CHAOS: Eastern Conference in TURMOIL as Magic RISE | Can Orlando SEIZE Conference Crown?

CHAOS: Eastern Conference in TURMOIL as Magic RISE | Can Orlando SEIZE Conference Crown?

We focused a ton on what the Orlando Magic have done and what comes next. But boy, the Eastern Conference is a heaping pile of ash or something like that. Where the Magic stand in the East after one day of free agency today on Locked on Magic. You are Locked on Magic, your daily Orlando Magic podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. And you are indeed locked on Magic. Today is July 2nd, 2025. My name is Philip Rossich. I’m the senior writer over at Orlando Magicaily.com. Of course, follow me on Twitter, philipr_omd, and on blue sky, philipr credentialed member of the media covering the Orlando Magic since the 2012 season. On today’s episode of Lockdown Magic, we’re going to talk about what comes next for the Magic, rehash and reset some of those storylines and some of the things that I’ll be watching and then go over what’s going on in the rest of the Eastern Conference. Why the East is in chaos thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks and how the Orlando Magic are going to stand above the rubble. We’re going to get to that coming up here in just a moment. But first, we want to thank you again for making lockdown magic part of your day every day. No matter when you listen to us, whether it’s first thing in the morning, whether it’s right we upload, we truly appreciate you making lockdown magic part of your day every day. If you’re part of our everyday crew, truly appreciate you making Lockdown Magic a part of your everyday listen. Whether we’re first, whether we’re second, whether we’re third, whenever, we truly appreciate you making Lockdown Magic part of your day. You can find a great Lockdown podcast covering every single team in the NBA. Just search for Lockdown and the team you’re looking for, the Lockdown Podcast Network. It’s your team every day. Orlando Magic have done most of their work. Um, they obviously traded for Desmond Bane a few weeks ago. They did the draft. They acquired Taius Jo. They agreed to sign Taius Jones to a one-year $7 million contract. We are still waiting for some big pieces of news. We’re we’re all kind of in a holding pattern. Um, as I mentioned, we are expecting and anticipating that Paulo Banker will sign a max extension. That has not been completed yet, at least as of recording. and my phone is over on my couch so I cannot go grab that and check during the show as I’m recording here at about 11 about midnight on on uh t on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning. Um we we’re still anticipating that Paulo Beno will agree to a max extension with supermax language, all that jazz in the coming days and we’re going to cover that when it happens. We’re just kind of in this holding pattern. We are also still very much anticipating that the Orlando Magic will resign Mo Vagner as well. To what amount, how much, how that will fit into the Magic’s limited cap space, that is the ultimate big question. And and that’s the thing that we just don’t know right now. Again, all indications are um both Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press and Jason Bey the Orlando Sentinel both kind of surmise and both have an understanding or at least reporting to have an understanding that the Magic are going to work to bring Mo Vagner back. Um there’s nothing that I know of that would suggest otherwise. It s it sounds like it’s just about how much money is it going to cost to make both sides happy. As I mentioned yesterday, the Orlando Magic have about 6.7 almost $6.8 million before they hit the first apron hard cap. Again, getting to the salary cap minutia collective bargain agreement in minutia here because the Orlando Magic used the non- taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Taius Jones. The Magic are hardcapped at the first apron. So again, about six and a half 6.7 6.8 million remaining to spend total. I’ve had some people ask me and say, “Well, imagine have bird rights on Vogger. They can go over the cap to sign that.” That part is correct, but there are no exceptions to a hard cap. Once you have triggered a hard cap, that is a hard cap. There is no exceeding it. And so, the Magic do have to do something, it seems, to play around with this concept, just play around this line that that that they’re dancing around um and give themselves a little bit of flexibility. There are a few things that I think they can do. I am not anticipating a trade involving Jonathan Isaac or Goget or really anyone of any importance. I think a the Magic plan to go into the season with Jonathan Isaac as the backup four. They know how important he is. They know the impact he can make. put him in a defensive lineup with, you know, Taius Jones, Jacece Richardson, who are smaller defenders, may not have the same def defense that that the Magic are used to at that spot. Put him in lineups with that, you clean up a lot of mistakes. He helps Mo Vagner out a ton. I I again, we’ll see what Jonathan Isaac looks like when we get to the season and all that, but I don’t anticipate the Magic looking to upgrade that position. Same with Goget. I think goat is probably the most tradable player on the Magic right now, but because the Magic, you know, are intending to resign Mo Vagner. They know they will be without a center uh their backup center for at least the first half of the season or most of the first half of the season. The Magic Goat Tad at $8 million as a third center is a luxury and I do think that is a luxury the Magic will not be able to afford very very soon. But right now, it’s a luxury they they require. It is something they need. So I don’t anticipate the Magic will move Gogab Batad here in the they’re not going to move him before the season starts. Personally, as I look at the Magic and think about the best way to utilize these assets as assets and and again, I think it’s the most uncomfortable part of NBA discussions. Um, I think the best way to maximize their value and make sure that you’re getting the most out of them is to wait until the trade deadline where if you need to cut some salary to to get under the second apron or you’re not quite what you thought you were, you can do that. if you need them to uh if you need if you if you’re looking at your roster like Noah Penda is really knocking on the door for some playing time or Isaac isn’t quite working out the way that you wanted him to, you could always trade him for uh for a better value player or for for more value. He had cutting some salary perhaps. I just think and not on top of that, you’re going to know what you need right now. Like we’re going to talk about where the Magic sit in the Eastern Conference. think that’s a really important thing to discuss because the Magic are I think in a really good spot in the East. But by the same token, we don’t know how this team’s going to work. Like we saw Jaylen Suggs, Paliban, Carol Fran Vagner played with each other six games last season. Desmond Bane is a completely new element added to this team. Taius Jones is a completely new element added to this team. We don’t know exactly how this team’s going to work. And look, it is on Jamal Mosley to figure this out and make sure that the Magic do work and the Magic are a functioning team. Um, that they do get the most out of the talent that we very clearly see. It’s on Jamal Mosley to get the most out of that. We’ve talked about why the pressure is on Jamal Mosley now to coach this team up to to to really maximize this talent, but we don’t know how this is all going to work and we don’t know what the holes are. Now, I would argue right now, I would say outside of bringing Movagner back, finding a shooting three or forward or kind of like another like tall wing player to play the three or the four, I’d like some security there. I’m not sold yet on Tristan D Silva being the answer there. Jonathan Isaac has obviously h is coming off a rough season. Not sold that, you know, no Penda is ready. Not sold that Jet Howard’s ready. I’m gonna talk about Jet here in a minute. It’s it there are still holes this team needs to fill with these two final roster spots. And I do I while everything I have heard is that the Magic might be willing to go into the season with an empty roster spot, I am not there. I I think the Magic should look to add someone uh with that spot. So if if there is a salary saving trade coming up, I think it starts with Jet Howard. Um look, Jet hasn’t worked. The numbers say it. the Magic aren’t willing to play him. He hasn’t necessarily earned his playing time from everything that we’ve seen publicly. It sucks. He’s a young player. He’s got a skill the Magic need. He has not shown that skill. I’ve said this a few times. Um it’s not like JJ Reic. So like JJ Reic, his first two years in Orlando, could not get on the court. Wasn’t a good enough defender. Brian Hill didn’t trust him. But when he was on the floor, he still made threes. when he did get opportunity, he shot like 40% from three. Jed Howard is a sub 30% three-point shooter. So, the one skill that was supposed to get him on the court, he’s not performing at. And look, some of it is, yes, he is not getting playing time. He’s not in rhythm. He’s not, you know, the opportunities he get aren’t quality opportunities. I will grant you all that. But I think if there’s a salary to dump to get extra room here, it’s Jet Howard. Jet Howard in the third year of his rookie contract, again, 11th overall pick, is going to make five half million dollars this year. He’s got a team option for next season. I honestly do not anticipate the Magic are going to pick up that team option. I think they will let him go. and the Magic can, if the Magic can somehow shed that salary, if the Magic can move that salary, um, even for some fake seconds or even for a player that’s worth half that salary or less, uh, or just move off of him and bring in a minimum instead. I think that would that would that would be advantageous. We’re going to talk about the stretch provision um because of what the Bucks did. But even if the Magic stretched out Jet Howard’s salary, that would reduce it down to about $1.3 million cap hit over the next three years. That’s a savings of $3.5 million. That $3.5 million gets you to about 10 million under the first apron. And that would enable the Magic to comfortably sign Movar and sign a minimum player. You can sign Movager to $67 million, have two million left over and save a million for something down the road. Um, converting a two-way guy perhaps. Um, the Magic still have to fill their two-way contracts. They will leave that open for summer league and and fill those after summer league ends. Um, if they fill both of them, um, the Magic to me still have work to do. And so, I think the next step is like kind of cleaning the books up a little bit. Um, if they can if I I don’t anticipate they will stretch. I I just don’t think that’s a philosophy the Magic have. I think they’re going to be willing to give Jet a try, but the stakes are pretty high here and the Magic don’t have a lot of avenues to move. They’re very, very restricted this season. But like I mentioned, like I previewed, this is the time to go for it. This is the time to make sure you have a roster that’s capable because the East devolved into total chaos on day two of free agency. Let’s pull the microscope back. pull the telescope back, talk about the rest of the conference. We’ll get to that coming up here in just a moment. But first, today’s episode of Lockdown Done Magic is brought to our friends over at Monarch Money. 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That’s monarchmoney.com code lockedNBA for half off your first year. It is while this is a magic podcast. It this is a magic podcast. We focus on the Orlando Magic. It is always very important to look at everything within the context of the entire league and specifically because we are competing with the teams in the Eastern Conference to look at it within the context of the Eastern Conference especially. Obviously, like you go to the FanDuel odds, the Magic are still third in the East in in the odds to win the championship or odds to win the Eastern Conference. They’re fifth in the league in odds to win the championship the last time I checked them. Last time I checked, the Magic have great expectations. If you read that book, great. If you didn’t, you’re not missing much. Um, the Magic have great expectations this year. The Magic are expected to do things. And so Tuesday was a crazy day. That reminds you how thin this line is and honestly more importantly how this is a league now of the aggressors and the retreaters. I I was on beat of sports with Mark Daniels uh on Tuesday morning. Um you can I’ll I’ll share a link with that on my socials. Um, and you know, we we talked a little bit about this about how long the windows are open in the NBA now with the new collective bargain agreement rules with with everything that this le that the league has changed to try and rein in spending, reign in runaway spending, it’s had this effect of closing championship windows quicker. And I mentioned to him, you know, it feels like the Magic are in the first of their championship windows. They they looked at the they looked at the environment around them. They looked at their team and their two star players and said, “This is the time to go for it.” The fact that Paulo and Fran are 23 and 22 years old means they’ve got a lot of time. They’re going to be elite players for a long time. And this could very well be the beginning of their first championship window. Because the theory that I want to advance is that the way this works is you attack and you retreat. And you got to win while you’re attacking because at some point you’re going to have to reset and retreat. That’s what so many of these formerly top teams are doing. And again, the quicker you can do this, the better. The Boston Celtics facing the injury to Jason Tatum, a team that everybody pegged as the next dynasty, as a team that could win multiple championships before the tax and the aprons got to them. They decided to retreat. They traded Kristoff Sporzing. They traded Drew Holiday. They Luke Cornett is on a different team now. Al Horford is still deciding where to go. The Celtics, while I still think, are a playoff team. Do not get me wrong. I think they’re still a very dangerous team. The Celtics are in retreat. They are not going for it. They are resetting themselves for when they’re healthy around their two young stars and they will go for it again. They will make an aggressive trade down the road and they’ll compete with the Magic and some of these other teams. The Magic, they are in attack. The Magic went out and got Desmond Bane, a guy that nobody thought was available. Put all their draft assets into Desmond Bane because they believed he was the guy that could take their young group over the top. Were the Magic premature? Maybe they were. I think there’s a fair criticism to say that the Magic haven’t done anything that’s worth risking your entire future draft hole to make work. But the Magic believe in their guys. They have two of the best young stars in the league on the same team. And the Magic looked out at this landscape with Boston injured, Milwaukee injured, Indiana injured, and said, “Why not us? Why can’t we run this conference for a little while? And with how young our stars are compared to Jaylen Brunson, compared to Donovan Mitchell, why can’t this be our opportunity?” Again, look around the East. Who else besides the Magic are attacking in the Eastern Conference? The Milwaukee Bucks aren’t. Yeah, they went out and got Miles Turner from the Indiana Pacers, but they had to stretch Damen Lillard to do that. The Bucks have $22 million of dead money on their books for the next five years. That is a starter level player the Milwaukee Bucks won’t be able to sign to get this done. And look, I’m go listen to our friends at Lockown Bucks. I’ll have complete uh complete analysis on this. Camil does a great job covering the Bucks. We had her on the show to preview the uh the NBA Cup game. Um the Milwaukee Bucks have to go for it because of Giannis’s situation. And this is about as good of a reset as they could do, but now they are limited in what else they can do. The Indiana Pacers having stunningly lost Miles Turner in free agency. It was a slam dunk that they were going to sign him. But with Tyrese Hallebertton out with his injury, the Pacers are in retreat. They are resetting themselves and they may reset themselves faster because unlike the Celtics, they’re now not a tax team. Um they were very scared of paying the tax. The Pacers just do not pay the tax. They didn’t want to pay Miles Turner and Tyrese Halleurn’s injury gave them cover to let Turner walk. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the only contending team from last year that went on the attack to improve their roster, but they are also in retreat. A second apron team that that um that didn’t have the ability to keep Ty Jerome, ended up signing with the Memphis Grizzlies. They didn’t have the ability to keep Tai Jerome. They went out and got Lonzo ball which I thought was a great move. Big improvement, big upgrade on Isaac Aoro. Gives them another ball handler. Get, you know, just I I’m really big fan of what Cleveland did there. But that was to keep their boat steady. They’re they’re going to try and go at it again after their crazy season. But other than that, Atlanta was the only other team that I think was super aggressive to make themselves better. Atlanta sniffed an opportunity to attack to make something happen and they did getting Christophenis from the Celtics. Um they lose Caris Levert but they get Nel Alexander Walker the big, you know, the second biggest free agent of this off seasonason. They get Luke Canar. They’ll get Jaylen Johnson back from injury. They have on Yeka a congru who may not even start and a defensive player of the year candidate in Dyson Daniels and Trey Young coming off a really good season for him. Atlanta’s a dangerous team. Orlando and Atlanta are really the only teams that went for it, that saw opportunity at the top of the East and said, “Why not us? Why can’t we join that group?” Now, I think Orlando is in a better spot than Atlanta. And I will explain a little bit of that coming up in a minute. But this is the dynamic in in the league now. You’re attacking or you’re retreating. and good and the really good teams like what Denver did do both. Denver reduced their payroll, got under the second apron, got didn’t really gain add a lot of money and they got Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr. who just did not fit what they were doing. They got Bruce Brown back. They they got Tim Hardaway Jr. I love what Denver did. Denver is a do Denver is Denver went to game seven with Oklahoma City and said we can beat them. We weren’t We didn’t have it this year. We can beat them. The East is in complete chaos and the Magic are in perfect position to take advantage. So with just two days of free agency done, where should we expect the Magic to stand? Let’s run through the power rankings coming up here in just a moment. Let’s be very very clear. These power rankings are extremely mature are extremely extremely extremely premature and things will begin to settle down. Teams have got to finish their free agency. Indiana’s obviously not done. India Indiana has to pivot and and we’ll see what they end up doing. There is a long way to go before the season starts, but I do think it’s worth thinking and considering where where you stand among your peers, where you stand among your chief competition. And I think the FanDuel odds are right. Orlando should be the third best team in the Eastern Conference next year. Honestly, like Cleveland and New York should be the first two teams. Should be one two in the East this year. Um, they’ve got the experience. Uh, New York still needs a coach, but if they hire Mike Brown, I’ll be very confident because Mike Brown is is one heck of a coach. Um, they’ve got the experience. They’ve won playoff series before. They’ve got veterans who have been there. They’re just more proven. Cleveland won 60 games last year. New York won 50. Orlando, if there is doubt in Orlando this year, it’s that they haven’t done it before. And that’s okay to have that doubt, to have that question. That’s fair. I don’t think it should hold you back. I don’t think it should hold you back from recognizing their potential. But the Magic have to prove they can do it again. They have to prove they could do it for a first time. And so I think it is fair to wonder, did Orlando do enough with their with their offense? And look, I I think they’ve done a lot with their offense. Desmond Bane is the exact kind of offensive player the Magic need. someone who can create a little bit for himself and for others, but is very, very comfortable shooting spot-up threes. Jaylen Suggs back in an atmosphere where he is the third or fourth option, taking a lot of catch-and shoot threes. I think that’s his best role offensively. I think he is so much better in that role. Adding Taius Jones, one of the most efficient catch and shoot three-point shooters in the league. Someone who’s going to take five, six threes. He is He’s not going to try and do too much. He’s not going to make mistakes. I think that’s huge. I would put Orlando’s top five or six against any team in the East and they would certainly be among the very best. I would say the Magic’s top four guys, Paulo, Fron, Jaylen, Bane. Um those four guys, the Cleveland Cavaliers are pro the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York team New York Knicks are the only teams right now that have anyone that gets close to those four guys. So the Magic the Magic are deservingly in that conversation. They are deservedly one of the top four teams, one of the top three teams of the East in my opinion. Now, whether they’re able to get that three seed, whether they’re able to get the four seed, whether they’re able to climb to two, that’s going to be determined throughout the course of the season. So, this is all general stuff. This is just kind of power raking stuff. Who’s nipping at the heels of the Magic then? I think it’s very much a similar group. I think it’s Boston. I’m not ready to write off Boston. I think they are significantly worse than they were last year. They still got Derek White. They’ve still got Jaylen Brown. Anthony Simons, he’s still on the team. Anthony Simons is still a heck of a player and a heck of a shooter. They’re going to win basketball games, but Detroit, I think, is probably going to be fourth. But even them, I don’t think they improved. Like getting Duncan Robinson is a good replacement for Malik Beasley, who is just going through it right now with legal troubles. Um, very, very odd legal troubles. Um, listen to our friends at Locked on Pistons for more on that. Um, but the Pistons are still a really good team, like built just like the Magic. Really strong defensively. They have an A star in Kade Cunningham. They’ll get Jane Ivy back. Jaylen Duran is a really good player. Um, Detroit is still a really dangerous team. I I don’t want to dismiss them completely. But again, you’re looking at these like kind of onestar teams with a lot of flaws. And like this whole list, like I would put Boston four still probably. I would probably put Detroit five and then you’re looking at Atlanta Milwaukee. Atlanta, Milwaukee, Indiana, Miami is kind of that next group, I think. And I’m a big fan of what Atlanta has done. I think Atlanta has had the best summer in the league, even better than Houston. All you know, maybe Denver’s beat edged them out a little bit. Atlanta, I think, has clearly graduated from, and again, I have them six, so maybe not clearly, but Atlanta has put themselves in a position where they should really be disappointed if they’re in the playing tournament. Um Trey Young took some major steps last year. He was an excellent passer, much more comfortable off the ball. They added a huge pick and roll pick and pop threat in Christophingis. They can spread the floor with four shooters around Trey Young and that just stresses the heck out of a defense. Even a good defense is going to be stressed out by that. Um Quinn Snyder is an offensive genius. They’re gonna find a way to score a lot of points this year. Um so I I really love what Atlanta did. They’ve got good depth, too. like Zachary Reese coming off the bench like Zachary Vishay is a good player. Um uh Asa Newell good rookie. Uh they I think they I think they did a really good job and I think Atlanta’s going to be kind of the surprise team. Not not surprised team but be the team that makes a pretty sizable leap into not contender conversation but that middle tier conversation. I’m gonna stick with Milwaukee in this group as well. I’ll have Milwaukee as the seven seed just because Giannis is that good. Um the old saying is uh and so that would mean by the way that Orlando Atlanta in the playoffs which would be a hoot um for sure a hoot and I used a bird pun there on purpose that would be a fun series defense verse offense be a lot of fun um another round with Chrisop scoring in the playoffs um I would all I would say as well that I don’t want to count Milwaukee and Indiana out um because they have veteran like Milwaukee I don’t want to count out at all because uh because the Bucks are still really good. Um the Bucks are and I’m forgetting Philadelphia in here. Like maybe Philadelphia is the seven seed, maybe Philadelphia is the six, maybe Philadelphia is the five because if Joel Embiid’s healthy, that’s a really good team. Paul George, Tyresese Maxi, Jared McCain, VJ Edgecomb. Um they got to figure some things out. I don’t think their depth is there and that’s probably why they’re going to be the six or seven seed. Philadelphia. Philadelphia is going to be a player and if Embiid’s healthy, they’re gonna be a real player because Embiid is still one of the five best players in the league when he’s healthy, which who knows if he’ll ever be fully healthy for a season ever again. Um, they’re not a team I’d want to see in the playoffs. But it’s the same thing with the Milwaukee Bucks. They say in a playoff series, if you have the best player in the series, you have a chance to win. Jannis Santkmpo is the best player in the Eastern Conference. Jiannis Antakmpo is the best player in the Eastern Conference. You do not count that out. Even though Milwaukee currently has no guards, you know, Kevin Porter Jr. is like the only guard. Um Gary Harris is the only guard they got. Um if if even though they don’t have any guards, that’s a that’s that’s still Giannis. And so maybe I drop them down to eight. Maybe I put Philadelphia ahead of them at seven. Um like Miami, they haven’t measurably improved. You know, they’re still got Andrew Wiggins sitting around. I’d put them at nine. Uh I will give Toronto 10. Um, I like their top end talent, but like Toronto, Chicago are fighting for that for their usual spot in the playin tournament. Uh, Brooklyn’s not Brooklyn’s certainly not ready. They’re they’re they’re not going to be very good. Washington’s certainly not ready. They’re not going to be very good. Uh, Charlotte, Charlotte’s going to be interesting. If they’re healthy, they got top end talent. I like LaMelo, you know, LaMelo Ball is LaMelo Ball. I really like Brandon Miller. I love Khan Canopel. I think that was a great draft pick. They’re looking for a center. They don’t really have any centers, so that’s just an incomplete team. Just still a nice collection of talent. Um, with LaMelo Ball kind of feeding them an identity. Miles Bridges could still put up a lot of points. Um, they got some they they’ll they’ll be pluckucky and and they’ll they’ll surprise some teams when they’re healthy, but they’re too flawed to be be a series threat. So, you know, I would say my 10 teams for the postseason are Cleveland, New York, Orlando in that order. then some order of Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, and then probably Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Indiana, Miami, and then Toronto, Chicago uh in that next year. And I I didn’t really talk much about Indiana. Indiana’s still got Pascal Seakum. They got to find a replacement for Miles Turner. They’re going to have to play different with Tyrese Haliburn out, but they they play so good together. Let’s not count Indiana out. Let’s not throw them out with the bathwater there. But again, like you look at all these teams and there are a lot of flaws. Like there are a lot of teams that don’t have a position of really critical need if Orlando stays healthy at all. And again, like Jaylen Suggs could miss 15 games and the team would still be fine. Obviously like Paulo and Fron are their own deal and and the Magic can’t miss them for very long. But as long as the Magic are healthy, they feel like a team to beat. They feel like a team nobody wants to deal with. They feel like a team that should think we can win the Eastern Conference. We’re going to win a playoff series. We can win a second round series. We’re a matchup nightmare for most teams. The Magic should feel very very conf confident that they have more answers to the questions than almost any team that they’re competing with. And that’s again the chaos of the Eastern Conference. So many teams are in retreat. The Magic attacked and they’re going to get the reward for that attack. Now again, the ultimate goal is to win a championship. to make the NBA finals to win a championship, the Magic are going to have to prove a lot to be on that level. I think most people think Cleveland and New York are heads and tails above Orlando. And and look, Orlando has given both of those teams problem in the past, just as those teams have given Orlando problems in the past. And this is a different Orlando team. So, who knows who knows what that matchup’s going to be like. But I think the Magic enter, you know, at for where we stand, the Magic enter the next phase of this off seasonason and enter next season in a really good spot. They should be exactly what people expect them to be. Third of the Eastern Conference, knocking on the door of the Championship Contender Class. And whether they get there or not is going to depend on how much better they get, how they finish this off seasonason, and how they match up and look against those other elite teams. The Magic are one of those teams. They are the team everybody’s going to be chasing all season long. They just got to prove that’s who they are. I want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Lockdown Magic. Of course, find me on Twitter, phipr_om, and on blue sky, phipr. You can subscribe to the podcast and Apple podcast. Search your tune in Hamilton, Google Play, Spotify, Odyssey and all you download podcast to your podcast enable us. You can find us as well on YouTube. Just search for Locked on Magic. Thank you for all the extra follows and subscriptions. Tell your friends to subscribe to Locked On Magic. Our goal is to get to 5,000 subscribers before the start of the season and we are well on our way. Appreciate every one of you who watches Lockdown Magic. For the latest on the Orlando Magic, be sure to check out Orlando Magicaily.com. You can find us on Twitter, Omagic Daily. And for even more Orlando Magic content, including I will write out my power rankings uh on my Patreon page, patreon.com/orlandomagichub. As always, thank you for your support. Now that you’re done listening to Lockdown Magic, go make Lockdown NBA your second listen of the day. Doug, Matt, and Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors, and everything you need to you need to know to be the most informed NBA fan. Find Lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s all part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. That’s going to do it for me today though. I want to thank you all again for listening to today’s episode of Locked On Magic. We’ll be back tomorrow, barring the poancer newsbreaking, barring the Movager news breaking. We will be back tomorrow with my interview with Matt Sheihinn of lockdown Spartans to learn a little bit more about Jace Richardson and what the Magic are getting in their rookie. Until then though, have a great day. We’ll see you all again tomorrow for Orlando Magic Daily and Locked On Magic. This has been Philip Rosen. We’ll see you all again for another episode of Locked On Magic.

The Eastern Conference entered turmoil on the second day of free agency as the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers made major moves that have them in retreat. The Orlando Magic were one of the few teams to attack the weakened conference and position themselves to be players atop the Eastern Conference.

Orlando sensed this was the time to attack and addressed their backcourt and shooting issues with Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones. They are now positioned to advance deep into the Playoffs if they can take it on the court.

As the dust begins to settle on free agency, the Magic should emerge in the top tier with a real chance to win the Eastern Conference.

0:00 Intro: Magic’s position in Eastern Conference
5:12 Analyzing potential Magic roster moves
10:48 Eastern Conference chaos and team strategies
16:57 Magic poised to take advantage of East
22:05 Ranking top teams in Eastern Conference
27:42 Evaluating playoff contenders and dark horses

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