The Orlando Magic found their next stars when they drafted Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs and Michigan's Franz Wagner at the 2021 NBA Draft.
Orlando are pushing for a full rebuild as they will be banking hard on their young guys after being passive in the free-agent market. The Magic might have found their next star big man when they traded Nikola Vucevic to the Chicago Bulls for the up-and-coming Wendell Carter Jr.
In 22 games for the Magic, Carter averaged 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds and often showed a lot of promise in him. Carter is the definition of a modern-day big as he has an inside-out game.
In his lone season with Duke, Carter shot 41.3% from behind the arc. The big man was also a defensive threat to opposing teams as he swatted away 2.1 blocks per game to go along with his 13.5 point average.
Winning now is not an option as the rest of the Eastern Conference are loaded with lots of talent. Being passive in this year's free agency makes a lot of sense for the Magic as they aim to develop their young core for the future.
Orlando are clearly looking for a change in their culture after replacing coach Steve Clifford with the much younger Jamahl Mosley. Mosley aims to develop and build a winning culture in Orlando as he has extensive experience and background deeply rooted in development.
The Magic were literally quiet because they signed only one player in this year's offseason. Having said all of these, let’s take a look at the grade for the Orlando Magic's one and only signing this offseason.
Magic Acquisition:
Robin Lopez- Center: B+
The Magic have signed center Robin Lopez to a one-year deal worth $5 million. Lopez is not an eye-popping signing but it absolutely makes sense for the Magic to sign the big man as he will look to bring in some intangibles and experience with his 13-year journey in the league.
Lopez will most likely spend his season as a veteran voice to a young Magic locker room. Lopez has always been a vocal leader in the various locker rooms that he’s been in and that won’t be any different in Orlando. He will likely hold the younger guys accountable if they have done something wrong.
Ro-Lo will be a big factor in the development of fellow big men Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr.
This past season, Lopez averaged nine points and four rebounds in 71 games for the Washington Wizards. The center has a lot of playoff experience in his belt and this will be a huge impact on this Magic squad as they will look to contend in years to come with Jalen Suggs leading the way.
At this point in Ro-Lo's career, ring-chasing is definitely in his mind and the Magic should thank Lopez as he ultimately chose to sign with them and help their youngsters instead of chasing a ring with a contender.
Lopez has embraced almost every team culture since he has gained a lot with his stints with the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Hornets ( now Pelicans), New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Wizards.