The Orlando Magic can't sit out 2026 free agency

Sean Sweeney is a rising coaching star and his introductory press conference was a hit, so I hope the Orlando Magic front office doesn’t hang him out to dry as July arrives and the NBA opens for business.

The new head coach can’t be the only fix the team has planned given all that went wrong over the last few months. That would be unfair on every level.

While it would set Sweeney up to play conquering hero in his first season, it would be like handing a new chef the same ingredients and run-down kitchen that forced the last guy to fail.

Predecessor Jamahl Mosley landed on his feet in New Orleans, where they’re known for great cuisine, fun times and have some nice pieces to work with. Orlando holds its own in all those categories and on paper, its personnel is better than what the Pelicans will have entering training camp. That doesn’t change the fact the Magic won’t have many new faces outside of the coaching staff unless moves are made over the next 10 days.

Jun 25, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards first round draft pick and number one overall pick AJ Dybantsa speaks to the media during a press conference at InterContinental Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Washington Wizards drafted AJ Dybantsa No. 1 and hand the reins to Trae Young full-time. The Charlotte Hornets moved LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, but figure to rank among the league’s most prolific 3-point shooting teams, adding Naz Reid and Grayson Allen to a lineup that will include Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Coby White. Within the Southeast, only the Atlanta Hawks are joining Orlando in bringing back essentially the same core, but they overachieved after dealing Young and won the division. Despite 45 wins, the Magic fell short of expectations.

Sometimes it’s great to run it back, but Sweeney is taking over on the heels of helping to coach in his second NBA Finals in three years. To be fair, no one but San Antonio has somebody like Victor Wembanyama on the roster, but the reason the Magic’s new 42-year-old leader became such a coveted name in the coaching market was that he hit the ground running in his first season after joining the Spurs following his run with the Dallas Mavericks. He instantly got results by designing and implementing a suffocating defensive game plan with the 7-foot-4 Defensive Player of the Year as the anchor.

Wembanyama isn’t along for Sweeney’s new ride, where he inherits an Orlando defense that fell off significantly in ‘25-’26 after a positive run under Mosley. Maybe all that’s needed is a new voice and a different scheme, but the front office making no changes isn’t ideal.

Check that, team president Jeff Weltman and GM Anthony Parker did make a move prior to Tuesday’s free agency window beginning, waiving one of their best defensive players in a cost-cutting move. Veteran Jonathan Isaac dealt with injuries and offensive inconsistency during his seven-season run that featured a couple of years lost to devastating knee injuries, but his defense off the bench did provide a positive spark once he got back to form in ‘23.

Center Goga Bitadze could find himself elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent the Orlando Magic will have to replace. — Mar 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze (35) passes to forward Franz Wagner (22) during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

It remains to be seen whether forward/center Moe Wagner returns after his own injury-plagued season, or if fellow big man Goga Bitadze will indeed head elsewhere, but both are rumored possibilities. Centers Colin Castleton and Izaiyah Nelson, young players who played at Florida-based schools, may get a chance to contribute and should feature prominently during Summer League.

2023 lottery pick Jett Howard, who will turn 23 years old by the time training camp rolls around, is an unrestricted free agent.

Jamal Cain will be back, as will last season’s rookies, guard Jase Richardson and forward Noah Penda. With ‘24 first-rounder Tristan da Silva returning off a strong second season, there’s depth up front behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who may or may not have been dangled in any talks to acquire Antetokounmpo.

Magic likely to use the same starters unless Suggs or Black are moved

So long as those two franchise pillars are healthy, Banchero and Wagner will start at the forward spots alongside center Wendell Carter Jr., the lone projected starter not signed through 2028-29, although the team will have the option to keep him entering that season.

Sixth man Anthony Black will be due a huge payday next offseason as long as his career trajectory continues, so maybe now is the time to move him in order to avoid matching a massive qualifying offer next season? Jalen Suggs is one of Orlando’s leaders, but another injury-plagued season, a poor playoff showing and Black’s emergence could leave him expendable if there’s a taker.

If the status quo prevails, Suggs, Black and Desmond Bane, who started all 82 regular-season games and every postseason contest, will handle the guard spots. Veteran Jevon Carter fit in nicely after signing in February, but he’ll need a new contract to stay put.

Sweeney’s arrival isn’t going to magically transform Orlando into a competent 3-point shooting team. That remains the team’s biggest weakness. If Moe Wagner bolts or Bitadze is dealt, the need for a quality 7-footer will arise. Adding another guard is a must to keep from putting too much on Richardson’s plate. Outside of the veteran minimum, there’s not much wiggle room.

It won’t be easy, but Weltman and Parker have to make some tweaks. Any move doesn’t have to come immediately, because it may ultimately work in the Magic’s favor to exercise patience and see who is available when free agency’s first round of musical chairs is complete.

At least a couple additions must be made to join Sweeney and a staff which already includes holdover Joe Prunty as new faces. Having a new voice is great, but coming off another disappointing season, the group dynamic must change too.

Add us as a preferred source on Google