Orlando Magic

Jordan Brand revealed the new signature logo for Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero during its tour of China this week.

The logo combines Banchero's initials and his jersey number (No. 5).

Paolo Banchero’s new signature logo was unveiled during the Jordan Brand Family Tour in China ✈️ https://t.co/L2TfYs2XbZ pic.twitter.com/IaWXdzrJes

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) August 31, 2024

The 2022 No. 1 overall pick signed with Jordan Brand ahead of his rookie season. He has been a great ambassador for the company through his performance on the court.

Banchero won Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and then earned his first All-Star nod this past year. He averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists to help the Magic reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The 21-year-old got to debut the Air Jordan 39 during the 2024 postseason and SLAM recently showed off some of the player-edition kicks he'll wear for the upcoming campaign:

The debut of Paolo Banchero’s Air Jordan 39 PEs. You saw it here first.

KICKS 27 is out now: https://t.co/dy7Fu0Yv1s pic.twitter.com/vvnOgINnCW

— SLAM Kicks (@SLAMKicks) August 16, 2024

Banchero doesn't yet have his own signature shoe through Jordan Brand, an honor that has been bestowed upon the New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson, Dallas Mavericks' Luka Dončić and Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum in recent years.

The 6'10" forward is on the kind of trajectory that could warrant a dedicated sneaker before too long.

The Orlando Magic returned to the postseason last year after a three-season drought, led by young talent in Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jaden Suggs, among others.

And Banchero believes it was just the beginning of something special. He appeared on ESPN's First Take Friday and said he believes the Magic are ready to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference:

We feel like we're right there. We're right there with all those (elite teams in the East). I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. We finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season. We were right there last year. We got better this year. I got better; all of us got better. We got some new pieces that are going to help a lot. We're trying to make some noise. We should easily be a top-four, top-three team, and have a chance to win the East.

The Magic didn't rest on their laurels, signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency to round out a solid staring group. Whether it was enough to put the Magic in the realm of teams like the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks or even the Cleveland Cavaliers or Indiana Pacers remains to be seen, however.

If Banchero, 21, takes another leap in year three, however, the Magic could very well be a tough out. Expectations are certainly high heading into the 2024-25 campaign.

The Orlando Magic are ready to take the next step toward title contention.

After the Magic's best regular-season record in 13 years ended in the first round, Orlando could be prepared to make a deeper run in 2025.

The offseason addition of three-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the further development of Magic star Paolo Banchero will make this a team a playoff contender to watch in 2024-25.

Here's a look at the biggest matchups to keep an eye on as the new-and-improved Magic look to make a run at the 2025 playoffs.

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2024-25 Magic Schedule Details

Season Opener: at Miami Heat, Wed, Oct 23, 7:30 p.m. ET.

Championship Odds: +4000 (bet $100 to win $4000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/1824161684014969123

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Top Matchups

Denver Nuggets

Caldwell-Pope may have only spent two seasons in Denver, but he won the 2023 title with the Nuggets. Keep an eye out for the veteran guard to get a nod from his former team when he returns to Ball Arena.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers eliminated the Magic from the first round after former Cleveland head coach JB Bickerstaff pulled his starters in the final game of the regular season, seemingly in order to lock in a matchup with Orlando. This young team will be looking for redemption when the two teams reunite this season.

Miami Heat

This in-state rivalry has the chance to ramp up this season with both the Magic and the Heat likely contending for a playoff spot next spring. The Magic lost three of four games within this in-state matchup during the 2023-24 season, and will now be looking for redemption when the next regular-season series begins this fall.

New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets

The NBA's second annual in-season competition kicks off in November with the Magic competing against four other Eastern Conference teams. Orlando, which did not advance to the knockout round last season after narrowly losing out to the powerhouse Boston Celtics, could be set to emerge victorious from Group A this fall.

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Season Forecast

After declining to re-sign starting point guard Markelle Fultz for a sixth season in Orlando, the Magic seem prepared to move 2021 first-rounder Jalen Suggs into the position. How Suggs is able to transition into that new role is going to be key to the success of the Magic's rotation heading into the campaign.

That would set up Caldwell-Pope to take over Suggs' previous position of shooting guard, while the Magic's starting frontcourt is likely to comprise of Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr.

The development of Banchero's ability to build on last season's All-Star campaign will be another key part of the Magic's postseason hopes. After averaging a career-high 22.6 points during the regular season, Banchero upped his game to average 27.0 points through seven playoff games while showing flashes of his potential to become a star.

Meanwhile the Magic will look for young players like Anthony Black to develop his offensive game on the team's second unit. After finishing last season having averaged an NBA-low 11.0 three-pointers per game, this team is need of more efficient three-point shooting from its reserves this fall.

If the Magic get a breakout season from Banchero, see success from Suggs at the point and use Caldwell-Pope's three-point shooting to help space the floor, this team is set to build on last season with another winning record and playoff appearance in 2025.

Record Prediction: 46-36

Guard Markelle Fultz remains a free agent well into the NBA's offseason, and he reportedly isn't generating much interest.

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reported Thursday that Fultz "hasn't commanded much attention in free agency around the NBA to this point," even though "it would be surprising if he isn't on a roster at the start of training camp."

The 26-year-old played the last five seasons with the Orlando Magic, but Siegel noted the Eastern Conference team already signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cory Joseph this offseason. That seemed to signal an end to Fultz's time with Orlando after he played out the final year of his contract last season while earning $17 million.

The top pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Fultz averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists while appearing in 43 games. It was just the third time in his career he's even reached the 20 games played mark.

The Washington product missed most of his first two seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a shoulder injury before being traded to Orlando.

While he was healthy in his first full season with the Magic, Fultz suffered a torn ACL in January 2021 that cost him 13 months of action. He appeared in just 26 games between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

"I've done a great job of taking care of my body throughout this whole season," he told reporters during the 2022-23 season. "Maintaining my shoulder and knee and everything, so my body feels amazing and I feel really good. I think that as the season went along, that's all you guys continued to see, is a young man who felt more and more comfortable, confident swagger, belief and hunger."

The Magic have a bit of a logjam in the backcourt with Jalen Suggs, Caldwell-Pope, Joseph and Cole Anthony, among others, so there was only so much room for Fultz coming into the offseason.

That could leave Fultz looking to join a contender as someone who can come off the bench as the offseason proceeds.

Orlando Magic co-founder and sports legend Pat Williams died Wednesday night at the age of 84, the NBA announced.

The cause of Williams' death was complications from viral pneumonia.

"Pat Williams simply brought magic to Orlando," said Orlando Magic chairman Dan DeVos and CEO Alex Martins in a joint statement. "His accomplishments will always be remembered. Armed with his ever-present optimism and unparalleled energy, he was an incredible visionary who helped transform the world of sports in multiple ways. From bringing the Magic to Orlando, to transforming sports marketing and promotions, he was always ahead of the curve. Pat forever changed the sports landscape in Orlando."

In 1986, Williams and local businessman Jimmy Hewitt began the process of bringing an NBA team to Orlando, and the league's board of governors awarded the city an expansion spot the following year. The Magic made their debut during the 1989-90 season.

Prior to helping establish the Orlando franchise, Williams began his career in the NBA as a business manager for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1968. He then served as general manager of the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks before returning to the Sixers in 1974 and helping to lead the franchise to an NBA championship in 1983.

In 2012, Williams was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Magic's Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2014.

Before beginning his basketball career, Williams played baseball at Wake Forest and received an induction into the university's Sports Hall of Fame. He played two years in the minor leagues before transitioning to an executive role.

Williams is survived by his wife Ruth and their 19 children, 14 of whom were adopted from foreign countries.

LeBron James signed a two-year, $101.355 million deal, taking $3 million less from the Los Angeles Lakers than he could have signed for in a concentrated effort by the player and organization to keep the team under the second apron of the NBA salary cap.

The deal would allow the team to retool the roster and make a significant free-agency signing or trade to return the Lakers to legitimate Western Conference contention. The team, though, has been oddly quiet this off-season and the proverbial well has all but dried up.

Or so it may seem.

Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reported that Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. remains a potential trade candidate for the team.

He wrote, "And one executive said he's still the kind of player the Lakers should be looking for. 'Fairly young, probably a little undervalued because of his red flags (injuries) and still tapping into his skillset,' the exec told Heavy Sports. 'The contract is right, it makes sense for them. That's a guy they're monitoring, but a lot of teams are.'"

Amid an offseason that did not net the team a legitimate third star to go alongside James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers need the Carter Jr. trade to erase some of the disappointment.

Carter is young (25) and is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career in terms of shooting, knocking down 52.5 percent of his shots from the field for the third consecutive season. He was better than ever from beyond the arc, hitting 37.4 percent of his three-point attempts.

He averaged 11 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 steals.

He could stand to develop his shot a bit more, something the Lakers and their new coaching staff under JJ Redick could help with, and his injury history is concerning. Carter dealt with three knee injuries, a bad hand, and a bum back in 2024.

He has played in just over 52 games per season over his career.

Despite the issues surrounding his health, Carter is someone in the five position who can stretch the floor and give the Lakers an outside perimeter shooting option.

That he has seven seasons of experience but is still relatively young makes him that much more intriguing to the team, as does his contract.

The former Duke Blue Devil is entering the third year of a four-year deal that will pay him $11.9 million this year, a team-friendly number.

That contract, coupled with his potential, what he does well and how that meshes with what the Lakers would like to do on the court, makes Carter a worthwhile trade candidate for the team and one that it must explore amid an offseason that has been anything but what the most prominent organization in the league had hoped for.

The Orlando Magic and small forward Franz Wagner have agreed to a 5-year, $224 million maximum contract extension, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The deal could become worth as much as $269 million, Wojnarowski added.

Wagner is eligible to earn 30 percent of the team’s salary cap should he get voted to the All-NBA team, sources said. Wagner’s agent Jason Glushon completed negotiations on the deal over the July 4th holiday.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2024

Wagner was previously scheduled to play the 2024-25 season on a $7 million club option before becoming a restricted free agent in 2025, per Spotrac.

The Magic wing secured the raise with a strong performance through seven playoff games in the first postseason appearance of his career.

Wagner averaged 18.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as he contributed on both offense and defense during the Magic's first-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 23-year-old has made 231 regular-season appearances, all starts, in three seasons since the Magic selected him with the No. 8 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.

He averaged a career-high 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals through 72 games in the 2023-24 regular season.

Alongside power forward Paolo Banchero and guard Jalen Suggs, Wagner served as a core part of the starting rotation as the Magic qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The forward highlighted the campaign by matching his career-high with 38 points during a Feb. 4 win over the Detroit Pistons.

He later racked up 34 points and 13 rebounds in Game 4 of the first round to help the Magic even the series at two games apiece.

While shooting over 48.0 percent from the field for the second straight season, Wagner developed as a perimeter defender while demonstrating chemistry with center Wendell Carter Jr.

Orlando has now locked in both frontcourt leaders for the near future. Carter is signed with the Magic through 2025-26.

The Orlando Magic have reportedly signed Jonathan Isaac for five more years.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Orlando re-signed the forward to a new five-year, $84 million deal on Tuesday.

Orlando Magic F Jonathan Isaac has agreed on a five-year, $84 million contract renegotiation and extension, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/4skp5qS2sp

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2024

This comes after Isaac averaged 6.8 points, 4.5 points and 1.2 blocks in 58 games for the Magic in 2023-24.

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This contract keeps Isaac with the Magic through the 2028-29 season, and he will earn an average of $16.8 million.

Isaac's 2023-24 was a step in the right direction as he missed the entirety of 2020-21 and 2021-22 due to a torn ACL and complications related to the recovery. He had a G-League stint in 2023, but has now put together two healthier seasons and has been a stable presence of the bench.

The Magic as a franchise also took a step forward in 2023-24. Orlando went 47-35 and earned the No. 5 seed in the East. It would fall in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it was still the team's first playoff appearance since 2019-20.

With his contract situation settled, Orlando will now hope to focus its attention on taking another step amongst the foes in the conference.

The Orlando Magic have added a solid role player to the roster, picking up free agent guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on a three-year, $66 million deal.

While Caldwell-Pope gives the Magic some much-needed help, the team may still be looking to make some additions, whether that's Paul George or Klay Thompson. After Caldwell-Pope's deal, Orlando has a projected $30 million in cap space, as diagramed by ESPN's Bobby Marks here:

Orlando with KCP pic.twitter.com/EQ1y1vXfRm

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 30, 2024

With $30 million available, it would likely be tough for the Magic to land George. Orlando reportedly was prepared to offer George a four-year max contract, but won't have the needed cap space to do so now.

TNT Sports' Chris Haynes reported Sunday afternoon that there is "growing optimism" that the Philadelphia 76ers will land George. Perhaps the Magic felt they were out of the running for George and instead decided to shift their focus to Caldwell-Pope.

Orlando can still make a splash this offseason if it decides to pursue Thompson. The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania reported Sunday that the Golden State Warriors are preparing to work through sign-and-trade options for Thompson after 13 years with the team.

The competition to land the veteran sharpshooter could be tough as he's planning to meet with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

All of those teams are likely in a better position to compete for a championship next season, and if that's what Thompson is looking for this offseason it could cost the Magic a chance to sign him.

After choosing not to return to the Denver Nuggets this offseason, veteran shooting guard Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope has found a new home on the East Coast.

According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Caldwell-Pope intends to sign with the Orlando Magic. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he is finalizing a three-year, $66 million deal with the team.

The 31-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets and served in a key role as the team's best wing defender. Denver originally acquired him prior to the 2022-23 season as part of a four-player trade with the Washington Wizards and signed him to a two-year, $30.1 million extension upon landing him.

Caldwell-Pope declined the $15.4 million option on his contract for the 2024-25 season on Thursday to test free agency. Previous reports stated that he was drawing interest from teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers, among others.

Caldwell-Pope provided energy on both ends of the floor for the Nuggets and started every game he played during their run to the 2023 NBA title, which was the first in franchise history and his second career championship ring.

This past season, Caldwell-Pope once again started all 76 of his appearances during the regular season and averaged 10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He helped Denver make a run to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games and fell short of their goal of repeating as champion.

The 11-year veteran began his career as the No. 8 pick in the 2013 draft by the Detroit Pistons. He also spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2017 to 2021, helping the team with an NBA title in 2020.

Caldwell-Pope is a solid addition for Orlando, which made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2020. His two-way production on the wing and veteran presence in the locker room will help the Magic.