in points (19.5), rebounds (5.7), and assists (5.0) during the 2007-08 season. His productive campaign helped the Magic win 52 games and earned him the Most Improved Player award.
His production dropped a little in the 2008-09 regular season, where he averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. The Magic finished the campaign as the third seed with 59 wins. Turkoglu helped the Magic make a magical run (no pun intended) to the 2009 NBA Finals. Along the way, they knocked off the LeBron James-led, top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Turkoglu came up with several clutch shots throughout that series as he played a significant role in getting the Magic to their first Finals appearance since 1995. Orlando ended up losing the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
Unfortunately, that wound up being Turkoglu's final season in Orlando. The Magic did not run it back and the Turkish forward signed a deal with the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 offseason. Nonetheless, his stint in Orlando proved to be the best years of his career.
1. Tracy McGrady
This isn't particularly surprising, as Tracy McGrady is undoubtedly the biggest superstar who ever signed with the Orlando Magic. A lot of stars have donned the Magic jersey throughout its history. Those include the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, and Penny Hardaway to name a few. But those players came in through the draft. McGrady, meanwhile, was someone who chose to go to Orlando. T-Mac wasn't the only one who decided to become a Magic in the summer of 2000. In fact, Orlando looked poised to land the three best free agents — McGrady, Grant Hill, and Tim Duncan — during that offseason.
They wound up getting McGrady and Hill. Apparently had a real chance of landing Duncan, as well — that would have changed the franchise's fortunes forever. But nonetheless, pairing the star wing tandem of McGrady and Hill still made them a viable contender in the East. Unfortunately, Hill's injury woes prevented Orlando from becoming true contenders. They weren't even good enough to become a perennial playoff team.
With that, it was all T-Mac in Orlando. After spending the first few years of his career under the shadow of his cousin Vince Carter with the Toronto Raptors, McGrady grew into one of the biggest stars in the NBA. The team did not achieve much success during his time there, but boy did he treat Magic fans to a show every single night. He became one of the most dynamic scorers in the NBA as he showcased his entire offensive repertoire with his flamboyant play style.
Tracy McGrady wound up playing just four seasons with the Magic before frustration set in due to the lack of team success. Nonetheless, the Hall of Famer did win two scoring titles in Orlando. He put together an incandescent scoring season in 2002-03, averaging 32.1 points per game. The next season, he led the league in scoring again, averaging 28.0 points a night.
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