The Orlando Magic are just a couple of days away from finishing off a very disappointing season. With two games left on the schedule the Magic are 34-46 in a season where they were hoping to take a big step forward and compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
This offseason the Magic have a lot of decisions to make about their future. A lot of the decisions will revolve around trying to improve their roster by getting players from outside the organization but they have a few of their own free agents to worry about too. Evan Fournier is the biggest name among those free agents but the most likely to be back is probably backup center Dewayne Dedmon.
Dedmon was undrafted out of USC in 2013 but signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. With the Warriors he spent a lot of time in the D-League before being waived and signing with the 76ers. The 76ers went on to waive Dedmon also which is when he signed with the Magic for the first time. Dedmon's deal with the Magic was fully non-guaranteed but he has stuck around for the duration of the deal and the Magic like what they have seen.
The 26-year-old center made less than $1 million this season but the Magic are expected to make him a qualifying offer this offseason that would pay about $1.2 million. Dedmon can choose to accept that qualifying offer or try to negotiate a longer-term deal with Orlando. By giving Dedmon the qualifying offer the Magic would make him a restricted free agent this offseason meaning that they can match any offer he receives on the open market.
Dedmon hasn't been given much playing time in his two-plus seasons with the Magic but this is a sign that they like how he has developed and they want to keep him around. In 56 games this year the seven-footer has averages of 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in just 12 minutes per game. The former Trojan did a very nice job filling in for Nikola Vucevic earlier in the season when he had a groin injury and overall has an above average PER of 16.3 so there is a lot to like here.
If Dedmon is back with Orlando next season, which seems very likely, he looks like he is ready for a bigger role. The Magic's frontcourt this year was pretty deep but Jason Smith is also a free agent and may not be back so Dedmon may just be ready to take on the minutes he leaves behind.
