When the Orlando Magic season is over, everyone scatters to the wind. They go on vacation, they return home, they do their own thing. They are often away from the team and the facility to do their work.
They do not have to be there anymore.
That has largely not been the case for Magic forward Caleb Houstan.
During the season, coaches and teammates praised him for his work ethic. They said he was the player constantly in the gym. They could not get him out of there, dubbing him "The Machine."
By all accounts, that has been the case this summer. He was featured on the team's social media check-ins at the team's practice facility. When the media arrived for the Alex Martins press conference last week and then again for the team's introduction of its two new rookies, Houstan was there finishing a workout.
All that work has taken some time to show itself on the court. But Houstan was a critical piece of the Magic's run to the Playoffs last year. His emergence and confidence as a shooter were revelatory for a Magic offense desperate for any kind of spacing.
The Magic declined his $2.2 million team option for the 2026 season. It was a mechanical move to gain maximum flexibility to attack free agency. The Magic expect him to have some market for his services.
But Orlando, still so desperate for shooting and likely targeting a point guard in free agency, cannot afford to let Houstan go.
After finishing last in 3-point field goal percentage as a team and severely limited by the salary cap this summer and beyond, keeping a good shooter like Houstan on a fairly cheap contract is a no-brainer.
Orlando is expected to still retain Caleb Houstan, along with Moe Wagner, this offseason. But it is free agency, and you never know what will happen when a player hits the open market.
Retaining Houstan should be a priority nonetheless. They need everything Houstan can give them.
The Magic need shooting, Houstan is a shooter
It all comes down to that critical skill the Orlando Magic need most: Shooting.
Every potential addition the Magic are looking at has to be able to space the floor. It was the biggest thing the team is missing. And the Magic hav egiven it short shrift for too long.
Considering how poor the Magic's shooting was last year, giving up a young shooter on a relatively cheap contract would be malpractice. There is just not a reasonable replacement for Houstan, even if he ends up back in a third-team role.
Houstan averaged only 4.1 points per game last year. He shot 40.0 percent from three on 2.8 attempts per game in 13.6 minutes per game. Houstan has been a spot starter for the last two years and largely use for mop-up duty. The third-year forward has not quite established his place.
But Houstan proved himself during the course of the last stretch of the season.
He entered the rotation full-time in the March 21 win over the Washington Wizards (he did not play fewer than 10 minutes in any game after that). During that 12-game stretch, Houstan averaged 7.8 points per game and shot 25 for 50 (50.0 percent) from three (4.2 attempts per game). He played 21.2 minutes per game, his first real extended stretch of playing time.
That is something the Magic cannot give away so soon or so freely. They need shooting any way they can get it.
That Houstan found his role and performed consistently in some extended run and under pressure is a positive sign in the 22-year-old's development.
"I think it was getting more comfortable in general," Houstan said during exit interviews. "Obviously, being in the league for two years, you get to know things more and get more comfortable with everything. You kind of just know what to expect. I think that made it a little easier for me.
"It definitely helped getting a little more minutes. Obviously, that helps a lot."
He struggled in the playoffs. There is no getting around it. He averaged only 9.4 minutes per game against the Boston Celtics and shot 2 for 10 from three.
He is a one-dimensional player with 160 of his 190 shots (84.2 percent) coming from three -- that is also 84.6 percent of his career shots from three. But the Magic need a 3-point specialist. And Houstan is that specialist.
That is a need the team still has. Adding and retaining a volume shooter is vital for the Magic.
The Magic's depth chart is open for him
The big issue facing Caleb Houstan then is finding a role. That is the one thing he has not been able to carve out for himself.
The end of last season was an encouraging sign that Houstan can step into that role. But if the Magic are indeed looking for a point guard in free agency, that leaves a massive gap at the forward spots behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Tristan da Silva, Jonathan Isaac, Caleb Houstan and Noah Penda will all compete to fill those minutes. Injuries will happen and allow for some players to slot in. But if the Magic believe in Houstan in any way, this is the chance for him to get playing time and contribute in a meaningful way.
It all goes back to his shooting. But Houstan is a solid defender for the most part with good size. He understands exactly what the Magic are looking for.
It would be easy to bring Houstan back at a reasonable deal too -- probably no more than $5 million.
But Houstan showed what all that work was going to do for him. He found some comfort and rhythm and delivered what the Magic hoped for when they made him their second-round pick in 2022.
The question is: How much do the Magic believe in that potential -- and whether they feel they can get the same production from a minimum pick-up or potential trade.
Last year, Houstan became a more confident player. That should set him up to compete for a regular rotation spot for the first time in his career. That door is open.
But mainly, the Magic need shooting. And letting one of their best shooters go just as he is figuring things out seems like an odd enough move.