The Orlando Magic still have one roster spot open, and that alone makes the search for a veteran point guard worth watching. If the front office decides to make a move, Russell Westbrook is the kind of name that could make sense for one simple reason: Orlando needs more playmaking.
That need has lingered for a while. The Magic have been bounced in the first round in each of their last three playoff trips, and with the core getting older and expectations climbing, another slow start could push the team toward changes.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have both been the subject of speculation, but moving either of those young cornerstones remains highly unlikely. If Orlando does shake up the roster, it is more likely to happen around them than through them.
Westbrook is not the MVP force he once was, but he still brings tools that matter. He can still create off the dribble, attack with speed and give a team another live body who can generate offense. His three-point shooting remains a problem, and it has never been the part of his game that carried him, but the pressure he puts on defenses with his pace can still open things up for teammates.
He has also been around. Westbrook has played for five different teams since his last All-Star appearance in the 2019-20 season, and his most recent stop was with the Sacramento Kings. He arrived there on a non-guaranteed minimum contract and ended up playing a larger role because of injuries and other circumstances.
Last season, he averaged 28.9 minutes per game, along with 15.2 points and 6.7 assists. Those numbers don’t make him the same player who once sat at the center of the league, but they do show he can still contribute in the right situation.
For Orlando, the appeal is pretty clear. Westbrook could bring veteran presence to the backcourt, help push the tempo and give the Magic another option when the offense bogs down. The question is whether there’s a clean enough role for him alongside the guards already in place, and whether the team can use him in a way that plays to his strengths without asking him to do too much.
In Other News...
Magic Season Opener Could Set The Tone For A New Era
The NBAs full schedule is set to arrive Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern, with a few marquee dates being dribbled out earlier in the week on Today and Good Morning America. The Magic are not expected to land among the early national TV reveals, but the bigger picture for Orlando will come when the full 82-game slate is unveiled and the first night of the season finally comes into focus.
For a team trying to establish what comes next, the opener can matter almost as much as the calendar around it. Orlando has historically started at home more often than not, opening in its own building 26 times compared with 11 road openers, and when the Magic do begin away from home it has often been against a nearby Southeast Division opponent. Wherever the league sends them this time, the first game will offer an early hint at the tone of a season the franchise hopes feels different from the one before it. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Fans Are Saying Goodbye To A Voice That Defined The Franchise
For more than three decades, David Steele was as much a part of the Orlando Magic experience as the game itself. Known as the Voice of the Magic since the franchise began in 1989, Steele built a run that stretched across 37 years with the team and a total of 51 years in sports broadcasting, becoming a familiar presence for generations of fans along the way.
Now officially retired, Steele leaves behind a legacy that reaches well beyond the mic. He said he wanted more time with his family, a decision that fits after a career spent around the game, and the Magic and their fans have taken the chance to thank him for the imprint he left on the franchise and on the sport. [Read more 🡒]