Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) reacts after a play against the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Magic Receive Excellent Grade After Crucial Offseason Home Runs

Originally posted on Orlando Magic on SI
By Don Strouble | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 2:06 PM ET

With no clear-cut heavyweight in the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic used a productive offseason to stake their claim as contenders. Orlando’s front office utilized free agency and the NBA Draft to create a roster worthy of a ring and national attention.

In a recent offseason grading list, Yahoo gave the Magic an A for their big-time summer.

“No team in the East took a bigger swing at contention in the absence of Tatum and Haliburton than the Magic, who swapped Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the rights to four first-round draft picks with the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane, one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league,” it wrote.

“Orlando was a pesky out in the first round of the playoffs, as both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner flashed their worth as max-contracted players. It was clear the Magic lacked talent in the backcourt, where Jalen Suggs was injured for the postseason. He will return to a corps that now includes Bane, Tyus Jones and rookie Jase Richardson. That is a sizable upgrade for a team in desperate need of shooting.”

The acquisitions of Bane, Jones and Richardson skyrocketed the Magic’s over/under win total to 51.5 after finishing 41-41 last season. Orlando hasn’t posted a 50-win season since 2010-11.

Add Banchero’s recent max extension into the fold, and health may be the only obstacle standing in the way of this team from journeying to the mountain top.