If D’Angelo Russell decides not to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming 2024-25 season, he will be highly sought after by many teams in the transfer market. As one of the teams with a relatively large budget in this summer’s transfer window, the Orlando Magic has begun targeting stars to improve the quality of their lineup.

Alongside emerging talent Paolo Banchero in the forward position, the Magic needs an All-Star or near-All-Star caliber guard to elevate the team. Consequently, Orlando has set its sights on D’Angelo Russell, the point guard who recently ended his season early with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to reputable sources like The Athletic, the Orlando Magic is interested in D’Angelo Russell’s situation with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 1996-born guard still has one year left on his contract with the LA team, earning $18.7 million in the 2024-25 season. However, due to a last-year clause (Player Option), Russell could decide his own future and become a free agent this summer.

If the 1996-born guard decides to bid farewell to the Lakers and become a free agent, the Orlando Magic will enter the race to secure Russell’s signature in the free transfer market – NBA Free Agency 2024. After seasons of struggling at the bottom of the standings, the Orlando Magic is undergoing a revival, evidenced by their significant improvement and qualification for the NBA Playoffs 2024. They nearly upset the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing the series 4-3 in the first round.

Recognizing the potential for development, Orlando has set out to find a high-quality point guard to support the young big man duo of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. In the series against the Cavaliers, no Magic player scored more than 13 points per game apart from the aforementioned duo, highlighting a significant scoring and playmaking gap in the guard group.

In response to this demand, D’Angelo Russell just completed his 9th NBA season at the age of 28, averaging 18.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers. He played 76 games (including 69 starts) with shooting percentages of 45.6% FG and 41.5% 3PT.

The Athletic suggests that Russell could be the factor that elevates the Orlando Magic from a mid-tier team to a potential disruptor in the Eastern Conference, capable of making deeper runs in the playoffs. As one of the three teams with the largest budget in the upcoming NBA Free Agency, the Orlando Magic will be a noteworthy contender with the potential to make a big splash at any time.

In addition to D’Angelo Russell, the Magic is also monitoring the situations surrounding Klay Thompson with the Golden State Warriors and Paul George with the LA Clippers, ready to make contact if these stars fail to reach contract extension agreements with their current teams.

NBA Free Agency 2024 is set to officially open at the end of June, beginning of July.