The Orlando Magic are heading into a season where the margin for error looks thin, and if things go sideways, the roster could look very different by the end of it.
That was the point I made recently on the Full Court Magic Podcast, where I pushed back on the idea from Law Murray of The Athletic that Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner could be the first major names on the chopping block if the team does not win together soon. I just do not see it that way. If the Magic end up making a big move after a disappointing year, Jalen Suggs feels more like the player who could be dealt.
Suggs still has value on the floor, but he also looks like the kind of piece a team can move if it needs to change direction. The contract matters, too.
As I said on the podcast, "If anything, I think it's more realistic that the Magic could move off Jalen Suggs, because Suggs, you know, he has a depreciating contract. That playoff series for him against Detroit last season was just an absolute nightmare.
Only averaged 11.1 points, shot sub-30% from the field and sub-25% from three. I believe it was 29% and 24.4% respectively in those metrics, you know, and there's kind of a bottleneck in that backcourt with him and Desmond Bane.
Neither one are really true point guards, right?
Obviously, Suggs is the better defender, but Bane is the better offensive player, and so I really think that if there was a move to be made to break up this anyway, it would be Jalen Suggs, you know, and it's tough to get ahead of ourselves when the 2026-27 season hasn't even played out yet. We know it's going to be more difficult.
We know this Eastern Conference landscape is going to be lethal, but I just don't agree with the notion that Wagner or Banchero would be the first out the door if the Magic have another underwhelming campaign. I think that given the nature of how this organization works, there is going to be a chance for Sean Sweeney to do what he needs to do, and barring any catastrophes, once again, I just don't see any of those two guys going. I believe it would be someone like Jalen Suggs first, maybe a Wendell Carter Jr."
The bigger picture is simple enough: the Magic are trying to take a step forward in the upcoming season, but the road ahead is not getting any easier. The Eastern Conference has been reshaped by major offseason moves, including LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers, Jaylen Brown to the 76ers and Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat.
With that kind of conference-wide shakeup, Orlando is trying to improve with mostly the same group it already has. That leaves the Magic with a real question to answer if the season does not go as planned: who becomes the piece they are willing to move?
In Other News...
Magic Put The Pressure On Banchero And Wagner This Offseason
The Magic have spent the offseason sending a clear message about where they want to build from, and it starts with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Under president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and new head coach Sean Sweeney, Orlando has leaned into continuity, choosing to keep its core intact even with the Eastern Conference looking tougher around it.
That approach also puts the spotlight on the players the front office seems most willing to trust long term, while leaving others around the roster a little less secure. For now, the expectation is that the Magic will hold onto Banchero and Wagner and sort out any other changes first, a sign that Orlando still sees its best path forward through those two young stars. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Need One Young Forward To Break Through Under Sean Sweeney
The Magic are entering the Sean Sweeney era with a familiar priority: keep the core of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane driving the offense while finding enough support around them to make the roster deeper and more dangerous. After last season ended in playoff disappointment, the next step is less about reshaping the top of the rotation and more about identifying which young forward can grow into a dependable piece behind the stars.
Tristan da Silva has already given the front office a reason to believe, after showing improved efficiency last season and positioning himself for a bigger leap. Noah Penda also fits the profile of a player who could benefit from a new coachs eye, with his promise and versatility making him one of the more intriguing names on the roster. For Orlando, the question is not whether the front line has talent, but which of those developing forwards will seize the opening Sweeney creates. [Read more 🡒]
Magic Supporting Cast Could Face Early Pressure If This Season Slips
Sean Sweeneys arrival as the new head coach and the return of veteran center Nikola Vuevi were meant to signal a step forward for Orlando, a roster built to make more noise in the East. Even with those moves, though, there is still a sense around the team that the real test is not just getting back to the playoffs, but getting past the first round, where progress has been harder to prove than project.
If the season goes sideways, the conversation could quickly shift from improvement to fit, especially with the supporting cast under a harsher spotlight. On a recent podcast, the focus landed on which pieces might become expendable in a disappointing year, and that kind of chatter tends to follow a team when expectations rise faster than the results. [Read more 🡒]