This time last year, the Orlando Magic were still a bundle of potential.
Paolo Banchero had his first All-Star season. Franz Wagner seemed right behind him. And everyone was still young enough to expect improvement. Adding a low-usage veteran in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seemed destined to foster their next step and advance out of the first round.
Moreover, the Magic still had all the resources and assets to make their big move. They still had loads of draft picks and at least some financial flexibility for another offseason. Everything was in front of them.
A lot can change in a year.
The Magic's 2025 season did not meet expectations thanks to the injuries the team faced. The clock of their financial flexibility was quickly running out. If Orlando was going to make the most of its potential, it needed to shift its focus.
That is the biggest thing that has changed for the Magic in the last year. Orlando has gone from a team planning its future to a team urgently trying to make the most of its present.
This is not a rebuilding team anymore. This is a team trying to win.
Whether the Magic will be successful at that endeavor is still the big question.
ESPN released an updated look at its future power rankings, a survey of how teams look for the next three years. The Magic have not moved anywhere, remaining at No. 7 heading into the 2026 season.
That is hardly crowning the Magic as future champions.
The Magic flipped their profile
The Orlando Magic are indeed looking at the near future rather than the distant future after trading much of their draft capital to acquire Desmond Bane and tying up their books with Bane's long-term contract and the beginning of extensions for Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, among others.
The Magic are a tax team for the first time since 2012 and are likely to be in the second apron next season. Orlando has mortgaged its future to try to win in the immediate.
That is the biggest change as the Magic's high ratings from ESPN for draft and available money plummeted into the 20s, while the team's players rose to sixth and management to 13th.
They mortgaged a lot of their future to try to be more competitive in the present. They saw they needed another major player to leap into contention and went for it to acquire Bane.
That is a major flip.
Orlando held onto its draft capital and maintained its position when it came to trades. Orlando was hesitant to act at the trade deadline and give up long-term assets -- like those draft picks or Anthony Black -- for some short-term fix. The Magic were seemingly waiting for the right move to push their chips in.
This was that move. And while there is still plenty of sticker shock from the trade, it feels like a good move if it all works out -- how valuable are picks in the 20s anyway when you are contending for a championship?
This is the essential bet of what the Magic did. Holding tight to future assets is less important when you feel like you are competing for championships in the present. It feels far less important.
Typically, an all-in trade like the one the Magic made for Bane is the last step in the process. It is the last piece to get you over the hump.
Those teams typically have accomplished something and need that last little bit.
Orlando is going for it now.
So why aren't the Magic higher?
There has always been loads of optimism about the Orlando Magic. They are still seventh in these future power rankings, after all.
The Magic are widely recognized to have two of the best young players in the league. It is not crazy for them to make this kind of investment -- especially considering the financial and salary cap crunch that was inevitably coming.
But Banchero and Wagner have yet to win a playoff series. There are still questions about both, even if everyone agrees they are perennial All-Star talents.
Banchero is still fighting concerns about his efficiency. Wagner still has questions about his outside shooting. And there are always questions about how two similar players work together until they finally break through.
Both Banchero and Wagner are young enough to work through these perceived shortcomings. But time is clearly of the essence. The Magic are trying to win and win big now. And they feel they are ready to win big.
But everyone is waiting to see if this duo will step up to the plate. They are waiting to see if Banchero and Wagner are truly All-NBA-level players and ready to lead their team deep into the postseason.
That is the difference between the Magic at No. 7 and the teams ahead of them. The teams ahead of them have proven it.
The Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 1) won a title. The Houston Rockets (No. 2) grabbed Kevin Durant after finishing as the 2-seed last year. Additionally, the Thunder and Rockets have retained most of their draft capital.
The New York Knicks (No. 3) and Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 4) have won playoff series in the last two seasons and are merely itching to break through to the NBA Finals. The wide-open Eastern Conference has given them that chance.
Indeed, the Magic are third among teams in the Eastern Conference. They only trail more veteran teams like the LA Clippers (No. 5) and Golden State Warriors (No. 6). It is all about established stars and turning potential energy into kinetic energy.
And that is the task ahead of the Magic this season.
Orlando is trying to prove it can win at a higher level. The organization clearly believes it can. The rest of the world is still catching up to what this Magic team can be.