(Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
The calendar has turned to September. You know what that means, right?! Our offseason outlook series is back for the third-straight year!
Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We will be going in alphabetical order, beginning with the Eastern Conference. Today, we will look at the Indiana Pacers’ summer!
Previous offseason outlooks:
Evaluating the Orlando Magic’s 2026 offseason:
Additions: Nikola Vucevic
Subtractions: Jett Howard, Moe Wagner
Re-signed: Izaiyah Nelson (No. 51 overall)
Draft: Jevon Carter, Jonathan Isaac
Hanifan’s outlook: You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that had a quieter offseason than the Orlando Magic.
The biggest change was on the sidelines: Orlando fired head coach Jamahl Mosley after blowing a 3-1 lead to the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, and hired San Antonio Spurs assistant (defensive coordinator) Sean Sweeney.
The Magic retained their core, led by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane, who only played a combined 30 games together last year. They also kept Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black — who remains extension-eligible — and Wendell Carter Jr.
I couldn’t fathom the Jonathan Isaac reunion. The Magic could have waived and stretched the soon-to-be 29-year-old and saved over $13 million. Instead, they kept Isaac’s $8 million dead cap, and re-signed him for the league minimum, shortening their already-thin flexibility.
The Magic’s most recent draft choice, Izaiyah Nelson, is a facsimile of Isaac. Unfortunately, though, Nelson broke his foot in Summer League and could miss the first 1-2 months of the season.
I think the Magic will be healthier this season; it’s difficult to be less healthy than they have been the last several seasons. But they made a sizable bet on their core. If Sweeney can unlock Paolo Banchero and Co. offensively, Orlando will be dangerous.
Grade: C-
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