5-on-5: With Vogel in, should Magic go after Dwight Howard?

ByNBA INSIDERS
May 19, 2016, 5:25 PM

— -- Is  bringing in Frank Vogel as coach a good move for the  Orlando Magic? Should they chase Dwight Howard this offseason?

Our NBA Insiders forecast the future for the Magic.

1. What's your take on the hiring of Frank Vogel as coach?

Amin Elhassan, ESPN.com: One man's trash is another man's treasure; where Larry Bird saw unfulfilled expectation, the Magic will find excellent preparation, defensive execution and a guy who can connect with today's player. Both Orlando and Frank Vogel got upgrades today.

David Thorpe, ESPN Insider: I never understood the hiring of Scott Skiles. But with his resignation, it's all worked out. He was essentially a placeholder until Vogel was available, even if that was just a happy accident for Orlando. Vogel will help the Magic reach a new level of success, something I never thought Skiles would do.

Bradford Doolittle,  ESPN Insider: This played out nicely for the Magic, who upgraded an area they didn't even know they needed to upgrade. The Pacers enjoyed an immediate improvement from Vogel's positivity a few years ago, and after season in which Orlando was less than the sum of its parts, perhaps the Magic will see a similar uptick.

Kevin Pelton, ESPN Insider: I think Vogel was the best coach available and an upgrade on Skiles. He's got a similar track record in terms of defensive success -- not with multiple teams, like Skiles, but with widely varying personnel the past two seasons -- and doesn't bring the same kind of issues in terms of burning out players and occasionally running off young talent. The Magic did well to beat other teams with vacancies for Vogel's services.

2. What else do you foresee and advise for the Magic this offseason?

Pelton: This is Orlando's best summer to use cap space, albeit not the best time to have it, and the Magic will surely try to persuade two stars to team up in Central Florida. The nice thing is Orlando doesn't have any glaring holes on the roster, so the Magic can probably make room for whichever players are interested.

The downside is Orlando might commit to spending the money whether top-tier free agents are interested or not, which could lead to overpaying lesser talents.

Haberstroh: I'd go hard after Al Horford, if he indeed has a soft spot for Orlando. He's the type of playmaking, two-way big man that the Magic need, not the more traditional Nikola Vucevic.

I don't see Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo coexisting in the same backcourt, so I'd try to move one of them as well (Payton first). Evan Fournier, one of their precious few shooters, should be brought back, too.

Elhassan: Shooting, shooting, shooting has to be a priority. Outside of Fournier, the departed Channing Frye and the soon-to-be-departed Ersan Ilyasova, the Magic had no bona fide spacers on the roster, and that led to congestion, which made life difficult for dribble penetrators Oladipo and Payton. There were too many games last season in which the team was down three in end-of-game situations and threw out four nonshooters!

Doolittle: I know it's been awhile since the Magic have made the postseason, but I think they need to remain patient and focus on development and player acquisition. I don't think they can get where they need to go by overpaying on the free-agent market. Eventually they'll have enough surplus young talent to swing a major deal.

Thorpe: Go after every star you can. Great weather. Fun city. Gorgeous arena. Some strong young talent, with a point guard who is fun to play with. And now a coach who has proved he can help his guys play their best basketball. Until a franchise sees itself as a top-level destination, it can never be one. Belief comes first.

3. Bringing Dwight Howard back to Orlando as a free agent: good idea or bad idea?

Thorpe: Good idea, for the right price. He still helps his teams win, and he seems intent on righting wrongs. We saw Vogel build a defense in Indiana, and he certainly could do the same around Howard, protecting him in his weaknesses and maximizing his strengths.

Haberstroh: Bad idea. I'm not seeing a -- dare I say -- magical storybook ending here. Though Vogel has gotten the most out of Ian Mahinmi and Hibbert, I don't think it's a good fit with the backcourt. Howard needs spacers; Orlando hardly has that.

Doolittle: I like the idea of having Howard to anchor a revamped defense, especially now that Vogel is onboard. I don't love the idea of throwing three or four years of a max contract at him, though. It's a tough call, but I would prefer to squirrel away my cap space and keep searching for that home-run trade.

Pelton: Bad idea. Howard's skills actually fit the Magic's roster pretty well, as Orlando could use an athletic rim protector who's also a threat on offense. But paying a 31-year-old who has suffered knee and back injuries max or near-max money makes no sense whatsoever for a team with a core of players in their early 20s.

Elhassan: I'm sure the marketing department would be all in, and Vogel would appreciate all the help he can get, but this doesn't make much sense. Even ignoring Howard's health issues and age, playing him alongside Vucevic would likely just make life miserable for both of them, and even if you could figure that combo out, you're still looking at a team that is nowhere near the level of competitiveness that Howard is probably seeking at this stage of his career.

4. How many long-term building blocks do the Magic have?

Elhassan: I like the Magic's collection of talent, but everyone should be expendable. There are no "untouchables" on this roster, just some good young players. Long-term there probably needs to be a decision made whether Oladipo and Payton can play together as two nonshooters who thrive with the ball in their hands.

Pelton: I think Aaron Gordon is the only player on the Magic's roster I'm confident will be part of the next great Orlando team. Oladipo is likely to join him, and Fournier, Mario Hezonja, Payton and Vucevic are certainly possible, but none of them is so clearly good to not be expendable depending on how the next couple of seasons play out.

Thorpe: I like six guys at least. Payton, Hezonja, Gordon, Oladipo, and Vucevic all have starter talent, and on some teams a great shooter like Fournier could start too. Maybe Oladipo is best-suited for the sixth man role. Maybe Payton is too, if he can't learn to shoot.

But also, just maybe, these guys are ready to make a big jump in their overall games with a true coach they can get along with and believe in. Payton, Gordon, and Vucevic all have All-Star talent.

Doolittle: Orlando has a lot of guys you can envision slotting as rotation players on a solid playoff team, but the Magic are clearly missing the top rung of the ladder. Maybe Hezonja or Gordon can become that guy -- it's too early to really have a feel for what they are going to be. That's part of the reason I think they need to be patient for now.

Haberstroh: Gordon is probably the only untouchable piece on the roster, with Oladipo and Hezonja right behind him. Fournier isn't a franchise cornerstone, but he's a nice player to have in a rebuild. Everyone else should be movable.

5. Fact or Fiction: Orlando will make the playoffs by 2019.

Haberstroh: Fact. Look at what Vogel did with Indiana this year. After finishing 35-47 this season with gobs of young talent, the Magic are much closer to the playoff picture than, say, Sacramento or New York. I wouldn't be surprised if they make it next season in Indiana's place.

Thorpe: Fact, I hope. They are loaded with young talent; they have a proven coach who in no way deserved to be fired (as admitted by the guy who fired him). They also have a perfect environment for a star to come in and help be the guy to get them back into the postseason.

Elhassan: The 2019 season is a long way away! Given the Magic have some nice pieces, flexibility, good pick inventory and a good young coach, I'm going to guess the playoffs should be an attainable benchmark within the next three years.

Doolittle: Fact. I would be shocked if they don't have multiple playoff appearances by that point. I think they'll make the playoffs next year. The uptick on defense that they should get from Vogel ought to be enough to get them there, and they could be this year's Pistons if they find a good offensive assistant to help on that end.

Pelton: Fact. I think the playoffs are certainly possible next season depending on how much the Magic can add this summer, and with another couple of years of development in Vogel's defensive system I would be surprised if Orlando isn't a playoff team by the 2017-18 season.