The Orlando Magic finished the 2021-22 NBA season with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. The Magic have just two brief playoff appearances in the last decade and look to break the cycle in the future.
Orlando has a host of young talent on its roster. Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and others give fans hope in the long run. The Magic also added another top prospect by selecting Duke's Paolo Banchero with the first overall pick.
Orlando definitely improved by adding Banchero. Although the Magic are still likely outside the playoff picture, their future is among the brightest of any NBA team. However, they could have done more to improve than they did during this NBA offseason.
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Magic's Worst 2022 NBA Offseason Move
Sitting out of free agency
In addition to Banchero, Orlando also added Caleb Houstan with its second-round selection. Houstan averaged over 10 points per game last season at Michigan and should fit in well in Orlando. There's no denying that the Magic did well at the draft.
Orlando's biggest failure this offseason is only adding through the draft. The Magic still haven't signed a single player from the free agent market this offseason.
To be clear, the Magic made the right decision to not go big-game hunting. If Orlando somehow landed a big-name player such as James Harden or Bradley Beal, it would have been a massive mistake.
Orlando is a team that is a few seasons away from truly contending for a playoff spot. Signing a star player to a massive contract would have not only wasted that player's talent, but also made signing young players to extensions more difficult for the team. The Magic are surprisingly over the salary cap, so they need all the space they can get.
What Orlando should have done is add complementary players on cheap cap hits. The Magic particularly need help on the offensive end, as they finished bottom five in the league in scoring, shooting percentage and turnovers.
The Magic struggled most of all from beyond the arc. Only three players with more than 100 3-point attempts shot above the league average of 35.2%: Wagner, Mo Bamba and Gary Harris. Anthony and Chuma Okeke both missed over 250 3-pointers, Markelle Fultz doesn't shoot from deep and Jalen Suggs struggled mightily in his rookie season by shooting just 21.4% from deep.
Re-signing Harris and Bamba this offseason helps, but Orlando still needed more shooting on the roster. One intriguing, cheap option could have been Malik Monk, who shot 39.1% from deep last season with the Lakers. He signed a two-year deal worth less than $10 million annually with the Sacramento Kings this offseason, so the Magic could have afforded him.
Danilo Gallinari is another free agent the Magic could have pursued. While older than most of Orlando's roster, Gallinari is a 38.2% career 3-point shooter who could have brought a new dimension to the offense. He also signed a contract worth less than $7 million annually with the Boston Celtics, so he was more than affordable, though it is obviously worth pointing out that the Celtics are a championship contender and the Magic are rebuilding.
Orlando didn't have to sign one of these two specifically, but adding more shooting should have been a priority this NBA offseason.
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