The 15th and final part of the offseason guides leads us to two teams looking to make a finals push after upgrading their rosters this past offseason and having success reaching the playoffs in recent seasons.
Orlando Magic
The Magic made an impressive leap last season with rookie 2nd year Paolo Banchero showing his potential with an All-Star type of season. The Orlando Magic also proved they can be a team to make some noise in the future of the Eastern Conference. They pushed the Cavaliers to 7 games two seasons ago and looked poised to make another jump this past season. Unfortunately, the jump didn’t quite turn out the way they believed it would. Just 5 games into the season and after a 50-point outing, Paolo Banchero had been diagnosed with a torn oblique and would miss the next 30 games. While the team still had a solid surrounding with Franz Wagner doing most of the offensive work, he, too, went down with the same injury; he only missed about 20 or so games with the injury. The Magic tumbled down the standings after making it into the top 3 about 25 games into the season, despite the Banchero injury; however, once Wagner went down, so did the team's position in the Eastern Conference standings. This saw the offensive limitations put on the team and quickly made the offseason needs much more glaring. The Magic were able to dominate the Hawks in the play-in to earn the 7th seed. However, they fell in 5 games to the Celtics; it was a much more competitive series than the 5-game loss would indicate.
The Magic’s offseason needs, personnel-wise, were glaring. Once again, the team found itself at the bottom of the league in offensive rating. The team has not had a top-20 offensive rating in nearly a decade. The three-point shooting, an area they focused on by signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, was an issue as well. While Caldwell-Pope showed he was an elite shooting wing while being able to complement the Magic’s top 5 defense in the league, he did not end up providing the Magic with an accurate description of what they were getting. Caldwell-Pope shot the ball this past season for a 3-and-D guy. This prompted the Magic’s front office to make a move while the finals were going on and well before the NBA draft. They paired reserve point guard Cole Anthony, along with Caldwell-Pope, and 4 first-round picks as a trade package to send to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane. A move that will surely improve the offense and the team’s shooting. Whether people believe Bane is worth the price tag of 4 first-round picks, the deal likely kept Anthony Black out of the deal, signalling the Magic’s willingness to agree to a rookie extension later in the offseason. Bane fits well with the trio of the Magic value in Wagner, Banchero, and Suggs. All three got hefty rookie extensions, and it’s clear the franchise wants to build around these three, especially Banchero and Wagner. Suggs to me is still a case that I think he will be dealt by the end of the 5-year $150 million rookie extension he signed last season. However, the deal is descending in value, making it attractive to trade. Suggs missed the latter portion of the regular season and all of the postseason with a knee injury. His health is necessary for the Magic. While the fit will likely result in staggering minutes, the Magic, given reasonable health, will be a regular-season nightmare for teams as they follow their head coach, Jamal Mosley’s intensity. The Magic have $194 million currently committed, but the Banchero extension kicks in the next season, making Suggs, Bane, and Wagner, along with Banchero, make more than $32 million each for the 2026-2027 season. This makes the Magic's front office task of tooling reasonable players on team-friendly deals even more important. The Magic did that by signing Tyus Jones to a 1-year $7 million deal and re-signing Mo Wagner, Franz’s brother, to a 1-year $5 million deal. Mo tore his ACL during the season last year. The Magic’s however, also drafted Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, two prospects that showed great instincts in preseason.
Development-wise, the Magic’s most important players are Banchero, Wagner, and Black, in my opinion. Banchero struggles at times offensively with his shot selection, whether that’s due to the lack of spacing or offensive creativity at times from Mosley. I think Banchero will have an All-NBA caliber season this upcoming year and likely would’ve been voted on had he played the 65 games required for regular season awards. Too often in the offense, it feels like he settles for a difficult shot. I think for him, working more out of the post when he’s the main ball handler is where he could be more efficient. Lots of the time, he is getting wins matched up on him, and while he has a handle for a 6’10 250-pound NBA player is unique and unlike anything we’ve seen before. The advantage in most possessions lies with Banchero in this aspect; it’s evident through watching his shots and shot selection, he hasn’t quite figured out where his sweet spots are yet on the floor. Wagner and Black have most of the development with their shooting. Wagner, especially, saw his shooting drop from a year-over-year perspective from 3. Wagner started to have a hitch in his shooting motion towards the end of the season, and it was most noticeable in the playoff series against Boston. Wagner shot 18% from 3 in the playoffs against the Celtics; however, he didn’t lose confidence as he attempted 7.4 a game. That also could show the adage “you’re open for a reason”, in effect as well. Wagner is an extremely physical driver, so the offense won’t dip, and he showed his ability to score in a variety of ways once Banchero was injured. Black shot 15% from 3 in the postseason, and as a guy who fits perfectly next to the Banchero-Wagner duo due to his size and versatility on both ends. He needs to figure out the shooting with how valuable he is at the defensive end of the floor, just ask Trae Young how fun it was to go up against him in the play-in. All pieces are set in Orlando, but will they be able to get it done before the finances ramp up?
Houston Rockets
This is where I take a moment and celebrate my predictions from last year on the Houston Rockets. The Rockets finished 2nd in the Western Conference, a team I had in the top 6 fairly easily, leading into next year. The Rockets got behind the identity of their head coach, Ime Udoka, as they ran through the NBA with their impressive defense, sitting only behind the Thunder as the 2nd best defensive team in the NBA. The Rockets' offensive studs, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, also received rookie extensions in the previous offseason, giving them security heading into this past year. The Rockets leaped once it was clear the player who affected the game to most for them moved into the starting lineup in Amen Thompson. Jabari Smith Jr. had an injury that resulted in Thompson moving into the lineup, and the Rockets sprinted through the Western Conference, earning them home-court advantage in their first two playoff series. However, they were upset in round 1 in seven games by the Golden State Warriors.
Financially, the Rockets likely won the offseason as they traded for star player Kevin Durant from the Rockets. They traded away Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to match salaries; however, they also signed Dorian Finney-Smith to a 4-year $52 million deal to replace Brooks and upgraded Green for Durant. They locked in their rookie extension deal with Jabari Smith Jr. He earned a 5-year $122 million deal that alternates between ascending and descending salaries. The Rockets will likely need to get a deal for Tari Eason, as they likely won’t want him to hit restricted free agency. Kevin Durant is also due a contract extension, and they will have a decision to make about Sheppard the following year. For now, before the Eason rookie extension and Durant extension, the Rockets are below the first apron. Yes, they won’t increase the salary of each, likely resulting in them staying below the apron; however, they will be paying the tax threshold, a necessary payment for the roster. Fred VanVleet took a nice team-friendly deal as he opted out of his $44 million player option and signed a 2-year $50 million deal to help bring in some financial flexibility to sign Durant, Finney-Smith, and likely Clint Capela. The Rockets also locked in a front line of Stephen Adams and Clint Capela. This shows the Rockets will further move into the double lineup they showcased against the Warriors and had a +54 in the playoff series against them when both Adams and Sengun were on the floor together. They also brought back Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, and Jeff Green on minimum deals. This will likely finalize the Rockets' roster for the upcoming season. The Rockets do need to be cognisant of getting a deal done with Durant. While they didn’t trade away a ton of draft capital, leaving them the Suns’ picks, amongst many other picks, they can still make another deal at the deadline if they want to upgrade the roster as well.
For player development, the Rockets need Reed Sheppard to prove he can be the guy they drafted with the 3rd overall pick just a season ago. Sheppard experienced an up-and-down season as many of his struggles were on the defensive end of the floor. However, playing for a coach such as Udoka often results in much difficulty for rookies to get on the floor. While Sheppard didn’t shoot it great this season, 35% from the floor and 33% from 3, I still believe in the shot and offensive game overall. He does a lot of little things that are ultra impressive; however, the defense needs to improve, as he is at a size and likely athletic disadvantage most times on the floor with a smaller wingspan as well. The next player needs to be Amen Thompson; just a couple of simple improvements from the foul line will make all the difference for him. He needs to find the spots from the mid-range to create a type of threat for shooting he can’t do behind the three-point line, but he’s a fantastic cutter and can solve things that way as well. The Rockets are ready to go, and with adding a first-scoring option in Kevin Durant paired next to the Alperen Sengun, who made the All-Star team this past year, the Rockets will look to challenge to top the NBA’s best teams.
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