06-15-2025, 07:29 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-15-2025, 08:15 PM by DanSchwartzgan.)
(06-15-2025, 07:06 PM)Chicagojk Wrote: Pretty good ages for Orlando now. They jsut need some of their youngsters they have picked to pan out: Anthony Black. De Silva, Caleb Houston and Jett Howard. They need these guys to be reliable bench players. Orlando also has pick #25, so maybe that could be a developmetal piece. Franz Wagner needs to shoot better. Really good player but only shot 29% from three last year. He was suppose to be a pretty good shooter.
Orlando Magic rotation age entering 2026 season: Banchero (22) / Suggs (24) / F Wagner (24) / Da Silva (24) / Carter Jr (26) / Bitadze (26) / Bane (27) / M Wagner (28) / Isaac (28)
My initial reaction was overpay, but I also like it when a team identifies someone they really want and goes for it. They aggregated, so they are capped at the second apron. I've seen Keith Smith say the deal is being reported by Orlando as done.
Mo Wagner is interesting in that he has a TO for $11mm this year, but won't play. Is he valuable enough to them that they pay him, or are they better off getting a different center? Have I mentioned before that Anthony Black would be a really nice fit here (and match the Lively timeline). I happen to know of a center who is younger and healthier than Wagner (unfortunately he's also older and more expensive than Bitadze).
Isaac has a contract that could be very valuable at the TDL depending on how many games he plays. He could bring back a good bit of salary and only be guaranteed $8mm in 26 if he doesn't play enough games. If they happen to hit on Black and can come up with a veteran 3/4 type, they look pretty good in the East.