The Magic made the first major move of the 2025 offseason by trading for former Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane. The trade, which sent out Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, four first-round picks, and a 2029 pick swap, signifies a shift to a more aggressive win-now team outlook, writes the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede.
Last year’s move to acquire Caldwell-Pope in free agency marked an initial step in this direction for a Magic team built around a young core of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, and Franz Wagner. Swapping Caldwell-Pope for the 26-year-old Bane without giving up either of Anthony Black or Tristan Da Silva allows the team to address its desire to improve the shooting and self-creation on the roster without sacrificing much of its defensive identity or young talent.
The Magic has team options to decide on for Moritz Wagner, Cory Joseph, Caleb Houstan, and Gary Harris. The deadline to do so is June 29.
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The Magic are interested in adding Mavericks assistant coach God Shammgod to their coaching staff, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Shammgod and Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley previously worked together on the Mavs coaching staff, and Shammgod is a respected coach, especially with regards to developing and integrating guards.
The Bane trade is not just a big swing in terms of draft picks, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (via Twitter). It’s also a major financial decision. Wagner and Suggs are already under long-term, big-money deals, and Banchero is set to command an extension that could exceed $50MM annually. With Bane two years into a five-year, $197MM contract, the Magic are suddenly very expensive, though Gozlan writes (via Twitter) that they could potentially avoid becoming a second apron team in coming years by moving some of their mid-sized contracts, such as Jonathan Isaac, Wendell Carter Jr., or Goga Bitadze.
Breaking down the finances of the trade, Keith Smith of Spotrac writes that the Magic being near the first apron is unlikely to impact them this season, as their roster is basically set if they bring back Mo Wagner and one more minimum deal. It’s the 2026/27 season that will see Orlando’s finances become onerous, with around $196 million committed to eight players, depending on whether Banchero receives a 25% or 30% maximum extension. Smith writes that those salary numbers may force the team to eventually trade one of the core players, but that is a decision for a different time.