Orlando Magic Land Among Highest Ranked Teams In Eastern Conference

The Orlando Magic made headlines this offseason with major trades, free-agent signings, draft picks, and coaching hires. Last season began with promise, but ultimately fell short of expectations. Now with Paolo Banchero’s max extension, the Magic now have their core four locked in for the next four seasons. While keeping the long-term plan intact, they’ve built a roster designed to win now and contend well into the future.

Bleacher Report’s Rob Perez recently ranked the Magic as the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference. With the current landscape of injuries across the East, Orlando’s path to contention could begin this season.

"Want to talk about a team that feels like they're there already?" Perez said. "Potential has become reality because they have spent and exhausted a lot of their assets in getting Desmond Bane, KCP [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] that contract is out. They spent a lot of their draft picks. They now extended Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr. They have shown us the ability to defend at a playoff level."

The addition of Tyus Jones has flown under the radar, but it could prove to be one of the Magic’s most impactful signings. If Orlando had a playmaker of his caliber during the series against the Boston Celtics, the outcome might have looked different.

"Jalen Suggs missing time with his injury, and he was the glue of it all," Perez added. Banchero, Franz and Suggs all missed time, staggered throughout the season. The potential was there. Jones to be a floor general in that backcourt. They've had back-to-back playoff series where they probably walked away from that thinking, We could have won that, that seven-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even against Boston."

The addition of Desmond Bane makes all the difference, he brings one of the leagues best three-point shooters as a two-way guard including playmaking ability. This fit is viewed as one of the best acquisitions of the offseason.

"Now you have Bane, who's going to step in there and give you what KCP could not," Perez stated. "There are no more holes in the arm armor offensively. This team's limit is how far their availability will take them. That's why I got them hosting a first-round playoff series with the potential to represent the Eastern Conference in the finals."

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