Entering the 2025-26 season, it was clear that the Orlando Magic were planning to be a contender in the Eastern Conference.
The team sent a ton of assets to the Memphis Grizzlies in an offseason trade for wing Desmond Bane. The Magic have needed more shooting for years now, and the hope was that Bane was the missing piece.
Unfortunately for the Magic, they haven't taken that next step yet. The trade deadline is now behind us and the Magic are stuck in Play-In territory. The Magic are 28-24 and 1.5 games back of the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth seed.
If the team doesn't get out of the first round this postseason, would the front office consider another massive trade? Sam Quinn of CBS Sports recently identified some big-named players who could be on the move this summer, and the Magic could be involved.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been rumored to be on the move for a while now, and the Milwaukee Bucks could finally make a move after this season. The Magic haven't been linked to Antetokounmpo, but they have the assets to interest the Bucks.
Quinn suggests the Magic could be willing to include Paulo Banchero in a deal for Antetokounmpo. Regarding that possibility, Quinn offered the following:
How about Paolo Banchero? He functionally couldn't be dealt to Milwaukee at this year's deadline because of his poison pill contract. Next season, his rookie extension kicks in, and the Magic can far more easily swap him and a bit more salary for Giannis. Would they do so? He doesn't exactly solve their shooting issues, but they just spent four picks on Bane. The Magic want to win now, and if they have doubts about the Banchero-Franz Wagner partnership, this is a way to address them.
As Quinn mentioned, from a financial standpoint, the Magic could likely make this deal work. If the Bucks don't want to start completely from scratch, a package headlined by Banchero could be extremely attractive.
Antetokounmpo wouldn't solve the team's shooting woes, but Banchero isn't exactly lighting it up from deep either. The Banchero-Franz Wagner-Jalen Suggs trio has also had its share of injury and spacing issues, so shaking things up may be the best path forward.
Antetokounmpo in Orlando with some combination of Bane, Suggs, Wagner, Anthony Black, and Wendell Carter Jr. could be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference and definitely offers a higher ceiling than the team's current roster.