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Do the Orlando Magic have a top 5 future in the NBA?

By Luke Duffy

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder go up for a shot as Cole Anthony #50 of the Orlando Magic defends during the first quarter at Amway Center on January 04, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JANUARY 04: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder go up for a shot as Cole Anthony #50 of the Orlando Magic defends during the first quarter at Amway Center on January 04, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic’s 2022-23 season is in the books and the front office is already planning on ways to improve ahead of next season.

There is no doubt Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter, Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs are a good place to start.

Throw in potentially two lottery picks this summer, as well as owning all of their own future picks and an additional first in 2025 from the Denver Nuggets, and the outlook becomes even brighter.

The Magic undoubtedly have one of the brightest futures in the league. Or at least the potential for it.

But do the Orlando Magic have what would be considered by other fan bases and front offices a top-five future across the entire league?

On the surface, you would have to think that the answer is yes. Banchero simply looks that good, while Wagner may just have been the best second-year player in the league this season.

Having youth, draft capital and a relatively healthy cap sheet that the incoming CBA will likely also benefit the Magic puts them head and shoulders above many of the teams around them.

Starting next season, there is no question you would rather be the Orlando Magic than the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. Victor Wembanyama pending, perhaps.

The Detroit Pistons we can return to and debate. But when you go for the next tier of teams, the Magic are still coming out on top.

The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans for example have better players right now in the form of Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson, but their futures are both murky.

The Utah Jazz have lots going on and Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen are a nice place to start. But they are at best on a similar level to the Magic and do not have a primary scorer with growth potential like Paolo Banchero either.

Related Story. 2023 Orlando Magic Season Review: Banchero is the ROY. light

The Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat do not have an outlook nearly as bright as the Orlando Magic’s, and that can extend to older contenders like the Golden State Warriors as well.

Where then is there any pushback on proclaiming that the Magic have a top-five future?

One area is in where eventual number-one pick Victor Wembanyama ends up once he is drafted this summer. If it is the Spurs or Rockets, they automatically leap above the Magic, at least temporarily.

One other organization the Magic have to cede a brighter future to as well is to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Right now they are operating like a 2.0 version of the Magic.

They have tons of young players and so many draft picks, it is ridiculous. And in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a budding superstar who was among the top 15 players in the league this year, they are already a solid team.

The Thunder made the Play-In Tournament, gaining a win and providing the young team with plenty of valuable experience as they continue to grow. They have done all of this without last year’s second-overall pick, Chet Holmgren.

This is an argument the Magic cannot win, but what about the Pistons then? At 17-65, they had a horrible year. If they manage to get Wembanyama, they will be leapfrogging a lot of other teams.

But even as they stand, a team with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren is an excellent place for any franchise to start. Once Cunningham is healthy, we will get a better idea of where they are at.

Another underrated competitor vying for a top-five spot are the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best young players in the league, and Bennedict Mathurin had a great rookie year.

https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1645831357791182849

To add a final layer of complexity to this question, it is hard to gauge just how bright the future of a team like the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics is because of how good they are right now.

The Magic are not going to come close to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or Denver Nuggets in the coming years, but the Sacramento Kings are certainly in a more attainable position to get to.

Would you rather be the Magic than any of those teams mentioned in the next five years? It is hard to say and it will depend entirely on how you view Banchero, Wagner, Carter and Fultz.

Really though if we take current contenders and fringe contenders out of the equation, the Magic do have a top-five future in the NBA. Provided the team stays on its current path and continues improving.

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You can put the Thunder and whatever franchise lands Wembanyama above them, and you can make a pretty strong case for the Pacers and even the Pistons as well.

But after that, the Magic are right there, and by this time next year with the players they draft and the internal improvement could be right there with the Thunder as next team up to make the postseason.