The Orlando Magic had the NBA’s second-best defense last season and the third-best defense in 2023-24. They’re big, they’re physical, and sometimes they’re downright mean. Imagine if they could score!
That’s the theory behind giving up four unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap to get Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. With Bane — one of the league’s best shooters, and also a skilled playmaker — opening things up for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, the Magic look strong on both ends for the first time in forever.
Tyus Jones, signed in free agency, could also give Orlando an offensive boost. With another leap from Banchero, better shooting from Wagner, a healthier season from Jalen Suggs and consistent contributions from its young guards (Anthony Black, Jett Howard, rookie Jase Richardson), there’s no reason it can’t win 50-plus games and make a deep playoff run. These are lofty expectations for a relatively young team and a franchise that hasn’t made the second round of the playoffs since 2010, but, if you’re trading all those picks, you’re announcing that it’s winning time.
The State of Play
Last year: Banchero dropped 50 points on the Pacers less than a week into the season, but tore his right oblique in the next game and was out until January. Franz Wagner played at an All-NBA level in Banchero’s absence, but then suffered the same exact injury in December. And the hits kept coming: Moe Wagner tore his ACL, then Suggs had to leave a game in a wheelchair because of back spasms. Suggs only made one appearance after Jan. 3 and had season-ending knee surgery in March. Veteran point guard Cory Joseph ended up starting 16 regular-season games and all five of the Magic’s playoff games against the Boston Celtics. Despite all of the injuries, they went 41-41 in the regular season and blew out the Hawks in the play-in. But their games were never particularly pretty.
The offseason: In a blockbuster move, they traded Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the No. 16 pick in the 2025 draft, plus first-round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030 and a pick swap in 2029 to the Grizzlies for Bane. They drafted Richardson at No. 25, and they traded the No. 46 pick, the No. 57 pick and two future seconds to the Celtics for the No. 32 pick, which they used to draft French wing Noah Penda. Banchero signed a five-year maximum rookie extension (with a player option); Moe Wagner re-signed on a one-year, $5 million deal and Jones signed a one-year, $7 million deal. Gary Harris signed with the Bucks, Caleb Houstan signed with the Hawks and Joseph remains unsigned.
Las Vegas over/under: 50.5 wins, per FanDuel Sportsbook
The Conversation
Magic believer: I can’t think of a better offseason addition for the Magic than Desmond Bane, and I can’t think of a better landing spot for Bane than the Magic. He’s in precisely the right offensive role — not the No. 1 option, but featured heavily as a playmaker — and, having turned 27 this summer, he’s in the right age range for this group. The Magic had been pretty patient with their roster, but this was definitely the time to put their chips in. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are going to have so much more room to operate. Jamahl Mosley’s coaching staff is going to be able to use Bane in so many different ways. This is the best trade the team has made since trading Nikola Vucevic for Wendell Carter Jr. and the picks that became Franz and Jett Howard.
Magic skeptic: Bane makes a lot of sense in Orlando, but I’m not ready to put the trade in that category yet. The cost was steep, partially because Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was so disappointing last season. This time last year, most of us thought KCP was going to be a perfect fit, and I really hope we aren’t equally wrong about Bane. To be clear, I’d be surprised to see Bane struggle individually in this situation. I just think it’s a bit unfair to expect him to singlehandedly solve all of the Magic’s problems. And if he doesn’t turn them into a top-tier team in the East, then I worry that they’ll find themselves asking the same question that Bane’s previous team did: If we have this much money invested in our top three players, do we have a real path to contention?
Magic believer: Sloooow dooooown. When the Grizzlies won 56 games with that core in 2021-22, it felt like the start of something special. They only decided to break it up when, three years later, they hadn’t been able to reach those heights again. The Magic are in a totally different place, and their young stars deserved a running mate like Bane. You can quibble with the price, but I bet you can’t find another realistic trade target who amplifies their talent the way Bane does without detracting from their identity as a tough, defense-first team. Please let them get a look at what they’ve put together before speculating that they’ll have to tear it apart. By the way, nobody is saying Bane has to singlehandedly solve all of their problems! He’ll make a huge difference, but I also think Tyus Jones’ playmaking will be important, Jase Richardson can sort of be a mini-Bane and Anthony Black is going to break out. I love the Magic’s depth now!
Magic skeptic: I’m the one who needs to slow down? You just called Richardson a mini-Bane. If Jalen Suggs is available on opening night, is Richardson even going to be in the rotation? Look, I am fully open to the idea of Orlando taking a significant step forward this season. In this version of the East, I could even see them making the conference finals. If I were the Magic’s front office, though, I’d be nervous about people like you predicting that kind of thing. Banchero hasn’t even turned 23 yet; I don’t think this is the year in which he has to be on MVP ballots. Wagner is 24, and I think it’s fair to be concerned that he has shot 28.9% from 3-point range over the past two seasons. Suggs and Black don’t exactly have a ton of gravity off the ball, either. And weren’t you a little bit spooked by Bane’s struggles in the playoffs last year?
Magic believer: Spooked? No. He missed some shots and committed some turnovers while trying to create offense for a team that was thoroughly discombobulated against perhaps the best defense I’ve ever seen. I’m not going to overreact to that, and I’m not going to overreact to how Anthony Edwards and Jamal Murray shot the ball against the Thunder, either. And if the Magic get far enough in the 2026 playoffs that they face a team capable of defending like that, I’ll consider it a massive success. Ironically, the Eastern Conference team that’s most equipped to frustrate a guard like Bane is … the team that he now plays for. Orlando won 47 games in 2023-24, and, if not for injuries, it might have won 50-plus last year, mostly on the strength of its stifling defense. That will still be the Magic’s calling card, and it will keep them in games when shots aren’t falling. The difference is that, with their new personnel, they don’t have to rely on winning ugly anymore.
Magic skeptic: When you say that the Magic “might have won 50-plus last year” if not for injuries, you’re letting them off the hook. Banchero and Wagner both missed a lot of time, for sure, but they did play 40 games together and Orlando scored 110.4 points per 100 possessions when they shared the floor. That’s almost identical to the Utah Jazz‘s offense last season. And yes, Suggs missed the majority of the year, but the offense fared better when he wasn’t on the floor. I’m not going to pretend that I know exactly how this season will play out, but I know that merely becoming an average offensive team would be an immense improvement for the Magic. In other words, they are probably still going to need ugly wins, at least until they make another move with spacing in mind.
