The Orlando Magic failed to impress in the 2024-25 season, getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics after finishing with a 41-41 record. Following that disappointing campaign, changes were in order, and the Magic pulled off a blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Magic parted with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, the 16th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns‘ 2026 first-round pick, and their 2028 and 2030 first-round picks in this deal with the Grizzlies. They also agreed to a first-round pick swap in 2029.
While that’s a lot of assets, the Magic did manage to hold on to their big guns. As a result, they now have quite a formidable starting lineup.
PG: Jalen Suggs
SG: Desmond Bane
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Paolo Banchero
C: Wendell Carter Jr.
That’s certainly one of the best starting fives in the Eastern Conference. Let’s look at the players one by one.
Jalen Suggs averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Magic in 2024-25. Suggs was having the best season of his career, but only ended up playing 35 games due to injury.
Injuries have been a problem for Suggs in his short NBA career. He has managed to play more than 60 games just once in his four seasons, and the Magic will be hoping the injury bug stays away in 2025-26.
A healthy Suggs is quite the difference maker. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024, and he is a good backcourt partner for someone like Bane.
Bane averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Grizzlies in 2024-25. He shot 39.2% from three in the campaign, and that long-range shooting is something the Magic desperately needed.
The Magic shot 31.8% from beyond the arc as a team this season, which was the worst in the NBA. No other team was under 33.0%, which tells you just how bad they were. The Magic were also dead last in efficiency when it came to catch and shoot threes at 33.6%, while Bane was at 42.3%. They needed a sniper and have gotten one.
Franz Wagner would certainly benefit from having Bane around. Wagner averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Magic in 2024-25. He has turned into a fine two-way player and gives the Magic a formidable one-two scoring punch with Paolo Banchero.
Banchero averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Magic in 2024-25. He was another struck by the injury bug, as he played just 46 games. Unlike Suggs, though, Banchero isn’t injury-prone and you’d fancy his chances of staying healthy in 2025-26.
While having two players who can score 25 points a night is incredible, a problem with Banchero and Wagner is that neither of them is a great shooter. The former shot 32.0% from three this season while the latter was at 29.5%. They need shooters around them, and Bane will make their life easier on the court.
Lastly, we get to Wendell Carter Jr., who averaged 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Magic in 2024-25. It was a bit of a down year for Carter, but he remains a solid two-way center. This is probably the one position where you think the Magic could do with an upgrade, but they’re unlikely to look for one.
As for the bench, the Magic have some solid pieces in Goga Bitadze, Moe Wagner, Anthony Black, and Gary Harris. Provided they stay relatively healthy next season, this team should finish in the top four in the East.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, won’t be coming too close to getting a top-four seed in the Western Conference. A look at their depth chart post-trade suggests they will be a good but not great team.
The Grizzlies might not be done making moves, though. There are some murmurs about a rebuild, and Ja Morant could be on his way out. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, are being urged to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr.
