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2015/2016 record: 35-47 *Contract values courtesy of Spotrac.

Roster (16/17 salary): Vucevic ($11.8 mil), Oladipo ($6.6 mil), Watson ($5.0 mil), Gordon ($4.4 mil), Hezonja ($3.9 mil), Payton ($2.6 mil), Napier ($1.4 mil). TOTAL =~ $35.5 million

Notable FA’s & Contract options (16/17 option/ cap hold): Ilyasova (TO, $8.4mil), Jennings (UFA, $12.5mil), Dedmon (RFA), Fournier (RFA), Nicholson (RFA)

R1 Draft picks (16/17 salary): 11^th overall ($2.4 million)

Total Cap Commitment: = $35.5 + $2.4 = $37.9 million. $54.1 million in projected cap space

Stat to know: Orlando had a defensive rating of 106.8 when Evan Fournier was on the court, the worst mark on the team among full season rotation players.

Backcourt: Armed a great young core and massive cap space, I imagine the Magic will aggressively target some 2nd/3rd tier free agents. The backcourt is less of an issue than the wide open frontcourt, but it does contain their top FA in Fournier. The GM called him their top priority, but that was before bringing in the defensive-minded Vogel to coach. Given their cap space and the (un)likelihood of attracting top tier FA’s, I’m guessing they’ll match on Fournier. If they let Evan walk, there are a number of SG/SF FA’s I could see them targeting (Barnes, Parsons, Batum, Bazemore to name a few). Hezonja will be given more time to develop off the bench no matter which wing player they sign. Dipo quietly exploded over the second half of last season, and is poised for a big breakthrough year. It helps that he can be their primary creator on offense, since they have still have questions at PG despite the resources they’ve spent on Payton, Jennings, Napier & Watson. Jennings will leave in free agency, while Payton will probably be given every chance to thrive as the starting PG. With such a poor shooter at PG, it’s important that Orlando fill their roster with as many 3-Pt threats as possible.

Frontcourt: Vucevic & Gordon are the only frontcourt players in place for next season. Ilyasova has a team option they can afford, but he was pretty awful defensively for Orlando. They’ll look for upgrades in free agency before deciding on him. Dedmon and Nicholson could be brought back for cheap depth as RFA’s. The versatility of Gordon will allow them to look for either a starting PF or SF in free agency (SF options listed in previous section). They could really use some rim protection and floor stretching ability to pair with Vucevic up front, although Nik should start trying to expand his range as he is already a great mid-range shooter. There aren’t a ton of options on the market, so they could look at lower/mid-tier FA PFs like Terrence Jones (who could be a good fit as a stretch 4/5 that can block shots). I think they are much more likely to pick a big man than a guard at 11, given the complete lack of frontcourt personnel currently under contract). Maker, Chriss, Skal, Ellenson, and Davis will all warrant consideration.

Outlook: I like Orlando’s hiring of Vogel as much as Thibs with Minnesota. His teams always play fantastic defense and he has either developed or gotten the most out of a lot of players in his Indy tenure. Orlando has such a talented & young core group of players. Gordon and especially Oladipo could really break out as 2-way stars with their skills, length and athleticism. Payton and Mario should take a step forward in their development, and hopefully the Magic bring in the right pieces to fit with Vucevic inside. Orlando started this past season 19-13 before reality set in. They are capable of making that pace their reality in 2016/2017.

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