3 Orlando Magic players who definitely won't be back next year

It may not feel like it now, but the 2023-24 NBA campaign was a monumental success for the Orlando Magic.

Despite losing a hard-fought first-round playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7, the Magic surpassed any expectations that sportsbooks and the public consensus had for them heading into this year (pre-season win total was 36.5), finishing as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 regular season record. 

There is plenty of reason for optimism after seeing former No. 1 overall pick and 2022-23 Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero ascend to All-Star status as a 21-year-old combined with the continued improvement of promising young wing Franz Wagner and two-way combo guard Jalen Suggs. Moreover, they have a bright young coach in Jamahl Mosley, who finished as the 2023-24 Coach of the Year runner-up to Mark Daigneault of the Oklahoma City Thunder and is under contract through 2028.

Now, the Magic must assess their current situation and ask themselves: How do they build off this? And where do they go from here?

Plenty of discourse surrounding Orlando throughout the 2023-24 season was on their three-point shooting woes. They tied for last in the Association with the Detroit Pistons in made threes per game (11.0). So, it's safe to assume that will be an area of focus this offseason. 

The Magic project to be a cap space team this summer and have all their first-round picks through 2030, on top of a surplus of draft capital from previous deals they have made, so they will be a team to monitor moving forward.

However, they will have to part ways with members of this rendition of the roster to make way for any high-profile additions, meaning these three players will be on their way out this offseason.

3. Gary Harris

Gary Harris was the focal point of the trade that sent Aaron Gordon from Orlando to the Denver Nuggets in 2021 but has failed to replicate his early-career production. 

Once considered a talented prototypical 3-and-D wing, Harris averaged at least 12.3 points and 1.2 steals per game while shooting no less than 35.4 percent from beyond the arc in three consecutive seasons from 2015-18. Alas, injuries plagued him early in his career, having cleared the 60-game threshold only once since then after doing it twice in his first four years as a pro.

Harris averaged his lowest average point (6.9) and minute (24.0) totals since his rookie season in 2023-24, suggesting the Magic already began phasing him out of the picture.

Orlando will shed Harris' $13 million salary from their payroll this summer, allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency. ESPN's Brian Windhorst previously labeled him the most likely Magic player to be on the move leading to the 2024 trade deadline because the team would need to attach his expiring contract to a deal. But all beating the rumors did was delay his inevitable departure.

2. Markelle Fultz

The story of Markelle Fultz's career since the Philadelphia 76ers chose him with the first overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has been injuries and a lack of consistent three-point shooting. 

Fultz has appeared in 19 regular season games or less in four of his seven years as a pro. Yikes. However, he has shown flashes of why the Sixers spent a No. 1 overall selection during his time with the Magic. While he may never live up to his draft billing, he still offers intrigue as a capable defensive-minded combo guard with playmaking chops. Moreover, he is only 25, suggesting he has time and room for growth.

The three-year, $50 million contract Fultz signed with the Magic in 2020 expired after Orlando's playoff run, meaning he will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

Considering the top priority this offseason is improving in the shooting department, it feels counterintuitive to re-sign Fultz, especially considering his lengthy injury history.

While we'll always be left wondering what could've been with Fultz were it not for injuries derailing his career, the Magic have seen enough to decide they are not curious enough to continue trying to hone whatever untapped potential he may have.

1. Anthony Black

Yes, the Magic selected Anthony Black with the No. 6 overall pick in last year's NBA Draft. But this is not a knock on him. Instead, it stems from the fact that Orlando's success this season may have accelerated their timeline, making him expendable as arguably their most realistic and desirable bargaining chip to upgrade the roster around Banchero and Wagner.

Black started 33 games in his first year as a pro, averaging 4.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. While the numbers don't necessarily jump off the screen, he made his presence felt, especially as a defender. The former Arkansas Razorback was one of the best defensive guards in the NBA, as evidenced by his 108.9 defensive rating, which led all rookies in 2023-24.

Moreover, Black isn't an ideal fit next to Orlando's budding star tandem. He is a non-shooter who operates best with the ball in his hands, facilitating for others, which the team looks to Banchero and Wagner for as nontraditional point forwards.

Nonetheless, Black is an intriguing prospect as a 6-foot-7 guard with excellent vision and defensive skills entering his age-21 season, with three more years of club control at a team-friendly cost. He will make another franchise very happy.