NBA Free Agency: Magic's Backcourt Decisions Standing Front and Center

Injuries in 2023-24 limited playing time for Orlando Magic free agents Markelle Fultz and Garry Harris. The Magic can negotiate now with both veterans or look for replacements in the June 26-27 NBA Draft and/or free agency.

Apr 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz (20) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the first half in game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — With the 2023-24 season in the books, the Orlando Magic can set their sights on their most important offseason in recent memory.

It begins with deciding who among their free agents the Magic want to keep. The backcourt, in particular, is where the biggest decisions lie ahead of NBA free agency, which begins June 30.

Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris, two mainstays in Orlando's backcourt, are out of contract. While Fultz and Harris have been instrumental in the Magic's development into a playoff team, both players enter this offseason with doubts.

After a 2022-23 season in which Fultz played and started in 60 games and averaged 14 points and 5.7 assists, a knee injury limited the former No. 1 overall pick to 43 games, 18 of which he started, and per-game averages of 7.8 points and 2.8 assists.

Harris started only 27 games and his scoring average (6.9) was his worst since his rookie season in 2014-15.

The Magic have $50 million in cap space according to Spotrac, giving them plenty of money to be in the running for free agent guards such as Malik Monk, Klay Thompson and Tyus Jones — assuming none of them re-signs with his respective team before free agency begins.

Orlando has a pair of guards waiting in the wings: 2023 first-round picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard. Black showed flashes in his rookie season, while Howard spent most of his year in G League.

Orlando also has draft capital — four first-round picks from 2024 through 2026 — which can become trade assets. The Atlanta Hawks could opt for a rebuild and trade Trae Young and/or Dejounte Murray, who was being shopped before the deadline last February. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons is the subject of frequent hypothetical deals.

Now that the NBA Finals have ended, teams are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents. Should the Magic let Fultz and Harris walk, then the June 26 NBA Draft will be the first opportunity for a backcourt renovation.

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