Magic Study Celtics' Model but Plot Their Own Path this Offseason

With a potential landmark offseason beginning Wednesday with the NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic's ability to make good decisions in the upcoming weeks may decide their ceiling for years to come.

Dec 17, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) dribbles away from Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half at TD Garden. / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — The Boston Celtics ran roughshod through the playoffs, losing only three games en route to winning the 18th NBA title in franchise history. They did it with a complementary roster built through free agency, trades, and the draft. The Orlando Magic were watching.

President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said Monday that Boston's winning model is important to study, but hard to emulate.

"There's so many different ways to get the job done," Weltman said. "Much of it is dependent upon your top guys. ... We pay a lot of attention to that stuff. There are maybe some commonalities (with the Celtics), but I also think we have to be understanding of how the world is shifting."

Weltman said that while he and his team pay attention to the successful teams and the decisions they make, he also said the ever-shifting NBA landscape factors into team-building.

With a potential landmark offseason beginning Wednesday with the NBA Draft, the Magic's ability to make good decisions in the upcoming weeks may decide their ceiling for years to come.

Orlando has some similar ingredients in place — dynamic forwards in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, an elite defense led by Jalen Suggs. But the Magic also have their own identity to forge.

"We're on our own path and we don't listen to the outside noise here," Weltman said. "Our goal is to win a championship and we have to approach that on an opportunity-by-opportunity basis and feed that into the context of our team. We do pay attention to (the winning teams), we talk about that, but ultimately we have to follow our own road map."

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