Magic Must Attack Free Agency or Risk Regressing Like Kings

Will the Orlando Magic make moves to improve during this offseason, or be content with this season's success and fall off like the Sacramento Kings?

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) walks up court / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — One season has made a world of difference in how the Sacramento Kings franchise is viewed, but a year ago, they were in the same boat as the Orlando Magic, a small market team that captivated the NBA world. 

This season, the NBA’s favorite trend was to “play the song,” following every Magic win, but a year ago, social media embraced the Kings' celebratory cry of “light the beam.” 

Last year, Sacramento made the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06. The team had a Coach of the Year winner in Mike Brown and an emerging star duo in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. They lost in a seven-game first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

If you’re an Orlando fan, that should all sound eerily similar. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner look like one of the nest up-and-coming duos in the NBA. Head coach Jamahl Mosley finished third in NBA Coach of the Year voting after getting his young squad back into the playoffs, and ultimately, the Magic lost in the first round after a seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Each franchise could be proud of those finishes at the time, but this year, the Kings regressed. Rather than making moves to elevate in the offseason, Sacramento remained content with its roster and just hoped another year of experience without any significant new pieces would make a jump forward; instead, it got pushed out of the playoffs altogether.

Being content with the team’s flaws and hoping that every player will take steps forward could doom Orlando, just as it did the Kings. The front office must take a good look at this roster and decide whether it has the pieces in place to contend going forward or if perhaps letting some free agents walk this offseason in favor of signing bigger names on the market would benefit it more going forward.

With the ninth most cap space in the NBA, this year’s free agency decisions could ultimately decide whether Orlando’s postseason run against the Cavs is viewed as the start of a bright future or a fluke playoff run by a small market team.

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