Jeff Weltman has served as the Magic‘s president of basketball operations since 2017. During that time, Orlando has made four playoff appearances but has yet to advance past the first round of the postseason. In Weltman’s view, the current version of the Magic looks more capable of achieving that feat than any other roster he has overseen during the past eight years.
“For me personally since I’ve been here, I think this roster has a chance to do some special things, more so than any other that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Weltman said, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It looks good on paper. It’s the job of our players, our coaches and all of our staff to bring everything we have to bear to get this team as far along as we can.
“The nice thing about the team that I get excited about is it’s still very young and there’s still a lot of growth baked in. I look forward to the next few years unfolding, but obviously starting right now.”
Orlando has traded for standout wing Desmond Bane and signed veteran point guard Tyus Jones this offseason, adding them to a core headlined by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. Banchero has also received a new long-term extension.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Speaking to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required), new Hawks big man Kristaps Porzingis expressed excitement about the coming season in Atlanta and spoke about what he thinks he can bring to the club. “I think I’ll fit right in here and add more like diversity, maybe even more offense,” Porzingis said. “And, yeah, I think there’s going to be more like layers to this offense that’s already pretty powerful. But yeah, I think we can really be a force offensively.”
- After being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for 2024/25, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels tells Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints that he believes he still has room to keep getting better and that he has bigger goals ahead, including becoming an All-Star and winning a championship. The Defensive Player of the Year runner-up also credited Trae Young for the role he played in Daniels’ breakout season. “He made my life a lot easier and our games kind of really complement each other,” Daniels said. “Him on the offensive end, me on the defensive end helping him out.”
- The acquisition of Cam Whitmore from Houston is a low-risk and potentially high-reward for the Wizards, according to Josh Robbins and Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who consider how the trade fits into Washington’s long-term plan and suggest head coach Brian Keefe could frequently deploy wing-heavy lineups that lack a traditional power forward next season.