Desmond Bane isn’t shrinking from the moment. With the Eastern Conference suddenly packed with star power, the Orlando Magic guard still sees his team as very much part of the conversation heading into 2026-27.
Bane laid out that belief in a recent interview with Baker Machado of Front Office Sports, and he did not sound like someone interested in modest expectations. The East now includes LeBron James and Jaylen Brown with the Philadelphia 76ers, Giannis Antetokounmpo with the Miami Heat, and even the possibility of Kawhi Leonard returning to the Toronto Raptors. In Bane’s view, that only reinforces how wide open things feel.
“I think talent is not a problem for us. I think we have a good collection of players.
It’s about coming together - collective buy-in to whatever it is coach Sweeney wants from us. I think that’s the ultimate key and if we have that and keep building and getting better throughout the season then anything’s possible.
We’ve seen it over the course of the last few seasons like the Spurs last year was kind of a surprise team and made a run to the Finals. The year before, the Indiana Pacers.
So nothing was like 10 years ago where you know LeBron’s going to be playing in the Finals every year against the Warriors. It’s a lot of parity in the league - there’s probably 10-11 teams in the East right now that feel like they have a chance to go make a run and we’re one of them.”
That confidence is coming from a team that already showed some backbone last season. Orlando finished 45-37 despite dealing with major injury problems, grabbed the No. 8 seed and jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the 60-win Detroit Pistons in the first round before the series slipped away with three straight losses.
🔮Desmond Bane on Sweeney and the Magic pic.twitter.com/27dxvMq0ob
— Rayshard❼ (M✭GIC 👑 ) (@Rayshard07) August 16, 2026
The injury list mattered. Franz Wagner missed the final three games of that series and played in only 34 regular-season games. Jalen Suggs was limited to 57.
Bane’s optimism isn’t isolated, either. Former Magic forward and four-time NBA champion Horace Grant also sees Orlando as a real factor in the East.
In a recent conversation with Kyle Odegard of Casino.ca, Grant called the Magic “one of the better teams in the East.” He pointed to Bane joining Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and the rest of the core as a reason to believe.
Grant also flagged the same issues Bane did in his own way: health and chemistry. In Grant’s view, the Magic need better trust on the floor and a cleaner bill of health if they want to turn promise into results.
That puts a spotlight on first-year coach Sean Sweeney, whose arrival has become central to the conversation around Orlando’s next step. Bane’s message was clear: the talent is there, but the group has to lock in to what Sweeney wants.
Orlando is trying to get past three straight first-round exits, and this season will tell a lot about whether the roster’s upside can finally translate. With Bane now alongside Banchero, Wagner and Suggs, the Magic head into a pivotal year with a new coach and a louder belief that they belong.
The season opens Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. ET against the Atlanta Hawks.
In Other News...
Desmond Bane Sees One Early Sign From Orlandos New Coach
Desmond Bane already has a read on Sean Sweeney, and it starts with something that happened well before the season tipped off. The Magic guard said he was encouraged by Sweeneys approach to building relationships with players, pointing to the new head coachs offseason trip to Texas, where several teammates were training together.
For Orlando, that kind of early buy-in matters as much as any schematic tweak. Sweeney brings a track record that includes helping coach the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals, and the hope inside the organization is that he can help the core group take another step in the postseason. The first chance to see how that partnership looks in a real game comes October 21, when the Magic open the 2026-27 season against the Atlanta Hawks. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Core Has No More Excuses In The East
The Magic are heading into the new season with a familiar core and a different voice on the sideline, which makes this a revealing stretch for a team that believes it can grow without tearing anything apart. Sean Sweeney takes over after Jamahl Mosleys dismissal, and the early tone around the roster has been one of accountability and urgency, with Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane all sounding eager to reset after a season defined by injuries and uneven play.
From Orlandos perspective, the opportunity is obvious, but so is the pressure. The front office is betting that continuity, health and a new coach can push this group forward, yet the outside view remains cautious, with sportsbooks still slotting the Magic into the Play-In picture. For a roster built around players who are supposed to be entering their prime together, the next step is supposed to be less about promise and more about proving it. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Offseason Moves Are Already Turning Up The Heat On Minutes
The offseason reshuffle in Orlando has already changed the look of the rotation before the games even count. Gregg Sweeney, promoted from lead assistant to head coach after Jamahl Mosleys departure, inherits a roster with some familiar pieces and a few fresh complications, especially in the frontcourt and on the wing. Wendell Carter Jr. is expected to start ahead of returning veteran Nikola Vucevic, a move that signals the Magic are leaning toward a different balance as they head into the new season.
The back end of the roster may be just as crowded. Restricted free agent Jalen Black is still part of the conversation, and Jevon Carters return adds another guard to a group that already has several players vying for minutes. For 2025 draft pick Jase Richardson, that can only make the path to playing time tighter, which gives Orlando a real early test in figuring out how much youth it can realistically fit around its more established options. [Read more 🡒]