3 Orlando Magic Players Who Won't Be Back Next Season

The Orlando Magic are headed home for the summer, but there's no denying they made a huge statement this season, launching themselves into the conversation in the Eastern Conference. A 5th-seed finish in the regular season and a 7-game barn-burner of a first-round series with the heavily-favored Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now they're hoping to take that one more step to becoming a true contender. That one will undoubtedly be the most difficult to take. Some changes will be needed this offseason, and we begin our look at that process by going over three Magic players who won't be back in 2024-25:

Markelle Fultz

After being labeled a No. 1 overall draft bust back in 2017-18, Fultz has fought his way back over the years to establish himself as a viable contributor in the NBA, even if not of true "No. 1 overall" pedigree.

Injuries played havoc with his season this year (as they've done throughout his career), as he played in only 43 games, but in 2022-23, he established career-highs with 14 points per game, 5.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

But he doesn't provide the three-point shooting that the team could use to help open up the floor for frontcourt stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and as Fultz hits the free agent market, the Magic would be best advised to spend money on upgrading that area. One potential big splash in this department is already making the rounds on the rumor mill.

Gary Harris

The veteran shooting guard once showed the ability to be a solid 3-and-D player in the NBA, but his production and usage has fallen off over the years, down to averaging just 6.9 points this season. His $13 million salary will come off the books this summer, and Orlando can add that to the nice big chunk of cap space they've got, to bring in a more suitable talent.

Joe Ingles

The veteran shooter is at the club's mercy this summer, as Orlando holds a team option on his $11 million contract for 2024-25. But at 36, and with serious injury concerns over the years, Ingles' production has fallen off the map, as he averaged just 4.4 points this season in 17 minutes per night. He was barely a factor at all in Orlando's seven-game series loss to the Cavs, having essentially fallen out of the rotation.

The Magic would be well-served to use his $11M as a salary filler in a trade to bring in a more impactful player, or to simply free up that cap space by not picking up the option.