The Orlando Magic had a .500 regular season that saw them reach the Play-In Tournament. They beat the Atlanta Hawks to find their spot in the playoffs, where they faced a Boston Celtics team that were heavy favorites. While Orlando found a way to win a game, they were disposed of in five games in the opening round.
Now it’s time to focus on the offseason. Let’s take a look at some of the key upcoming Magic free agents and predict if they will stay or leave.
Stay Or Go? Predicting What Happens With Magic Free Agents
Gary Harris (Team Option) – Leave
A club option worth $7.5 million just seems too pricey for the Magic to decide to keep Gary Harris. Turning 31 years old on September 14, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard has played the last four full seasons for Orlando. While he still has some defensive value, his playing time and production have dipped in each ensuing year.
A low-usage player at this point of his career, Harris averaged a career-low three points per game in his 48 outings in 2024-25. While he was part of Orlando’s playoff rotation, he only scored seven points total in the five games. While Harris will probably see his career continue, it will likely be closer to a minimum salary for 2025-26.
Caleb Houstan (Team Option) – Keep
For the 2025-26 season, Caleb Houstan has a club option worth $2,187,699. That deal becomes fully guaranteed on June 30, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Magic hold on to him. Selected 32nd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, Houstan has spent each of his three seasons with Orlando.
Still just 22 years old, Houstan shot a career-best from three-point range at 40% in 2024-25. He has often been a guy who is a fringe rotation player for the team but still gets in more often than not due to injuries. Much like Harris, he didn’t make much of an impact in the playoffs, but his option is much more reasonable.
Cory Joseph (Team Option) – Keep
Now 14 years deep into his NBA career, Cory Joseph has a club option for 2025-26 worth a little less than $3.5 million. Turning 34 years old on August 20, the Magic utilized the 6-foot-2 point guard in the starting lineup to end the season (and in their five postseason games).
While Orlando likely wouldn’t want Joseph to be their full-time starting point guard next year, he is still a steadying veteran presence off the bench. In 2024-25, he shot 36.4% from beyond the arc and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of four.
Moritz Wagner (Team Option) – Keep
Moritz Wagner was having somewhat of an under-the-radar superb season for Orlando prior to getting inured. The recently-turned 28-year-old center tore his ACL on December 21, ending his season prematurely. This past season was the fourth full one for Wagner with the Magic.
The seven-year veteran posted career-best averages in 2024-25 of 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. He also shot a solid 56.2% from the field and 36.0% from three-point territory. Given how much his presence was missed, it should be a no-brainer for the Magic to bring him back at the very reasonable price of $11 million in 2025-26.
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