Exploring the Possibility of The Magic Signing Klay Thompson With Philip Rossman-Reich | Episode 174

Exploring the Possibility of The Magic Signing Klay Thompson With Philip Rossman-Reich | Episode 174

[Applause] in order for the magic to work you have to truly believe in the magic hey magic fans I’m Mikey and welcome to another episode of let’s talk magic and Orlando Magic podcast on today’s episode we’re going to be joined by the podfather Philip Rossman Reich locked on Magic and Orlando Magic daily to talk about next week’s NBA draft who the magic may be targeting and how the draft’s going to shape the rest of the summer for the Orlando Magic but before we get into our conversation with Phil uh we’re recording on Thursday the 20th of June uh right after England’s disappointing draw against Denmark in Euro 2024 we’re not going to discuss that Gary I don’t think it’s not even worth it it was just this a dismal performance and tournament it’s match the tournament Mikey it’s match the tournament yeah you could say that you could say that and um and then just to make us feel even better we saw that JJ just become the Los Angeles Lakers head coach so magic fan favorite JJ reck has also gone to the dark side as well but uh what Gary agent reck you know what your mission is do you choose to accept and what’s that I couldn’t possibly see it 10 make them an even bigger mess than they already already are 10 wins next season with agent ready 10 wins and and do you think he’s going to walk away with a bag like Monty Williams did I hope so I like JJ reck I still like JJ reck when he’s the Lakers coach but um yeah I think you actually he’s got everything there to have a good shot of being a coach I just don’t I wouldn’t want to be him in his first gig even though he’s an incredibly strong character having to manage that and you know what I mean by that as well yeah absolutely I also saw somebody was there a post about um because obviously the Pistons are are looking for head coach as well and they were like well JJ reck’s got a better opportunity to be a more successful coach coaching the Pistons I’m like yeah is that is that a better scenario than than the Lakers I mean would you like the black death or color it to kill you want the red pill or the blue pill black death or color which which one you oh man well before we dive into the show we just want to say a big thank you to our patreons for your incredible support to bar con Paulo and France warmth o law Gary Clark Angus Craig Dylan Holden Alan Kane Tom sonone Mark Jos Shawn Moore Liam radborne Andy Lee Stuart Benz drum drum drummy drum drum and pod Father Phil loves hazy Northwestern uh if you’re interested in joining our patreon we have three tiers available with varying benefits all you need to do is visit patreon.com talk magic to join today Gary har how are you I haven’t even introduced you it’s completely completely Fame it’s completely fine uh it’s just Gary and me tonight uh G is on another Bender I think I think he was out watching the England game um he’d be really disappointed because I heard he was singing Sweet Caroline after the first game you know that’s that’s what I’ve heard he booked the England game off he’s booked tomorrow off and he’s going on at the CH Gareth Southgate and the boys he’s got a large he’s got a large cup of football jerseys we know that I’ve heard there’s an England one in there there’s there’s an England one there for the Pod where England win Euro 2024 and that’s his that’s his um I I heard he crosses the bridge comes to England and cheers England on and goes back to Wales afterwards just what I heard standing you can see him standing on the Seven Bridge waving the the GE just flag around can you yeah the English side of it yeah yeah watches this foot like a size nine hole in his TV where he’s oh man but uh yeah and Paul Paul’s a late scratch Paul’s all right but um I think he’s G to be back next week so um we look forward to having him on to tell us about his download Festival which we we’ll be looking forward to okay right let’s jump into our conversation with Phillip this week we are joined by a special guest to help us figure out what the magic are going to do this offseason we’re less than a week away from the NBA draft and then just a couple of weeks away from NBA free agency so this week we’re joined by Philip Rossman Reich of loton magic and Orlando Magic daily Phil I can’t believe it’s been over six weeks already since the magic season’s come to an end in Cleveland that game seven um have first of all have you managed to take some time off I know you work extremely hard have you enjoyed a little bit of your offseason yeah I I’ve gotten a t some time to like decompress uh I haven’t traveled very I haven’t traveled anywhere um you know got a couple Disney days in so I’ve had I’ve had I’ve had some opportunity to kind of like decompress reflect on what we’ve had during the season reflect on the journey and get ready for what’s going to be a really fun two weeks and then a lot of quiet until uh I mean I guess we get the Olympics in Late July but a lot of quiet until training camp opens in in September yeah absolutely I’m I’m excited I’m going to watch USA and Germany at the O2 next month I think it’s four weeks away now so um that’s going to it’s going to come very fast and then we’re going to have training camp right around the corner after that and then uh we’ll do the single again um Phil the last time we sat down with you was back in I think it was November when we joined you on Lots on Magic to to preview the inseason tournament and how that might give this team some experience and and in get press pressure pressure situations SP your words out um it’s certainly was um a big learning experience for the magic but I think there was even bigger takeaways to take away from the seven game series against Cleveland so first of all what do you think was the single most important lesson that the magic had learned from that Series against Cleveland I think the biggest thing is that they learn they can play in that environment that the the the culture the group that they put together I mean it it took them a game a game and a half maybe to really understand what playoff basketball was and to adjust to the intensity and the detail that they need but they showed up you know you know even game one and game two they lost they lost pretty comfortably I would say like Cleveland won those games pretty comfortably but they didn’t get blown out like I I remember leaving game one and saying like you know yeah Cleveland won they deserved to win final score is probably a little closer than the actual game was played but like Orlando didn’t quit they they did not let themselves get run out of the gym they did not let them they you know they they played the full 48 minutes they might not have been ready or as prepared as they needed to be with a rookie coach and a young team but they they got to that stage they took a pretty big punch and they’re like oh we we actually kind of like this we’re kind of into this thing uh and they showed up the rest of the series I mean obviously was a disappointing finish in game seven on its own was uh was really disappoint was was disappointing in the result and the way that result came through but I think this magic team exited the playoffs knowing that they belong and and all this talk of you know what this team’s future could be I think we all saw it I think the league saw it and I think the magic you know really saw it play out not that they didn’t ever not believe in themselves but they saw what they’re capable of doing on a big pressure pack stage and I I I I have to imagine that that’s something that’s gonna feed them the rest of the offseason Yeah so basically Mike you said at the start about the draft being less than a week away Phil and we’re looking really into like prospects at some point but for the first time the NBA has made a bit of a change in the stretch in the draft over two days so we’ve got the first round on Wednesday the 26th of June for us in the UK that’s 1:00 a.m. start it’s 8 Eastern time if you’re in Orlando the second round will be on Thursday and that’s 9 o’clock if you’re in the UK four o’clock Eastern time if you’re in Orlando so why have the NBA done this almost like NFL model are you a fan of it and the four o’clock Eastern time for an American audience seems a little bit off yeah I mean I I’ll I’ll go with the selfish part first uh I you know I don’t know what it’s going to be like I have no sense of how this is going to play out I like it because it means we’re going to get out of the Advent Health Training Center a little bit earlier on on Wednesday night um I think that part will be good um and certainly Thursday night you know we won’t be there till you know I’ve been at that I’ve been I’ve been at you know Draft parties till like 12 12:30 writing um because things happen late and they have you know you know like I remember one year uh when Rob henan traded uh traded EV Aaron FL for Evan fornier he didn’t come come down to like 11:30 11:45 because they had to wait for the trade call to be completed before they could come talk to us about things and and things became official a lot of you know at the end you know the reason why the draft is two nights ESPN wanted a second night um the NBA I think wanted to make the draft a bigger deal and kind of follow the NFL but it’s TV inventory it’s that’s you know a lot of these decisions they’re all made for money they’re all made for the television Partners which is where the league gets most of its money so it’s going to be an interesting experiment um you know I I always applaud the NBA because they’re willing to try some new things and and if something doesn’t work they adjust or they they they scrap it but they’re willing to try new things um I think a lot of people are you know I think a lot of GMS wanted this too because the second round happens really quickly like it’s three minutes I think between picks a lot of times you know they don’t even know who has what pick and so there’s so much movement going on in the second round I think a lot of GMS wanted to kind of Hit the pause button a little bit and say hey let’s slow this thing down a little bit for us and the league I think also recognizes that a lot of the interest in the NBA is about trades and so now you get an extra 36 hours to kind of be in this trade mode in this movement mode and I think a lot of people do kind of expect that there will be trades made between the first and the second round that might not have been made now you’re giving teams a little bit more time to negotiate and talk about things uh so the second round that the day on Thursday might be more about transactions than it is about the draft itself which you know I think is Maybe little bit unfortunate because this should be a day to celebrate you know this is the best day in a lot of these young men’s lives um it should be a day to celebrate them I I I I’m I I always push back against a kind of transaction heavy coverage of of the NBA um I know we’re doing a transaction heavy show today because that’s what we’re that’s the part of the Year we’re in but um it this you know this is this is also I think an opportunity to give those players maybe a special moment um on the second second day of the draft so you know I I the the main thing that I’ve heard from people who’ve talked about is like you know they’re trying it we’re going to see if we like it if we need to adjust some things we’ll adjust some things if it doesn’t work it doesn’t work and we did it for one year and who cares so we we’ll see how it all works out I’m I’m interested to see how it works out and see how things play out but you know it’s it’s G to be it’s GNA be a little bit different for sure yeah I mean the the NBA have nailed the uh the playin tournament and the inseason tournament was a success last year I would say so that they’re not they don’t rush into these decisions I think it’s probably something they’ve talked about for quite a while but they thought this year was a good year to to roll out we can we we can tune in early for some cash considerations on the second day oh God we got that cash considerations graphic ready to go that second round pick in on Thursday like whatever snacks they have I’m just gonna be in in the training center I’m just GNA be sitting there eating snacks all day it’s it’ll be fine it’s gonna be good it’s GNA be good so Phil you said uh just before that you talked about what the magic had learned from from the seven game series against the the Cavaliers uh We’ve obviously got the 18th overall pick and we’ve also got the 47th pick in the second round um could you tell us in your opinion what you feel is the Magic’s Biggest needs I think it’s pretty obvious but what what do you think the magic need to solve this summer and do you think we can solve that with the picks that we’ve got I mean yes uh I think the biggest need the magic have everyone will say shooting and and obviously I think shooting is is a very big need the magic I think more than just an increased percentage like they were 24th in the league I think in three-point field goal percentage last Jeff wman reminded us uh the day after the season ended um they were 15th in the league after January 1st um it’s not just about increasing the shooting percentage it’s about increasing the shooting volume Orlando is 29th in the league in three-point field goal attempts and you know the team that’s last is Denver and Denver is considered a very good shooting team and they are they shot like 41 42% from three Orlando’s at 33 34 35% um being a low volume and bad shooting team is is a very bad formula in fact I I I like I start pushing back on Jeff welman on this a little bit um yes the magic were 15th and three-point field goal percentage after the allstar or after January 1 they’re still 21st in the league in offensive ratings so while it did boost their offense to make more threes that alone isn’t enough to make the Magic’s offense like an elite offensive group or very or even like a mediocre or average offensive group so there’s still they have to find shooting and and I think you know that’s going to come internally I think they’ll get some extra exal help on that um to me though the biggest need coming out of the playoffs was well for the biggest need is to make poo banero and fron vogner’s life easier whatever they can do to make their lives easier that’s what the magic need to do and shooting is obviously a big part of that to me the biggest thing coming out of the playoffs was the magic needed another playmaker um it felt like especially in the games in Cleveland because I think the magic did a good job of this in Orlando but especially in the games in Cleveland it it always just felt like Paulo banera was banging his head against a wall like was just kind of slamming directly into Evan Mobley and J and Jared Allen was in Jared Allen and whoever was in the paint and that’s all the magic could do that was all they had um with fron vogner struggling a little bit with his shot they they couldn’t get anyone else going downhill and so I think the big thing for Orlando is they need to find a way to diversify their attack they need someone who can get downhill create shots for others give Palo ban Carol some easy shots I mean when you think about it you know the the difference between palanker average 22 points per game this year to the difference between getting to 22 to like 26 27 points per game could be getting an extra catch and shoot three-pointer that he wasn’t getting he shot the ball really well in the he shot the ball really well from three in the playoffs it could be him running a pick and roll and getting a dump off to the dunker spot it’s not necessarily that you have to get poo Beno more shots it’s about getting him better quality shots and because he has to create so many of his own shots he’s you know he shot a really good percentage this year I don’t want you know I’m not taking anything with from palano but it’s just about making his shot diet a little bit easier getting him the you know finding someone who can get him the ball in a spot where he can score you know I think back to this is actually a really good example I think back to that gamewinner he had against Chicago Joe Eng Les is the one inbounding the ball he inbounds it directly into poo and steps onto the court in a spot where he can be a kick out for a three-point shot and the Bulls couldn’t help off of Engles because they know Engles is an excellent three-point shooter and so Pao is starting with the ball able to survey the defense without having to use his dribble yet so he can do you know any number of things and obviously he made the big play won won the game with that shot um in the playoffs because they couldn’t really play Engles that much because the rotation had developed the way it had developed he really didn’t have that he was constantly like bringing the ball up as a point guard initiating offense using up his dribble and so that limits his kind of decision tree and so to me came too predictable yeah yeah and look at the end of the day like your star needs to be able to beat defenses that know what’s coming and and again like big take away from the playoffs like Pao banero did that like Pao was a superstar in the playoffs like like it was just like this this kid isn’t just like oh he’s a really nice player it’s like oh he’s he’s one of those guy yeah he’s he’s him um and so like a big takea away from playoffs there and so to me like the needs for the magic is just how do we make his life easier how do we find players who can play off of him set him up give him a little bit more space to create and get downhill how do we find those players um with this year’s draft specifically a lot of this is I don’t think that’s a young player necessarily like um I just don’t I just don’t think a young player that you know unless they are just a knockdown shooter or just like you know one of those guys and and those guys will be long gone by the time we get to where the magic are picking I don’t see the magic trying to trade up to get one of those guys you know maybe like but even then like they’re not developed enough to kind of set the table for POW the way that I think he’s looking for so to me this year’s draft is more about continuing to like establish depth um you know we saw last year that the magic didn’t even really play their two rookies you know Anthony black and Jet Howard were out of the rotation by the time we got to the playoffs jet Howard essentially spent a gap year in the G League he’s essentially a rookie this year he played I think less than he played less than a full games worth of minutes I believe in in the season if not he played fewer than a hundred minutes with the Orlando Magic this season um and that’s fine that was I think that was part of the plan um you know Anthony black was out of the rotation just you know what you know inj you know he played because of injuries kind of lost some trust never really got it back in February and and so you know he’s gonna have to take a step up but the magic don’t necessarily need a rookie who can come come in and play immediately if they can get one of those great they just need someone who’s going to be reliable for them when his numbers called but also be willing to learn from the bench play some in play some in Oola get that experience there and and kind of grow and develop at their own pace and so that that’s a really difficult thing to find um I am always a believer in the draft you take the best player available need does kind of get um included in how you think about who the best player available is um but you know at the end of the day I think in the draft you draft talent and you figure out how to integrate that Talent later because they not necessarily expecting them you’re not necessarily expecting them to to compete immediately yeah yeah Phil give us three names so the 18th pick give us because we don’t watch much college basketball we don’t get a lot we don’t get to see a lot over here if if we keep the 18th pick what’s three players you have your eye on that you think would be a good fit the the one that I think is the best fit you know and I’ll let’s let’s I’ll give you I’ll give you more than three names I’m gonna give you three player types give you three player types um the first is kind of that traditional magic big Wing like high IQ big wing and and the guy that’s been mocked to the magic probably more than any player is Tristan D Silva from Colorado uh he’s like a 69 really really smart player he’s four-year player so veteran player someone that a lot of people believe can come into the league and play immediately uh good decent passer like not like a playmaker not averaging a ton of assists um but an excellent shooter he shot like 40% from three last year good free throw percentage which suggests that that will translate to the NBA um not like you know I I would describe him as a less athletic fron Vagner um like he plays very similarly like kind of similar build kind of that ability to kind of weave his way through defenses um again not as athletic so he’s not kind of going to finish Above the Rim like fron can um but he just plays really smart and as especially as a veteran player I mean you think you know when when I when I kind of compare what we’re looking for in the draft a little bit think about what Courtney Lee did for the Magic in the 2009 season that was a he was a rookie but he was also a senior coming out of Western Kentucky so he was ready to play immediately Tristan D Silva would be ready to play immediately it looks like he’s G to be gone by the time the magic pick so if you’re not going to take Tristan D Silva the other guy that’s kind of that do everything Wing player is Johnny Fury from Kansas originally from Australia he decided to come to America play here had a bit of an up and down season but played really well in Big 12 season especially when he got into the starting lineup average about I think 12 points per game in Big 12 play little bit more of an inconsistent shooter didn’t measure particularly well so he doesn’t maybe check those boxes perfectly but he’s super athletic getting the basket really really smart cutter um there there’s you know Johnny Fury is now kind of the favorite guy mocked to The Magic In general the next player type I want to talk about is point guard um because while I think that the magic should be looking for point guard elsewhere there are a lot of really interesting guards where the magic are picking and and and players who can kind of fill that guard need uh I think the dream pick for the magic would be Jared McCain from duke he’s a six foot three guard um not necessarily a pure passer um but he is an excellent three-point shooter shot like 41 42% from three last year Duke he’s he’s not super explosive or athletic but he’s really good at figuring out ways to finish a round players and to get his shot off against bigger players and so he has this experience you know the question is can he do that at the NBA level it’s one thing doing in college can you do at the NBA level but he had a really good year at Duke he had some really big scoring games including in the N SI tournament um really really good kid from from everyone I know a few people that that that worked you know there’s a reporter here in Orlando who covered him in high school and she said she just raved about him as a person which I think is a big thing that magic looked for um he could be gone I’ve seen some mocks have him go go where Orlando is but if he’s off the board there are a couple point guards to keep an eye on Deon Carter is probably going to be gone but he’s someone to think about think about uh from uh from Providence the guy that a lot of people really like is bub car is Carlton bub Carrington from Pittsburgh okay um he’s a six foot three guard six foot eight wingspan so that checks off that box um we we all know like Jeff wman je Jeff wman jokes about it too they know about the joke as well um six fo three with the six fo8 wingspan he his shooting percentages look really low um because he was on the ball a lot um and so he is an excellent pull-up jump shooter excellent mid-range jump shooter a lot of people believe he’s an excellent catch and shoot 3point shooter so coming into a magic system where he doesn’t need to have the ball a lot in his hands you know he’s not looking to go crazy he’s not going to drive wildly to the basket um that he’s a really he’s a really interesting player too and someone to keep an eye on and then the last player type that I think you’re really looking at at this draft pick is Rim protecting Center and that’s I think a big need that the magic do have I don’t think it’s so immediate um the mag magic seemed pretty set with Wendell Carter and mo Vagner as their centers we don’t know really what’s going to happen with Goa pad um I would still argue the magic need a third Center who is starting capable and I’m not confident any of the centers in this draft are ready to start but you do have some options um the biggest option that everyone will talk about is Zack e 7even foot4 two-time nouth Award winner at Purdue came back to college after his Junior after his I think sophomore year had a you know matched obviously had another really good year showed some development uh with his Mobility showed some development with his defense especially you know just a big body you’re going to be in drop coverage I I don’t think he’s necessarily a magic type player just because he doesn’t have the versatility he doesn’t have the foot speed to get out on the perimeter you’re gonna have to play a lot of drop with him um but you know he’s he’s he turned himself into first into a Surefire first round pick you know maybe in the lottery pick um he’s he’s a really solid player the guy I think magic fans should really do their research on or no is Indiana Indiana big man kle wear kle wear is I think 6’10 with a 7 foot2 wingspan excellent shot blockers blocked like two three shots block like two two and a half shots per game in Indiana last year has shown you know average like 12 rebounds per game which in a 40-minute game is really difficult to do 15 points per game he has shown a willingness to step out onto the perimeter and shoot some shoot some threes I I wouldn’t trust him to shoot threes immediately in the NBA but if you’re looking for a player who could be like this drafts Derek Lively where you know he maybe didn’t have the greatest college career but he does all the things that NBA centers have to do protect prot in the protecting the rim kind of being athletic playing Above the Rim kware to me is the guy that’s like okay if if there’s a Derek Lively in this draft it’s him um he transferred from Oregon there was there’s a little bit of controversy there’s some draft Scouts who are just completely out on him because he has that dreaded motor issue I I’ve heard some from some Indiana fans and some people in Indiana who are like I I don’t like that that may have been his reputation at Oregon that wasn’t his reputation Indiana so a lot of the conversation about K wear is less about what his basketball skills are and more about whether he really wants to translate that to the NBA and I think that’s ultimately what a lot of teams are going to be looking at and the other name I want people to know is e Missy from Baylor kind of a your typical very raw rim protector just kind of flies all over the place blocking shots fouls a lot he’s he would need a lot of work if you’re drafting him I would give him a g- Le Gap year to just kind of continue to develop and grow and learn kind of the base base of Defense so you know we’re we’re picking at 18 there’s a very wide there’s a wide here but those are kind of the six and you know there’s there’s plenty more like kwn George and you know i’ throw Tyler K in there and there there are plenty of you know Baylor shyan I think is is another really good shooter who’s kind of gonna be in the back end of this draft um you know we could talk about tan Shannon I I really don’t want to um there there are a lot of names obviously your your your tree widens at this stage of the draft at this stage of the draft the magic do have a lot of options uh and it’s just about you know what need do they feel like they need to fill what what is the best pick for them them and how best to develop that player moving forward yeah K where is somebody you’ve talked a lot about Gary over the last few weeks few weeks ago I mentioned khle we as somebody who could essentially be that Lively pick like you said and then um last week’s pod we hir Wes Trueblood on who was the Pacers uh spacers host he’s a big fan of your show Phil and uh he was saying as well as an Indiana resident he said what a great pickup kware would be for the magic and it seems to be Gathering a little bit of speed but then there’s people suggesting that he could fall into the late Lottery as well which would again put him into comparison to this is this is going to be a wildly unpredictable draft like I I want to prepare everyone um because like it’s it’s everyone’s kind of acknowledged this is not a great draft class like at the top especially like Alex SAR the best comparison I’ve seen for him is he’s Jonathan Isaac with worst defense you know wor not other worldly defense but better but better offensive skills or better offensive base but he is super super raw he’s still been my number one pick I haven’t really wavered on that um but you know you could have someone like Nicola toic um like Nicola topic six foot6 point guard from uh played in Serbia towards ACL um he was a Surefire top 10 pick could have been a top five pick I’ve seen mock drafts that have him go 18 and like if if Nicola topic is there at 18 it’s just like I how do you not take him because like you know what this you know ultimately like this is my big thing about what the magic are trying to build is like the magic have this philosophy of everyone does everything like they we have two six foot1 point guards in Pao and fron you know Jaylen Suggs can handle the ball a little bit you know Cole anony is an excellent rebounder for a guy who’s six foot three um the idea of what the magic are trying to build is everyone does everything and so you want players who have skills that are not typical for their size and so you know I I look at a guy like topic and it’s like if he’s there at 18 I will wait a year for him to recover from an ACL um give him you know give him a year in the G Le get that too um we have all the resources to get him better certainly we have the experience too um it you know you can’t pass up on Talent like that like this is this is where you get Talent it’s it’s bit of an overlap really for the next question because we’ve got so many options where you know you’ve just said yourself Phil that we could take a play we can stash them with the Oola magic we could put them on the main roster you’ve mentioned about being a a weak draft perhaps a weaker draft um is there a scenario where the magic say package our pick with a player such as Wendell Carter to move up into maybe the top 10 is there anyone really who would be like a I don’t know a pick here six to 10 that would be worth doing that for I I I kind of wish I had my cheat sheet with me I have I’m I’m doing I’m doing the locked on mock draft right now and I I like was like okay I I don’t want what happened last year to happen where I felt like I had you know I felt like I was like a little unprepared uh for when we did it last year and got yelled at for it and I turned out to be very well prepared for it you know I I’m going to take a Victory lap on that um but uh not not with the number six pick that was that that that that that was still a bad pick on on my part but um yeah you know there are a few players that I think would be interesting to trade up for um you know I I’ve been a big Dalton connect fan for a long time he’s six foot eight probably the best shooter in this draft you know again a senior someone that that would be able to come in and presumably contribute pretty quickly um I mentioned topic is a guy that I that I really really like um but there’s no one in this draft you know I’m a big believer that if you have a guy in this draft go get him like you know if you have a guy in any draft you know you’re picking a player you’re not picking your pick go pick a player go find a player that you really like and you know if you believe you know depending on how much you believe in them go out and get them I would say for this magic team and what they need and what they’re more immediate needs are and what their more immediate goals are I don’t see a player that I’m just like I need to have this guy to complete what I’m working on um you know there’s there’s the guys that you know we’re going to get to this I’m sure very very soon the guys that I’m thinking this is what the magic need are veteran players are players that I’m confident know how to play in the NBA aren’t going to make you know kind of rookie or young player mistakes you know we’re expecting still some young player mistakes still gonna be a young team but um are guys that can help this team win a playoff series can help them advance to the second round help them get homecourt Advantage you know the magic have kind of laid that Gauntlet down themselves that their goal like they saw they didn’t win they didn’t win a road game in the playoffs like they know how important home court advantage could be in the postseason now I think they’re you know the same way they’re like we’re going to the playoffs next year their goal is to be a top four seat uh and so if that’s the players goal and the players have a lot to say about that I’m curi you know the question will be how much of that is a goal of the front office to make sure that happens and you know honestly I I don’t think there’s kind of that impact rookie um that can do that um you know I don’t see like a a Donovan Mitchell that you know is being a little bit overlooked who is just such A’s just a superstar player like he was in Utah because remember Utah I use this example all the time Utah traded up to get Donovan Mitchell that that was a Denver pick Denver actually picked Donovan Mitchell um Utah wanted him you know kawh Leonard San Antonio wanted Kawhi Leonard they traded up to get him and that’s in the you know that was in the teens um I don’t think there’s a player that screams that to me like we’re you know kind of looking at you know Donovan Donovan kingan going top five like he’s a fine Center um I in most drafts he wouldn’t be a top five pick um and and that’s kind of the reality of the top of this draft you know I think by the time we get to 18 we’re looking at players that are your typical kind of 15 to 20 you know overall picks but above that it’s just like how much am I really willing to give up to go get go get that go get Dalton connect like the magic could go find a guy who’s very similar to Dalton connect in the free agent market cost you a little bit more but but you know you can find him um Phil you’ve talked a lot about how the draft’s gonna shape what the magic are going to do the rest of the offseason we’ve obviously got contract extensions which the magic can negotiate with France and jayen Suggs which as you said I think on today’s episode that I was listening to that you think there’s more possibility that it’s going to get pushed down the road and that they’re going to say prove that you’re worth a Max contract foran Varner and we’ll see and we’ll we’ll we’ll check back in with you next offseason we’ll we’ll renegotiate but in terms of free agency I know Malik monk appears to be he appears to be the probably the only player in this free agency class who most magic fans seem to be on board with because of his age his athleticism his ability to spread the floor get to the rim and what it’s probably going to cost to get him as well um but in terms of free agency there isn’t really a standout player who who I think is the perfect fit um is there I I don’t know is there a player who potentially because because obviously we’ve got two years to play with with cap space he could push this into next year is there a player who you think maybe the magic have circled who they think maybe becomes available at the deadline or next sum summer that what moves they make this summer maybe a shortterm move in terms of hoping that something becomes it’s a dangerous game to play I ni yeah yeah I mean it’s it’s the NBA like players become available like it’s it’s it’s not crazy I mean who you know I think everyone kind of foresaw Pascal SE yakum becoming available like Toronto was kind of spinning its wheels and you know he they didn’t get a new contract done with him so you know the alarm Bells were ringing um but you know you don’t know like like even looking at this summer like the Hawks could trade Trey young and de Jon Murray on draft night and completely restart their franchise around alexar Zach rasher or whoever whoever they end up picking or they could say you know what we’re gonna keep SAR we’re gonna have Jaylen Johnson and Alex SAR you know as two kind of big you know versatile wings uh SAR can place some Center who cares um you know put them with a kongu where a little bit bigger now we have Trey young and Deonte Murray we’re we’re back in this thing baby um you know like what Atlanta does one actually like sets a whole bunch of the summer um Miami could decide we’re done with Jimmy Butler like Jimmy Butler has been like agitating like he wants to leave um there you know there’s just there’s just so many things that we’re probably not even thinking of there’s a lot of non-obvious things that could happen and teams just could you know teams could just decide you know teams could decide at a certain point like it’s time to restart you know we’ve hit the dead end we’re going to be proactive about this I mean who saw the magic trading Nia vuich when they did I think we all expected the Evan forier trade we expected the Aaron Gordon trade but I think a lot of us said you know they’re going to the magic don’t want to go back into a full rebuild like vich is still matters but it turns out trading him early was the right move was you know trading him when no one expected you to trade him that’s what that’s what set this up that’s what set up where where the where the team is at now so you know I think is there is there anyone out there who you think because obviously Jaylen Paulo and Fran they’re your that’s the core is there anyone that you think is like the perfect next Edition like you look you look at Celtics of like Derek white or players like that yes the perfect guard is Derek white and he’s unfortunately not available um like I hate to say that he’s unavailable the Celtics are G to resign him it’s it’s you know it’s he’s the key like watching this like watching the Celtics play that’s how the magic want to play like like if you’re if you’re trying to Envision what this Orlando team is building Boston’s doing it right now um and so it’s not like you have to copy everything you do like I’ve seen some people say oh like poo Jason Tatum fron is you know Jaylen Brown you know Jaylen Suggs is you know Derek white or Drew holiday whichever one you want him to be Jonathan Isaac is kristofh porzingis you know I don’t think you need to do that direct comparison but there is something to it that you know Boston is a team with five guys who are really good decision makers and very versatile defensively so you know there there there is a road map there and you know again it’s about how do you match up and what happens when you match up and and all that stuff um finding that player is really tough and and I think the hesitancy about this free agency market is yes the magic need to spend yes the magic need to set themselves up for their future uh when they don’t have money to spend uh and don’t have cap room anymore but there’s no one out there that’s just like that guy’s going to make us not only good not only better this year but help us get from point B to point C you know we’re at Point a playoffs knocking on the door the second round how do we get to the second round how do we get to the Conference Finals how do we get to the championship um don’t know if that player is in this free agency market like like I mentioned this on my PO earlier this week Klay Thompson would undoubtedly make this team better like he would transform this team’s offense give them some spacing even if he’s that even if he is you know never reaches the heights of his shooting that he re that he was two three years ago or before the injury especially um you know he’s had two sub4 he’s had two sub 43 Point per shooting seasons in his career and they’ve happened in the last three years including last year there is plenty of evidence to say clay Thompson is starting to slow down and that you know father time is is winning that battle um but even shooting 38% from three and taking 10 threes a game like I said it’s about volume as much as it is percentages yeah that would transform the Magic’s offense like he he I think he shot he had 30 plus games of 10 or more three-pointers last year the magic had 11 total where where an individual player shot more than 10 threes or 10 or more threes like that’s the kind of transformation that we’d be talking about but I would say this you’re probably not signing Klay Thompson to more than a two or threeyear deal so when that two-year deal runs out or that three-year deal runs out what are you gonna do you know you don’t have that same amount of money anymore because now pao’s getting paid you know 40 plus million dollars fron is at 35 36 37 million Jaylen you know cap is rising but it’s not Rising the contract like they’ve done with other other things done Jaylen frons and pal are not doing the welman special they’re not frontloading that contract um I would say this Thompson for example Thompson yeah yeah I mean I would hope that the magic will try to frontload those contracts because that that just helps on the back end a little bit but um you know I think I think something we could see the magic do um and and I don’t I there are a few players I think would be targets for this we could see them do like the Bruce Brown special um and and the magic kind of did this with Joe Engles too where you sign a player to a an above market rate for like two years three years with an easy out a team option guarantee on that last deal and now you just have salary ballast to make that big move the Pacers did this with Bruce Brown you remember last summer we all thought the magic we’re gonna chase after Bruce Brown excellent shooter good playmaker Championship experience big time player for the Nuggets he ended up getting what a two-year 50 million deal from the Pacers 25 million per I was just like that’s that’s too rich for us we’re not looking for that Pacers went around flipped him for Pascal seaka and now you know they made it they made the Conference Finals obviously um and now they you know they seem very set now they got their Max guy they signed them it’s you know they reportedly agreed to terms with him and now they’re all set it feels like a lot of you know the the Rockets did that with Fred Van vet and Dylan Brooks to some extent you know the magic did it to some extent with Joe Engles um and maybe the magic keep Joe Engles just to use him as salary ballast for trades but um but it feels like that might be a strategy that that a lot of teams do and so if there are no home run hits in this in this free agency if the magic don’t think tus Jones Is The Answer d’angel Russell is the answer even Malik mon like there’s a lot to like about Malik monk don’t get me wrong I I think I think among the free agent targets he’s the guy I would look at you know give him a deal starting around 21 22 maybe 23 million about as high as I would go you know three four years whatever whatever it is um he’s an excellent you know he’s a much better playmaker than people give him credit for I have concerns about whether he can step up to being a starter whether he can insert himself into the Magic’s kind of defensive scheme where the match can cover for him defensively whether he can be that table setter you know again like he’s in like that Sacramento offense it it it inflates your numbers a little bit it’s you know very fast-paced um they’re very good offense to too don’t get me wrong and monk is a big part of that but you know can he play at pao’s PACE you know pal like Jamal I remember Jamal Mosley said this one time about LCA donic we were we were asking him about pace and and and the speed that the match were playing and I think Jamal mosy I think it was Jamal MOS who said this like you know for Dallas Luca is their Pace your star controls the pace of your team your how your star likes to play that’s how fast you play pal said it after playoffs he loved how slow the playoffs were he loved the the kind of like chess match and and how it just became this kind of grinded out game for those that love that want to see the magic run get more possessions that’s not po that’s not a that’s not a poo Bas that’s not a poo basketball team I I don’t think that’s who this magic team is ever going to be and that’s okay you can win you can win slowing slowing it down a little bit um you gota be able to shoot you gota be able to score a little bit more than the magic do but you know magic were an elite defensive team and you know had a positive net rating finished fifth in the East you one 47 games um and so it wouldn’t surprise me if the magic ultimately decideed to go with this this this kind of like big short-term deal like go you know kentavius cwell Pope supposed to looking for $20 million Denver is gonna be hard pressed to match that go give kavi callwell Pope like a two-year $45 million deal put a you know put a play you know put a a non- guarantee on that last deal on that last year you have a a you know Championship caliber 3 and D Wing a good decision maker another a really good shooter um you have him for this year and then you have you know some salary ballast if you want to make a trade next year when you’re like okay how do we take that next step so maybe that’s the path to Magic go um it won’t be exciting um I think people would be a little disappointed with it but there’s you know you’re playing chess not Checkers here and I think that’s that’s you know ultimately the goal is how do we make this team better uh and and like you know Casey you know kyp would maybe when you’re when you some headlines but he’d make this team better and I think that’s that’s kind of the goal right now in the short term is let’s just make the team better let’s get some shooting in let’s kind of see what things look like and then you know let’s let’s assemble our stack let’s let’s get let’s get our chips and house in order to make the big move when the opportunity presents itself yeah it’s it’s it’s it’s really going to be interesting coming into this and I think one of the big questions to look at Phil from what you were saying there is that you’re talking about it’s the conundrum of Big Splash or adding key pieces and we’ve got the two-year window but also we’ve got the question of stay you know like almost G’s not here we’re keeping up with the Joneses so to speak um what do you think the magic what do you think the magic have to accomplish in this offseason to just stay like to have a chance at a top four shot in the Eastern Conference next year I mean the first the first thing is Pao and fron have to keep getting better um like we could talk about all these moves and and all these things but it goes back to that kind of central thesis that that I mentioned earlier how do we make pao’s life easier like how do we get him easier shots how do we how do we just allow him to operate comfortably um you know he does a really good job operating uncomfortably but you like see all these charts and and you see some stats and he’s double teamed constantly because at the end of the day no one is scared of the magic shooting um and so I do think for the offseason to be successful the magic have to add a starting level player like Gary Harris just doesn’t cut it anymore um you know he’s fine I wouldn’t mind him coming back on a smaller deal he doesn’t cut it as a starter anymore he’s not a starter in the NBA anymore um so find find me a starting guard who can shoot I prefer a starting point guard I prefer someone who can kind of set the table a little bit uh play off the ball be a shooter you know like I said you know this is a guy that the magic may Target this offseason like a Malcolm brogon go give me Malcolm Brogden go get me Malcolm broen if if you really want to um and tell me and give me that player that just kind of level levels everybody keeps everyone on task distributes the ball plays off of Pao you know get get me someone like that to just again make Poo’s life easier get him some open shots get him some easier shots get him get him the ball in his spot so he can operate more comfortably instead of having to you know manip you instead of the magic having to manipulate things to get him the ball in those spots um to me that’s the big thing the next thing is as much as the magic were deep and they had the fourth highest scoring bench in the league so you know it’s not like this is a thing that’s broken I’d like some more consistent depth um I’d like some more consistent veteran depth um you know just guys that I can rely on I constantly felt like this season for the magic that when everybody was healthy and all the pieces were like kind of perfectly aligned this was a really good team like this was better than a 47 win team where they ran into problems I felt like was if you knocked off one piece guys struggle to fill the rules um like if if to me like if there’s a reason that d’angel Russell is really attractive to me or like Malik Monk Is this way too DeAndre Russell can be really successful playing off the ball as a three-point shooter as a three-point specialist and that’s all he does he’s also pretty good don’t want this all time don’t want to rely on this but he’ll also have games where he scores 35 points and attacks the basket and plays like an All-Star because he used to be he was an Allstar at one point the magic right now don’t have that player like you know sometimes Jaylen Suggs has a big has a really nice shooting night scores 25 points but like I like I mentioned earlier palano and fron voger are the only guys attacking attacking the paint like you know mo vager had a 28-point game he’s getting a lot of that off of kind of simple pin Downs you know simple post-ups simple putbacks you know kind of really simple stuff the magic need another guy especially coming off the bench who can just add a little bit more Dynamic play to their offense um you know as as good as the bench was all year I think it really hurt them in the playoffs I think I think the bench was a weak spot in the playoffs for them because you know the magic never really tightened their rotation which they probably should have done they they didn’t really have any you know Cole Anthony didn’t wasn’t really able to attack I think that’s ultimately what they want Cole Anthony to be is to be that you know random 25 Point night guy um I don’t think that’s his ultimately I don’t think that’s his game um and so find me a guy you can bring Off the Bench you know buddy hee would you know we know he can get hot and and he can hit a bunch of Threes And you know completely change your offense you know like what Terence Ross did in two in 2019 where he just gets hot five or six threes and all of a sudden the game is completely changed um you know that’s that’s what Malik milk feels like almost like exact yeah exact exactly exactly um and so to me like when you look at this magic team you know they were relying very heavily on Caleb Houston they were relying pretty heavily on you know Gary Harris just a lot of guys that you just couldn’t consistently expect to step up to bigger roles like they’re really good in the roles you give them um but they you know what I what I’m what I’m essentially saying is like the magic kaval lot have Palo and France they’re one their ones Jen’s a two you know jaylen’s a number two op you know kind of number two number three option you don’t have guys that can step up from oh you know tonight’s my night I gotta I gotta be the guy they don’t have that they don’t have that pick um you know maybe Anthony black turns into that I’m it’s not gonna happen overnight um but yeah um they they need a guy who can I I feel like really anchor that bench group and and just be consistent for them um you know like kayb Houston had that big game against Atlanta and just kind of rode that for the rest of the season never never got to that never got to that level or any close to it again just you know took a lot of threes and missed them yeah yeah 100% I’m I’m looking forward to to Magic Twitter f after we’ve done with free agency and the draft and the magic just come back with the same people people are going to hate me for that kcp take I can already I can already hear them shouting it’s just like I I hate to tell you guys kcp is somebody else we’ve talked about I think Paul bought him up about three or four weeks ago as a really good option as well um that there’s options though and yeah there’s there to build from yeah absolutely I like the warning I would give everyone is this this is not a front office that cares about winning headlines um you know if if we we exit the summer and the magic don’t have that like big name player that we all expected don’t be shocked by it um don’t criticize him let’s see how it plays out but don’t be shocked by it but before we let you go Klay Thompson he was in the news a little bit again yesterday The Magik are now joint favorites it actually feels like there’s a lot of smoker around this I know I know you’ve talked about clay and and how you think he’s going to f do you think do you think he’s really that option do you really think he’s going to be a magic player next year I I have I have always been skeptical ever since the reports came out um they always seem to be coming from people who don’t have a lot of connection to Orlando and again Orlando’s front office always very very quiet and it just to me to me it feels like a very short-sided move or an uncharacteristically short-sided move for this front office it feels like a very win now move with no consideration for Beyond and and you know this is where I kind of came down on it um in my pod was that you know you get Klay Thompson like the team’s gonna be better like I I mentioned already the ways that it would make the team better but the Magic’s window is like the next five to seven years um you know so you have you know with Klay Thompson you got a two to threee window and then it’s pretty much closed um and again when you have an opportunity to win you got to take it you know the winning window is open the magic need to be aggressive with ways to make to help them win Klay Thompson would help this team win um you know it’s it’s not the move I would do I think the cost is going to be too high I think I don’t think I think you’re paying more for past performance than future performance which I think is you know a little bit of a mistake um I think that the magic as a team are they’re not a very high cutting team um and so the kind of shots that Klay Thompson gets got from Golden State those aren’t the kind of Shots Orlando really creates it’s not you know maybe the offense needs to be revitalized and change a little bit um but the kind of shot profile that Klay Thompson took in in Golden State that’s not how the magic run their offense so they they’d have to change their offense a little bit for him which is a good thing um but yeah I it feels like there’s a lot of smoke a lot more smoke than normal and while the magic you know tend to work very quietly um we have to you know we have to consider it and you know I I’m a big believer in the horse Grant theory that the reason why the 95 magic became Champions is they went out and got a champion they got someone who knew what they were doing who imparted Championship wisdom and maturity to a very young and experienced team I’m not going to be upset if the magic sign Klay Thompson there are plenty of reasons to sign him he would even if he is just a 38% three-point shooter for the rest of his career that would transform the Orlando Magic 38 you know Klay Thompson shooting 38% from three is very different from Jaylen sug shooting 39% from three like it’s it’s it would you know Thompson STS on the floor and changes the Magic’s off and so I I I don’t have many basketball reasons to argue against it I I I hinted at a few but um if he’s truly interested in coming to Orlando that is you have to absolutely explore it you have to consider it you have to talk about it and he would be a good fit here um you know I I I think his defense is definitely slowed down a little bit but he’s shown himself very willing to defend he is not a a hesitant Defender a lot the guys we’re talking about in free agency are like Malik monk has never proven himself as a Defender you know tus Jones is not a good is not a good Defender deangel Russell is not a good Defender if the Magic’s philosophy is about defense first you know Klay Thompson may not be the defender he once was but he is he he understands a defensive team concept and will commit to it and and I think that that is a different that is a big difference too yeah yeah 100% well Phil it’s going to be a lot of fun in the next few weeks you’re gon to be you’re gonna have your work cut out for sure um but uh I’m just going to sit back and watch like like what you know like I’m the magic aren’t telling us anything like I I’ll just I’ll just wait I’ll just wait and find it and in the meantime you can uh cheer on England from the other side of the pond for us who who let us down this evening but uh so got the point still got the point that’s all that matters that’s all that matters you’re not out of the tournament you just group phase just get out of the group phase it’s not how you start it’s how you finish exactly you want the wins at the end you you’ll take the draws at the beginning 100% well I know I know there Mikey Paul and G are all cheering England on I’m not I’m not sure about the Welsh one in there for when he watches this just come come be disappointed in the US at cop America with all of us like we’re we’re you know we’re we’re getting ready for just bitter disappointment and I mean like I was at the US Brazil game last last week in in in Orlando like Greg barh halter was getting booed and then the US went out and got their second ever result against Brazil so you know who knows good stuff well Phil thank thank you for joining us my friend it’s always great catching up with you and uh we look forward to catching up with you soon absolutely guys thanks for having me on as always well thank you to Phil for jumping on as always it’s a good good time catching up Phil and uh our heads are all full of different ideas and different Paths of magic are going to take and um I’m not sure Phils helps us that whether he has or hasn’t he’s posed some new questions he’s posed some questions at the end of the day Phil send it to us off none of us really know what the magic are going to do so let’s sit back enjoy the summer let’s see what happens but um yeah before we go just want to tell you quickly about today’s partner are you looking for tickets and hotels for the world’s best theme parks and attractions then check out attraction tickets they are the UK’s number one ticket provider for Walt Disney World Universal Studios SeaWorld Disneyland Paris and other popular attractions they also sell Orlando magic tickets when they go on sale at hugely competitive competitive prices so when you’re booking your next holiday use our Link in the description and see what they have to offer you can also visit our website let’s talk magic.com for all our affiliate links and discount codes including the NBA Store and Fanatics uh but Gary that’s go do it for us this week anything else you want to bring up before we go no just let’s see what the latest news that comes out the latest links and see who we link to tonight tomorrow over the weekend because it’s just going to be more and more talking points on Twitter yeah it’s great absolutely well we’re recording our next episode on Friday next week so that episode will probably drop over the weekend so keep an eye out for that one as well uh thank you for listening and watching if you enjoyed today’s episode give a thumbs up and leave us your thoughts and questions and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube if you’re watching on there you can also like us on Facebook follow us on Instagram Tik Tok and X all _ let’s talk magic so from Gary and myself and an absent gar and Paul go magic e

Our conversation with Philip Rossman Reich of Locked on Magic and Orlando Magic Daily covers various topics related to the NBA draft and the Orlando Magic’s needs. The hosts discuss the lessons the Magic learned from their playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, including the need for more shooting and playmaking. They also talk about the NBA’s decision to stretch the draft over two days and the potential impact on trades. The hosts then discuss the Magic’s biggest needs and potential draft targets, including players like Tristan Da Silva, Johnny Juzang, Jared McCain, and Kahlil Whitney. They also mention the possibility of trading up in the draft. The conversation revolves around the potential moves the Orlando Magic could make in the upcoming NBA draft and free agency to improve their team. The main focus is on finding players who can contribute immediately and help the team win playoff series. The hosts discuss potential trade targets and free agents who could fit the team’s needs. They also explore the idea of short-term moves to set up for bigger moves in the future. The conversation concludes with a discussion about the possibility of signing Klay Thompson and the importance of adding a starting-level player and consistent depth to the roster.

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