NBA Rumors: Magic Strife Paves Way for Star Big Man Trade

It has not happened yet. And it should be noted that, when it comes to pulling off major and bold transactions across the NBA rumor mill, the Orlando Magic have not been a kneejerk outfit in recent years.

But it has been whispered around the NBA that perhaps the team has bitten off more than it could chew, and that, as the roster reveals itself more and more, maybe the Magic have landed in a patch they no longer want to be in.

Throughout the season, it has slowly become clear that the chemistry on the Magic has been lacking. The summer addition of Desmond Bane was supposed to be the bow that tied the various parts of this Orlando team–especially forwards Franz Wanger and  Paolo Banchero, along with guard Jalen Suggs–together, but instead, the unit has been again wracked by injury and lacking cohesion even when healthy.

That lack of cohesion was evident this week when coach Jamahl Mosley and Banchero appeared to engage in a war of words over adjustments–Banchero claimed the Magic struggle because they don’t make adjustments, and Mosley said the adjustment was that the other team (the Pistons in this case) played harder than the Magic.

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Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero ‘Does Not Move Well’

This has been a simmering issue for the Magic, especially with Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Banchero has done little to improve in his four years in the league, and is averaging 21.8 points on an effective field-goal percentage of 48.9%. Banchero shoots just 31.0% from the 3-point line, and takes 3.8 per game.

Banchero has not been particularly good in general for Orlando.

“He does not move all that well,” one Eastern Conference assistant coach said last month. “That’s the thing you notice. I think they wanted him to put on muscle and play closer to the rim and that’s maybe a good idea in theory but not in reality. What makes him unique is that he is 6-foot-10 and can attack you from the perimeter. If you take that away, he becomes a more average player.”

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Major Contracts Will Be Thrown Into NBA Rumors Pile

Even beyond Banchero, the Magic have some sizable salaries on the books and were expected to contend in the Eastern Conference. Banchero has five years and $240 million kicking in next year, and Wagner–who has been struggling through an ankle injury–is in the first of a five-year, $225 million contract.

Suggs is owed more than $150 million, and Bane still has three years and $125 million ahead.

Those are big commitments for a group that is 31-28 and not much of a factor in an Eastern Conference in which Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers have been out all year. This was the best opportunity for the Magic to make noise in the East, and they’ve barely registered above a throaty whisper.

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NBA Rumors Figure to Swirl on Jamahl Mosley

The big question in Orlando is, what’s next? If you’ve followed sports at all in the past five decades, you know, it is probably that Mosley gets fired, but nothing gets resolved. Because this is not a coaching problem.

There is a growing sense that, even when healthy, this group is flawed, and that Banchero playing alongside Wagner is a bad fit–that one of them will need to be traded.

“Eventually, you’ve got to trade one of those guys,” one NBA executive said. Either Paolo or Franz Wagner, but you can’t have both. They occupy the same space too much–they can’t shoot from the arc, they aren’t going to wow you with athleticism and putting the ball on the floor. Both guys are nice players, but you can’t put both of them on the floor.

“They should make a trade while the value is still pretty high, because it is probably just going to go down from here.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney