The Orlando Magic wasted no time getting active when July opened, making a series of moves that brought back familiar faces and filled out the roster in different ways. Some of those decisions look cleaner than others.
The strongest of the bunch is the reunion with Nikola Vucevic, who returns to Orlando on a one-year, $3.9 million deal. The Magic checked a need and brought back a player who knows the building well.
Vucevic, 35, spent nine seasons with the franchise after starting his career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, and both of his All-Star nods came in Orlando during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He was at his peak in 2020-21, when he averaged 24.5 points per game, the best scoring mark of his career before being dealt to the Chicago Bulls after 44 games.
That trade sent him and Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round draft picks.
Vucevic isn’t the same player he was at that peak, but he still gives the Magic something useful. Last season, splitting time with the Bulls and the Boston Celtics, he put up 15.1 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range. That kind of floor-spacing from a big man can matter, especially if Orlando leans into a possible one-two punch with Carter.
The return of Jevon Carter comes with a more modest outlook. ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Magic brought him back on a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
Carter joined Orlando in the buyout market after the trade deadline in early February and gave the team a steady veteran voice on a young roster. But the shooting numbers tell the story here.
He hit 41% from deep in 23 games with the Bulls, then saw that drop to 33.6% across 30 regular season games with the Magic. He also appeared in only three playoff games.
Orlando may only need him to provide leadership and depth, but with the team’s injury history, there’s a real chance Carter gets asked to do more. At 6 feet and without much value as a playmaker, his shot has to come around.
The most questionable decision was the quick reunion with Jonathan Isaac. The Magic waived Isaac on June 27, then instead of waiving and stretching the remaining money owed to him, they waived him outright and set up the possibility of bringing him back.
That’s exactly what happened, as Orlando re-signed him to a one-year deal. It’s a move driven by safety, familiarity, or both, but the production simply isn’t there.
Isaac played in just 52 games last season and posted career lows in scoring, at 2.6 points per game, and from 3-point range, where he shot 18.4%. The Magic may be leaning on intangibles and locker-room value, but from a basketball standpoint, this feels like a move both sides should have left alone.
In Other News...
Nikola Vuevi Chose Orlando Again And Magic Fans Will Love Why
Nikola Vuevi is headed back to Orlando, and the reunion makes sense on a few levels for a Magic team that knows exactly what it is getting. The veteran center spent nearly nine seasons with the franchise before moving on, and now he returns on a one-year deal that brings back a familiar face, a reliable rebounder and a big man who can still space the floor.
For Orlando, the appeal goes beyond nostalgia. Vuevi should slot in as a bench presence who gives the frontcourt steady minutes and helps fill the production gap left by Moe Wagners move to Brooklyn. The Magic also get the benefit of his familiarity with the organization, which is part of what makes the return feel like more than just another summer signing. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Just Lost A Familiar Frontcourt Piece They Still Needed
Moritz Wagners time in Orlando has closed after six seasons, and the move hits a little harder because he was still part of the Magics frontcourt equation even while working back from a torn ACL. Brooklyn is bringing him in to help shore up its own depth, a sign the Nets see value in a veteran big who knows how to fit into a rotation and give a team some stability inside.
For the Magic, the departure trims a familiar layer from a frontcourt that already leaned on Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze ahead of him, which is why Wagners exit leaves a real hole in the depth chart. There was also a stretch last season when he looked like more than just a spare piece, making the loss sting a bit more for a team that has tried to build with continuity and size around its core. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Could Be Ready For Another Major Reset Decision
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is back in the rumor mill after a one-year stop in Memphis, where the Grizzlies are working toward a younger roster and may be looking to reset the veteran wings place on the team. The former Magic guard was traded to the Grizzlies last summer after his lone season in Orlando, and he put up 8.4 points per game in 51 outings before his year was derailed by a February surgery to address a misalignment in his right pinky finger.
For Memphis, the next step appears tied to Caldwell-Popes expiring deal and the roster flexibility it could create as the team keeps leaning into its youth movement. There is also a familiar landing spot lurking in the background, with the Lakers reportedly checking on wing defense while working with limited cap space, which could make this a situation worth watching closely as the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]