The offseason officially started for the Orlando Magic seconds after the final buzzer of their 94-106 Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. According to reputable NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, the Magic are one of the teams eyeing incoming free agent Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“There’s two teams that are paying very close attention to Paul George: the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, because both of them have the money to throw at him and need a wing just like him, a veteran guy,” Shelburne said on “the Brian Windhorst & the Hoops Collective” podcast on May 1.

The 76ers and Magic are "paying very close attention" to Paul George's contract situation heading into the offseason, per @ramonashelburne.

Which team would be the best fit? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/8EI3M08qi3

— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) May 1, 2024

Sportrac projected the Magic to have a practical cap space of $19 million, but their maximum possible cap space could balloon to as high as $58 million if they forego their team options on Jonathan Isaac, Joe Ingles, and Moritz Wagner.

Despite turning 34 once the free agency window opens, George is expected to be a hot commodity on the market because of his reputation as a flat-out scorer and above-average wing defender. He’ll be looking for his final max-level deal of at least $45 million per year before he enters the twilight years of his career.

George averaged 22.6 points on 47.1 FG%, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during the regular season with the Clippers. His scoring production dipped a bit during the six-game series against the Mavericks, putting up 19.5 points on 41.1 FG% and 36.7 3PT%.

The Orlando Magic are paying very close attention to Paul George ahead of free agency 👀

(via @ramonashelburne) pic.twitter.com/v41Lnf3HCF

— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) May 2, 2024

NBA experts expect the Magic to bring over either a legitimate shooter or a scorer who will help address the lack of shooting on their roster. George, a career 38.5 3PT% shooter, would be a solid addition to a resurging team like the Magic.

The Orlando Magic’s season ended on Sunday after failing to withstand a furious second-half rally from Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of their highly entertaining first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Seeking their first playoff series win since 2010, the Magic came out of the gate strong and surged to an 18-point lead in the first half before holding on to a 53-43 advantage at the break.

that's half

brb pic.twitter.com/HJFcfadSP3

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 5, 2024

Mitchell, who hasn’t reached the second round of the playoffs since 2021, spearheaded a decisive second half that sent the Cavaliers back to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018. It also marked the first time the Cavs punched a playoff ticket without LeBron James in 30 years.

Despite a knee injury, Mitchell capped arguably his most productive playoff series with a game-high 39 points, less than 48 hours after dropping 50 in Game 6.

Donovan Mitchell answered the call for the Cavs in Games 6 & 7 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/RSL3lYfqB8

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 5, 2024

Second-year forward Paolo Banchero racked up a monster double-double with 38 points and 16 rebounds in his final game of the season.

.@Pp_doesit speaks to the media after his 38-point performance in game 7 at Cleveland 👇 pic.twitter.com/O6X0OogSdH

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 5, 2024

Although the Magic had hoped for a deeper run in this year’s playoffs, the valuable experience throughout the grueling first-round battle with the Cavs will only fuel this team to reach greater heights in the coming seasons.

The Magic, who converted only 10 of their 31 three-pointers, will be armed with a significant cap space that they can use to shop for a proven shooter or an established star in the free agency market this summer.

The Orlando Magic entered Game 7 of their showdown versus the Cavaliers without a single road win by either squad. With exception to Paolo Banchero, every other notable Magic player had shot significantly worse on the road as opposed to on their home floor in the first six games. Unfortunately for Orlando, the trends would continue with Cleveland bouncing the young visiting team in Game 7, 106-94, bringing an end to the Magic’ season.

.@Pp_doesit speaks to the media after his 38-point performance in game 7 at Cleveland 👇 pic.twitter.com/O6X0OogSdH

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) May 5, 2024

Paolo Banchero had another superstar performance, finishing the game with 38 points and 16 rebounds, though he had to put up almost 30 shots to get there. Banchero shot almost 10 percent better on the road leading up to Game 7, but from the beginning of Sunday’s game, there were indicators that Paolo felt he had to do most of the work himself. Banchero finished 10 of 28 from the field, well below his FG average of 53% in the first six games. He did more than his share of getting to the free throw line, hitting 15 of his 18 attempts from the stripe.

It was still not enough. Basketball is a team sport. The player Orlando needed to step up most in Cleveland on Sunday, Forward Franz Wagner, had his worst game of the Playoffs by far. Wagner shot just 1 of 15 from the field including missing all 5 of his three-pointers. He managed 4-4 at the free throw line during the late game, but at that point the momentum and control of the game overall had swung too heavily toward the home court Cavaliers.

Franz Wagner putting the finishing touch on one of the biggest Game 7 choke jobs of all-time…

34 mins
1/15 FG
6 pts pic.twitter.com/dxbD6BX9Gz

— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) May 5, 2024

Magic Guard Jalen Suggs was banged up the entire game, noticeably limping at times, yet added 10 points and a couple key turnovers during the more competitive middle of the game. Surprisingly, the Magic managed to blow the game despite having a 53-43 lead at the half and holding as much as an 18 point lead at one point. The major differences without a doubt were the total absence of Wagner and the huge disparity in points in the paint, with Cleveland almost doubling the production of the Magic down low.

On the Cavs’ side, Donovan Mitchell had another stellar game, struggling at first but ending with a game high 39 points on 11 of 27 shooting to go with 15 of 17 at the free throw line. Mitchell dominated the second half and when the dust settled, Mitchell had just enough help on his side to outlast Banchero, who ran out of steam near the end of the game. Cavs’ Center Evan Mobley snatched 16 rebounds alot of which were clutch in the late game to go with 11 points. Also worthy of a mention was Cleveland Guard Caris LeVert who played excellent off the bench to notch 15 points for the Cavs.

Missed opportunities. Poor second half shot selection. Not enough of a down low presence. These things doomed the scrappy upstart Magic and will be a focus for them in the offseason. Hard to make it the headline after a heartbreaking Game 7, but the future will be bright for this roster if the work is done to tweak what went wrong heading into the fall.

No moral victories but I’m so proud of this team what they have shown this season and to force a game 7.

Respect to Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs for an incredible series, and best of luck to them moving forward.

This is just the beginning for this entire Magic team💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/6k4MDxF7oR

— Brett James (@thebrettjames1) May 5, 2024

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