Orlando’s magic pulled away from the first massive trade of the 2025 offseason, which landed Desmond Bain from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The magic gave up the pix swap in exchange for Kentabios Caldwell Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks, and a shooting guard.
Orlando’s biggest weakness in recent seasons is the lack of intervals, and Bane must quickly resolve it to some extent.
They are probably in a position to compete in the Eastern Conference, despite lacking depth in one important position.
But Jeff Teague believes his previous team will need one specific player to step up in the absence of Caldwell Pope and Anthony.
Teague spoke proactively about the predicted start of the magic five post-trade magic: Bane, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
He doesn’t mind that the lineup is missing out on true point guard as long as Anthony Black can become a more impactful bench player.
“What I like about this team right now is that they don’t have a playmaking guard,” he explained on the podcast.
“Well, Anthony Black was like a sixth or seventh pick. He’d better get it. It’s time. They basically said, ‘You’re up next.’
“This reminds me of the Celtics team, not the same score or shooting, but Jalen Suggs is a defender. He can score 16 points per game, but he’s a solid defender.
“Then there are two stars, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, and they play on the ball so you don’t need traditional point guards.
“They need space. One thing Desmond Bane can do is shoot that rock. So he can make the floor space and their big Wendell Carter Jr. can work on his game and make shots.
“I think they have a good team formula. They can easily switch between ones and that’s going to be interesting.”
The magical bold decision to say goodbye to the four first round picks in Baintrade has been questioned by many.
But Teague has assured him he doesn’t need any more young players on the roster, and the picks should not be much worth it anyway.
“It feels good,” he added. “You have to think about it. They had to get off that Kentabiul Caldwell Pope money. I like KCP, he’s a cool guy, but he wasn’t good.
“Cole Anthony was a good player for them, but they didn’t use him properly. It’s time to get off that money. They extended Anthony and paid all of that money to the KCP.
“I know they had to give up on those first round picks, but if you’re really looking at how young this team is, you still have Anthony Black on the bench. And you have people who have been very high in the first round. You have to give those people a chance.
“Adding the young guys to that roster was really not going to help them. All their top five players are under 27, so they need more veteran pieces.
