The Orlando Magic will be better than they were last season, mark my words. Will that be enough to win the NBA Title? Only time will tell on that one. The Magic knew that they were going to lose Hedo Turkoglu so they essentially traded him to the Raptors for nothing. But, the trade that brought Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson from the Nets for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee more than replaced the firepower that Turkoglu took with him. The Magic then matched a huge offer for C/F Marcin Gortat so that they could keep him in town. That was a good move despite the fact that he wants to start. The Magic signed PF Brandon Bass away from the Mavericks as a free agent and he will likely share time with Gortat at power forward. Matt Barnes was signed to add some firepower to the bench. Jason Williams and Adonal Foyle were also signed as free agents but they will have to earn any minutes they get.

FRONT OFFICE GRADE SO FAR THIS OFF-SEASON: A

The Magic have re-signed 34-year old center Adonal Foyle. Foyle played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 6.6 minutes, 1.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Foyle has now played in 91 games (0 starts) for the Magic over the last two years and he has averaged 9.2 minutes, 1.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Foyle might be able to give the Magic a couple of decent minutes off the bench but don’t expect much more than that.

The Orlando Magic have signed 33-year old point guard Jason Williams to a 1-year deal. Williams last played during the 2007-08 season with the Miami Heat. He played in 67 games (53 starts) that season for the Heat averaging 28.1 minutes, 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Williams has now played in 679 games (649 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 31.2 minutes, 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Williams will back up Jameer Nelson for the Magic during the 2009-2010 NBA season.

The Magic have signed 28-year old SG/SF Matt Barnes to a 2-year deal. Barnes played in 77 games (40 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Barnes will either be the sixth man for the Magic or the starting small forward depending on if Rashard Lewis starts at small or power forward. Barnes has now played in 363 games (104 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 20.3 minutes, 7.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. This was another really good signing for the Magic who are gearing up for another run at the NBA Championship this season.

The Magic have matched the Dallas Mavericks’ offer sheet for Marcin Gortat at 5 years and $34 million dollars. The 25-year old Gortat played in 63 games (3 starts) for the Magic last season and he averaged 12.6 minutes, 3.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Gortat was upset that the Magic matched his offer as he was looking forward to being a starter so they will have to watch his attitude. Gortat has now played in 69 games (3 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 12.1 minutes, 3.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. This was a good move for the Magic as Gortat really stepped up in the playoffs last year.