Thus far, the Orlando Magic have been very active in the off-season trying to improve their team to compete for a championship ring next season. Despite their NBA Finals appearance in 2008-09, GM Otis Smith still feels like the Magic are missing a few more pieces to become a legitimate contender to win it all. Earlier this summer, Orlando managed to acquire All-Star shooting guard Vince Carter from the Nets as well as undersized power forward Brandon Bass. Moreover, they re-signed restricted free agent Marcin Gortat for the full MLE.

However, it does not look like the Magic are done with their roster overhaul yet. Yesterday, the franchise announced that they were able to sign forward Matt Barnes to a two-year deal worth roughly $3 million. Last year, he appeared in 77 regular season games for the Phoenix Suns and averaged 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. According to Orlando’s coach Stan van Gundy, Matt Barnes is expected to be a great addition due to his intensity on the defensive end of the floor and his excellent passing skills for a big man. As of now, everything points to Barnes coming off the bench together with Mikael Pietrus. Considering that he will be playing together with Dwight Howard and Vince Carter, the 6-7 forward should get plenty of open looks on the perimeter as well.  

Without any doubts, adding Barnes to Orlando’s lineup should further improve the team’s depth. After all, the Magic already have an excellent starting five with four potential All-Stars in Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. On top of that, Marcin Gortat can be considered one of the best backup centers in the league and the shooting skills of Mikael Pietrus and basketball IQ of Matt Barnes should give Orlando a very decent second unit. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen how well the team will fit together on the floor. Ultimately, other contenders such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs also improved their competitive rosters through free agency and trades.

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