3. Goga Bitadze

Early in the regular season, when Wendell Carter Jr. was injured, Goga Bitadze showed that he could contribute to this Magic team. Starting 33 games, he offered efficient scoring in the paint, rebounding, and rim protection.

And yet, when Carter came back Bitadze was stuck on the bench and rarely saw the court. Thus, it doesn’t make much sense to bring him back in free agency. The Magic already have four bigs—Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr., Jonathan Isaac (if they bring him back), and Mo Wagner—Jamahl Mosley seems to rather want on the court.

That very same reason also makes it rather unlikely that Bitadze would want to return to the Magic. At 24, he is still young and can only get better if he finds a team that actually has minutes available for him. Plenty of teams would like to have a young, 6’10 big who can block some shots on their bench.

If Bitadze is lucky, he can find one of those teams in the summer. Orlando is not it, however. If they were to bring in another big, it should be someone who can play above the rim and be more of a lob threat than any of the centers they have right now.

2. Joe Ingles

Joe Ingles is the Magic’s resident veteran, and his experience and lockerroom presence are incredibly valuable. At 36, Ingles’ on-court production is declining fast, however. Despite being one of the few Magic players with any postseason experience, he was pretty much a non-factor in the playoffs.

The Magic need three-point shooters of Ingles’ caliber but preferably some who can contribute when it matters the most and fit the team’s timeline better. Plus, there are big injury concerns with Ingles. Playing 68 regular season games at his age is nothing to scoff at, but there is no guarantee that he will be as available in the future. In the last two seasons, he only played 45 and 46 games.

Orlando has until June 29 to pick up Ingles’ team option. While it would not be a tragedy if the Magic brought the veteran back for another season, the team could benefit from some more production off the bench. A strong second unit and depth are crucial to most successful seasons. Three-point shooting is obviously a priority, and Ingles can provide that, but he only took an average of 2.4 threes per game this season. That is not enough.

Other than that, the Magic also need a true point guard who can run the team’s halfcourt offense instead of forcing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to be the main creators on the team while adding some shooting. The playoffs underlined that need every time the Magic’s offense stalled out.

Not bringing back Ingles could make room for some more reliable contributors the Magic desperately need if they want to build a contender. This season was a pleasant surprise, but from now on people will expect big things from this team.

1. Markelle Fultz

Let’s start this off by saying that Markelle Fultz is not a bad player. He just doesn’t seem like the kind of player the Magic need long-term. Fultz will be a free agent this summer, and Orlando has bigger priorities than bringing him back.

The 25-year-old has shown in previous seasons that he can be a great facilitator, averaging over 5 assists per game in four consecutive seasons, but he just cannot stay healthy. In his seven seasons in the NBA, Fultz has only played sixty or more games twice.

Plus, he has not found his three-point shot yet, and that would make it difficult for him to find a consistent role on this Magic team in the future. The Magic have their main guys, and now it is the organization’s responsibility to surround those players with the right additions.

Most importantly, they need three-point shooting and playmaking. Preferably, they would get both of those things combined in the same person to start next to Jalen Suggs in the backcourt. Fultz is not the answer to that issue.

It appears that it would be much more lucrative for the Magic to spend their money on a different kind of point guard who fits better around their key pieces. In his offseason guide, Bobby Marks noted Tyus Jones as an option, for example.