Everyone knew the Orlando Magic were trading Tyus Jones into someone's cap space to get under the luxury tax at the trade deadline.
The question was less about the actual transaction and more about the cost of performing it — and whether the Magic could get something of value out of that eventual deal.
The sticker shock of the Jones trade was not trading Jones and receiving only cash considerations. It was that the Magic had to attach two second-round picks to get off Jones' contract.
Those picks may not end up being valuable -- officially, it was the least favorable 2027 second-round pick between the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, and the Magic's 2028 second-round pick. But still, it follows a general trend of the past two transaction windows:
After holding onto their picks preciously, the Magic have been spending them wildly, sending four first-round picks to acquire Desmond Bane and even trading three second-round picks and a second-round pick swap (two of those picks were in the 2025 Draft).
Orlando was never rich in draft picks. The team did not have a massive draft haul from its restarting trade like other teams received when they began to rebuild. The Orlando Magic's rebuild was kick-started with the acquisition of a first-round pick from the Chicago Bulls that turned into Franz Wagner.
The Magic though had a healthy stash of picks to draw from. That cache is now gone.
And with the team entering the aprons and the tax beginning next season, using those draft picks effectively will become even more important.
The Magic's current draft stash
The Orlando Magic's trade for Desmond Bane and the expense of virtually every first-round pick they have available was essentially a bet that the magic would be drafting at the end of the first round for the foreseeable future.
With Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs under contract through the 2030 season and Paolo Banchero signing an extension that keeps him under team control through 2030 with a player option for 2031, the Magic's core was locked in for the next several seasons. Even Desmond Bane does not become a free agent until the summer of 2029.
Barring a complete collapse, the Magic seemed set to contend and compete in the Eastern Conference for years to come. First-round picks did not have the same value as they might during a rebuild.
The frustration of this current season is that Orlando would be slated to draft at 17 if the team still held its pick. The Magic were hoping to be giving up picks in the 20s.
Orlando still has a healthy amount of second-round picks to use, but the team does not have the same cache as before.
Here are the picks the Magic hold and the picks the Magic owe according to Spotrac:
Magic's picks
- 2026 2nd (Second most favorable of Detroit, Milwaukee and Orlando)
- 2027 1st (Own)
- 2028 2nd (More favorable of Lakers and Wizards)
- 2029 1st-Round pick swap with Memphis (Memphis gets better pick unless Orlando is in top 2)
- 2030 2nd from Milwaukee
- 2030 2nd pick swap with New Orleans
- 2031 1st
- 2031 2nd (more favorable of New Orleans/Oklahoma City)
- 2032 1st (only first-round pick eligible for trade)
- 2032 2nd
Magic's traded picks
- 2026 1st to Memphis (pick swap of middle pick between Washington (unless it is 1-8) and Phoenix)
- 2027 2nd to Charlotte (least favorable with Boston)
- 2028 1st to Portland (via trade with Memphis)
- 2028 2nd to Charlotte
- 2030 1st to Memphis
- 2030 2nd to Memphis if 2029 1st does not convey
In all, the Magic have control over only four first-round picks through 2032 and six second-round picks.
That is not as dire as other teams who are desperately trying to reclaim their draft picks. And the Magic are not in a position to be desperately grabbing for picks left and right.
The Magic are invested in their stars
The Orlando Magic have made their all-in move and built a team that should be well-established and have equal trade value for years to come. Orlando knows that it has a strong base, assuming the stars they invested max contracts into deliver.
The Magic's moves over the last few years have been all about investing in this core group of players. They are tied to this core completely now.
Even with how much the team has struggled, that still seems like a safe bet.
It is rare that a team has a young core like this that has shown potential. Desmond Bane has proven to be a solid addition, even if his shooting has not quite been what the team imagined it would be.
The handing out of draft picks has been a sign that the team believes in its present. And if this season is as bad as it will get with this group, then the Magic should not regret giving up those picks much.
But draft picks are still important. And they become even more important now.
Orlando will be jumping into the tax and apron beginning next season. That leaves them with limited avenues to improve the team for cheap.
Orlando will need to hit on these first-round draft picks to supplement the roster and keep it evolving. The team will need to find some second-round steals too.
The Magic did not have a player in the Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend for the first time since 2021. But both Jase Richardson and Noah Penda have shown plenty to contribute to this team as they continue to mature. They are the kind of solid contributors the team is looking for.
Even a player like Tristan da Silva in his second year has been a solid role player to help boost the team.
The Magic are de-emphasizing the Draft to give their starters and stars the help they need to leap into contention. But the draft will still be important with the limited resources the team has remaining.