$207 Million Two-Way Shooting Guard Linked To Orlando Magic Could Be Perfect Fit

The Orlando Magic take pride in defensive identity and culture.

If they hope to contend for an NBA championship, improving on offense is a priority.

The Magic have been linked to several trade rumors aimed at boosting offensive production, but the team remains hesitant.

Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane is a player the Magic could inquire about.

Bane, 33, is a solid defender with a 113.4 defensive rating who averaged 19.2 points while shooting 39.2 percent from three-point range.

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports in a recent article endorsed the addition of Bane.

"Desmond Bane checks the same boxes," Quinn said. "He's old enough at 26 to win now but young enough to grow with this group. He's expensive on a 25% max, but he's locked into it through 2029 and the cap is going to rise faster than his contract will. Great shooter, serviceable creator, not especially high-usage relative to his peer group. Is he going to be as available as Simons? Probably not, but after the first-round drubbing the Thunder handed Grizzlies, nothing is off of the table."

"The Magic made the playoffs and were worse on offense than tanking teams like the Jazz, Pelicans and 76ers," Quinn wrote. "That can't happen. It did because the Magic looked at their desperate need for a guard last offseason and decided that a 3-and-D veteran in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was enough. Obviously, he wasn't."

Quinn added the Magic don’t need to pursue a superstar guard with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner already sharing possessions,

"This scoring guard didn't need to be a superstar," Quinn stated. "The bar here isn't especially high, at least for this stage of Orlando's development. We know Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are going to use a lot of possessions. Putting them on the floor with a heliocentric All-Star like Trae Young wouldn't make sense. But there is a middle ground here, and a reachable one. The Magic need someone who can dribble and shoot. They need someone who can prevent them from ranking 23rd in 3-point attempts and 30th by a mile in 3-point percentage."

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Andrew Cherico is a contributor to the Orlando Magic On SI. He can be reached at andrewbelmont03@gmail.com

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