The Orlando Magic are back in a place that should feel familiar: hopeful, talented, and under a sharper national spotlight than the local mood might suggest.
After finishing 45-37 and taking a disappointing postseason exit, Orlando is heading into a new season with real expectations. But ESPN’s recent three-year outlook rankings told a less flattering story.
The Magic came in at No. 21, which is 14 spots lower than where they landed last year. That put them behind teams like the aging Golden State Warriors, plus the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
That’s not exactly the neighborhood Orlando wanted to be in.
A big reason for the skepticism starts with the money. The Magic are set to enter the season as the fifth-most expensive team, behind only the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets and defending-champion New York Knicks.
Only Denver and New York are considered true contenders from that group, though the new-look Raptors could be dangerous if Kawhi Leonard stays healthy. Orlando, meanwhile, is spending heavily on a core it believes in and is counting on that group to keep growing into something more.
That investment has also complicated the situation with Anthony Black. He’s in a contract season, and the Magic’s ability to extend him has become a live issue.
A deal can still get done before the start of the season, but after that the conversation would be pushed back for nine months. In this new two-apron environment, that kind of delay can turn into real friction.
The examples are already out there, with Jalen Duren and Jonathan Kuminga serving as reminders of how tense restricted free agency can get. Orlando does not want that kind of unease building between Black, 22, and the organization.
The roster math doesn’t make things any easier. The Magic also don’t have much tradable draft capital to use in a bigger consolidation move, and their major contracts all run at least two more years beyond 2026-27.
That’s why the 2026-27 season looms so large. It may be the defining year for the Paolo Banchero-Franz Wagner pairing, and maybe even for the partnership itself.
They’ll be in their fifth season together and still haven’t won a playoff series. Orlando has climbed out of the East’s basement and into respectability, but the results have plateaued: 47 wins at their peak, then 41 and 45 in the last two seasons.
ESPN’s Ben Golliver suggested that if things go sideways, the two could eventually be split up. Over the last three seasons, Banchero and Wagner have gone 85-68 together, including the postseason, which works out to a 46-win pace.
That’s solid, but not the kind of track record that quiets every doubt, especially with the East expected to be more competitive and the margin for error shrinking. How head coach Sean Sweeney handles the offensive fit of those two could wind up deciding not just how far the Magic go, but how long this version of the core stays together.
In Other News...
Magic Fans Face A Big Viewing Change This Season
For Magic fans who have gotten used to tracking games through a mix of local TV options, streaming platforms and national windows, the next step in how they watch the team is already coming into focus. Orlando has announced DAZN as its exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner for the 2026-27 season, giving fans live and on-demand access to preseason and regular-season games that are not picked up nationally.
The setup comes with some familiar voices attached, too, with Dante Marchitelli handling play-by-play and Jeff Turner on analysis. DAZN will offer several subscription plans, including discounts for season ticket holders, plus a free seven-day trial for viewers in the Magics broadcast territory, but the real question for fans is how smoothly the shift will work once the new viewing routine arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Just Made A Development Move Fans Should Care About
The Magic quietly made a development move this week, bringing Ronnie Burrell aboard as head coach of their G League affiliate. It is the kind of hire that can fly under the radar in the middle of a busy offseason, but for a team that has emphasized internal growth, the staff guiding young players in Lakeland matters just as much as the names on the main roster.
Burrell arrives as Orlando continues to shape the support system around its prospects, joining a wider wave of coaching and personnel movement around the league. The Cavaliers introduced Peyton Watson and talked up the fit around their frontcourt, while Toronto filled out its staff with new additions of its own, but the Magics latest step is the one that could have the most direct impact on the organizations development pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Pipeline Just Took A Turn Fans Should Watch Closely
The Magics player-development pipeline got a familiar upgrade with Ronnie Burrell taking over as head coach of the Osceola Magic, Orlandos G League affiliate. Burrell brings a strong rsum into the job, including G League coach of the year honors in 2023 and previous NBA assistant coaching experience, which gives the organization another seasoned voice in a role that matters a lot for a franchise built on internal growth.
Burrell replaces Dylan Murphy, who departed for a spot on Michigans staff, and the timing gives Osceola a clean runway before the 2026-27 season tips off on November 8. For Orlando, the bigger question is how Burrell will shape the next wave of talent coming through the system, especially with the affiliate continuing to serve as an important bridge between development and the NBA roster. [Read more 🡒]