By John Denton June 1, 2017
ORLANDO – An Orlando Magic team under new management and one that could look drastically different over the coming months will make its Amway Center debut on Oct. 5.
The Magic, who hired President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond last week, open their preseason on Oct. 2 in Memphis against the Grizzlies. Three nights later, the Magic will play in front of the Amway Center fans against the Dallas Mavericks.
Orlando is coming off a disappointing 29-53 season and one in which it missed the playoffs for a fifth straight year. That resulted in the firings of GM Rob Hennigan and Assistant GM Scott Perry and led to the team’s new direction with Weltman and Hammond. The two veteran executives, who have worked together previously with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, have 54 years of combined NBA experience.
Weltman and Hammond will be calling the shots in the June 22nd NBA Draft, one where the Magic possess four draft picks. Orlando owns the sixth, 25th, 33rd and 35th picks and hopes to add to its shooting, defense and depth with those selections.
In the fall, the Magic will play just six preseason games – down from the seven or eight in years prior – in a move by the NBA designed to give teams more practice time and rest in training camp.
The Magic will host the rival Miami Heat, a team it defeated three times in four meetings last season, on Oct. 7. LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers – the Eastern Conference champs for a third consecutive season – will play at the Amway Center on Oct. 13 in Orlando’s preseason finale.
The Magic will also play road preseason games in Dallas (Oct. 9) and San Antonio (Oct. 10). The Magic’s television schedule for the preseason games won’t be announced until a later date.
The Magic open training camp on Sept. 26 at the Amway Center. The NBA’s regular-season schedule won’t be released until late July or early August. Tickets for the 2017 preseason are on sale now. Fans may log on to OrlandoMagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.
Magic season tickets, partial plans, group and single-game Amway Center suite rental opportunities are on sale now. Ticket highlights for the Magic’s 2017-18 season in the Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards’ 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal’s 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or less. For ticket information log on to OrlandoMagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.
Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors.
Date Opponent Time (ET)
Oct. 2 @ Memphis 8 p.m.
Oct. 5 DALLAS 7 p.m.
Oct. 7 MIAMI 7 p.m.
Oct. 9 @ Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 @ San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 13 CLEVELAND 7 p.m.