ORLANDO, Fla. _ On Wednesday night, while their starters were in the game, the Orlando Magic looked like the team they originally hoped to be during the 2016-17 season.
They played solid defense. They sprinted upcourt in transition and made easy baskets. And they won a game.
The Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons, 113-109, in their season finale.
Aaron Gordon scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Elfrid Payton finished with 21 points and 13 assists.
Because of the victory, coupled with the Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the New York Knicks, the Magic finished the season with the NBA's fifth-worst record. The Magic will have an 8.8 percent chance in the NBA draft lottery of winning the top overall pick, a 9.66 percent chance of receiving the second pick and a 10.68 chance of picking third.
Back in October, Magic officials hoped the 82nd game of the regular season would serve as a tune-up for the playoffs.
Instead, Magic players will spend Thursday cleaning out their lockers for a long offseason.
And now the uncertainty begins.
It's clear that changes are in the offing.
Rob Hennigan's five-year tenure as general manager almost certainly is over.
And there's also no question that the roster will look different next season.
Jeff Green and Jodie Meeks will become free agents, and there's no guarantee that any of the Magic's 13 other players will be back, either.
Roster turnover is inevitable on every team, but in the Magic's case, the alterations could be extreme.
"I'm fully aware that it might be my last game with the Magic, because you never know what can happen," said swingman Evan Fournier, who is under contract through the 2020-21 season. "When you lose, that's really when things shake up and teams make a lot of changes.
"I'm really not the type of the guy that is concerned about these things. I'm just aware of it, because at the end of the day, my job is to get better, to play basketball, and that's it. I can't control those things. And to be honest, I don't really want to think about it because it's just a waste of time. It's a waste of energy."
The Magic, who finished with a 29-53 record, will hold their end-of-season exit interviews with players on Thursday.
"You know there's going to be turnover," coach Frank Vogel said. "But we don't approach it like that. We approach it like all these guys are going to be back. When you talk about the exit interviews and the plan for the summer, it's with all these guys with the intent of being back and what they've got to do to improve and bring more to the table."
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