The Orlando Magic suffered one of the most disappointing and disheartening seasons in franchise history in 2017. The 29-53 record represented a huge step back for what was once a promising rebuild.
The Magic, it seemed, cashed in a lot of their chips — including young players like Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo — to add veteran players to provide some leadership stability and get the team over the top after a promising 35-win season in 2016.
It all came crashing down fairly quickly. By December, the Magic’s defense had collapsed and the team’s well-laid plans to try to go big with versatile defenders and rim protection in a league going small failed.