In the only seven-game series of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Orlando Magic lost on the road to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-94, ending their season.
It was the first postseason appearance for the Magic since the bubble of 2020, and their 47-35 regular-season record was their best since the 52-30 mark of 2010/11, all the way back in the Stan Van Gundy/Dwight Howard era. One of the NBA’s worst franchises of the last decade finally found some form, some fun and some success. Now, the question becomes how to build on this going forward.
Because they have been led by young stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the Magic have been able to do what they have done while keeping costs down. All three are on rookie-scale contracts, and thus the team is in an enviable position of being young, good and at a manageable cost. There therefore exists a window to add more talent before the bigger paydays come due, aided by the expiration of some of their more significant contracts at just the right times.
That said, to have potential flexibility is different to being able to convert that into meaningful additions, and the future big contracts will need budgeting for. It is therefore a balancing add between immediate possibilities and future necessities. With this in mind, here follows a look at the Orlando Magic’s roster and spending heading into the 2024 NBA offseason.
