2012-13 Orlando Magic

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Orlando Magic (Last Year: 20-62)

2012-13 Season Summary:
As expected, Year 1 of the post-Dwight Howard rebuilding effort was filled with struggles as the Magic finished with the worst record in the NBA.

Most of the veteran talent on Orlando’s roster was sidelined for extended periods of time. Al Harrington only played in 10 games due to a knee injury, while Glenn Davis was sidelined a good chunk of the year with a broken foot. Hedo Turkoglu�s return to the Magic only got worse as he was out with a broken hand then suspended for using an illegal substance. Jameer Nelson and Aaron Afflalo each missed significant stretches as well.

There were some positives with some of the younger talent. Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless each came to Orlando in the Howard trade and showed signs of promise. Vucevic finished second in the NBA in rebounding, while Harkless improved as he was given more playing time throughout the season. Tobias Harris who was acquired in the J.J. Redick trade also made a splash, averaging more than 17 points and 8 rebounds during 27 games with the Magic. That trio will be important pieces to the organization’s future moving forward.

2013-14 Projected Depth Chart:

C: Nikola Vucevic/Kyle O�Quinn

PF: Glenn Davis/Andrew Nicholson/Al Harrington

SF: Tobias Harris/Moe Harkless/Hedo Turkoglu

SG: Aaron Afflalo/E�Twaun Moore/Doron Lamb

PG: Jameer Nelson

NBA Free Agents:

PG-Beno Udrih (UFA)

SF-DeQuan Jones (UFA)

2013-14 Team Salary: Approximately $53.8 million

NBA Offseason Needs:

1. Face of the Franchise: Every team needs one and the Magic simply lack any superstar talent who can be the driving force of the franchise moving forward. Even with a top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, it is unlikely Orlando will find that guy since the crop of prospects is filled with question marks. This is more than likely a need that will go unfulfilled.

2. Create Cap Space: Turkoglu has an early termination option on his deal for next season, but no way he turns down the $12 million he is owed for 2013-14. No team will want to take on his baggage for next season unless Orlando is getting a crappy contract in return. Nelson, Harrington, Afflalo, and Davis are all on the books through the ’14-’15 season and accounting for nearly $30 million combined next year. I think the Magic need to dump at least two of those contracts if possible to try and clear up some cap space or possibly add another young asset for the future. In other words, fully blow up the roster rather than try to scrape by with less than mediocre talent for the next couple seasons.

3. Point Guard Depth: With Beno Udrih a free agent, Orlando has no real backup for Nelson. E�Twaun Moore can run the point in a pinch, but the Magic will need to find a temporary fill-in via free agency unless the team ends up drafting Trey Burke to potentially be the floor general of the future.