Grade the trade: Orlando Magic fans over the moon for taking their big swing

The Orlando Magic fired the first shot in what is expected to be a busy offseason around the league with their shocking acquisition of Desmond Bane.

The burly shooting guard was considered one of the best players not to make an All-Star team in the league. His 3-point shooting is a major weapon that will greatly improve a Magic team that is in desperate need of an offensive injection.

The fact that the Magic were able to acquire such a high-level player without giving up one of the team's core players was a huge victory. Orlando, at least theoretically, moved itself closer to contention.

For the Orlando Magic, it was the first time they acquired a player in a trade since the 2023 trade deadline when they traded Mo Bamba to the LA Clippers and got Patrick Beverley in return (they promptly waived him).

This feels a lot more significant than a salary dump of a prospect who did not pan out. David Steele of the FanDuel Sports Network broadcast quickly compared this acquisition to the biggest free agent acquisitions in franchise history -- the signing of Horace Grant in 1994 and Rashard Lewis in 2007.

If there is something that stands out about this deal, it is the cost. That is the biggest thing that gave everyone pause.

Orlando essentially gave away all the draft picks they could, only maintaining the 25th pick and the picks to satisfy the Stepien Rule. The sticker shock of that trade is still settling in. That is the one big criticism of the Magic's deal.

Both teams largely feel like they got what they wanted out of the deal. The Grizzlies got a draft haul to help reset the team after spinning their wheels in the Western Conference. The Magic feel like they vaulted themselves into contention and addressed some key weaknesses.

That was what most Magic fans felt after we did an informal poll Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of the trade. In a poll with more than 1,000 respondents, nearly half gave the trade a B and more than 40 percent gave the trade an A.

The Magic maintained their core

Much of the praise centered simply on the Orlando Magic's ability to maintain their core players.

A lot of the talk this offseason had the Magic adding a compromising player who would not fit the team's defensive identity or giving up a core player like Jalen Suggs to make a significant move. The Magic knew they would be above the first apron and flirting with the second apron in the near term to make any kind of move.

It may still be something that is in the distant future, but the Magic had to decide if this was a core to invest in.

One thing everyone can say is the Magic are going for it. They are dipping deep into muddy salary cap waters, and the DeVos family is going to be paying a steep tax bill.

But the Magic looked at their team from the last two years and, even dealing with all the injuries from last year, decided it was one worth believing in. To make this deal without giving up Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs is a huge win.

Bane undoubtedly adds to the team. He is a career 41.0-percent 3-point shooter and is considered one of the best shooters in the league. Even in a down year, his 39.2 percent shooting ranked 17th among players who averaged at least 6.0 3-point attempts per game.

While Bane can play on the ball and gives the Magic another capable passer and attacker, theoretically playing with more ball-handlers will give him more shot opportunities.

Orlando made a clear signal that the team is trying to win, and win in the short term with a young roster.

A big part of acquiring Bane over the other players fans looked at is that he is under contract for four more years. Orlando has solidified a strong starting lineup and one of the best quartets of players in the entire league.

The point guard question remains

There are still questions about this move. Beyond the financial implications of dipping into the first apron and deep into the luxury tax for the foreseeable future, the Orlando Magic still have a lot of needs to fill.

There is a reason the Magic were expected to pursue other players. The Magic needed shooting and playmaking. They needed another scorer and creator.

Bane checks off a good chunk of those boxes. He is one of the best shooters in the league and he can create off the dribble.

But it still leaves a little hole on the roster. The Magic will go into the season once again without a true point guard in their starting lineup.

The Magic did not get the chance to see what their trio looked like with Suggs at point guard for very long. Orlando played only 97 minutes together with just a 108.5 offensive rating (the defense was excellent at 100.5 points allowed per 100 possessions).

Orlando had its most successful run last season with Cory Joseph at point guard -- for reference, the Joseph-Banchero-Wagner combo had a 117.2 offensive rating in 291 minutes with a +12.9 net rating. There is something to say that having a true point guard would be a benefit for the Magic.

The Magic will not have a starting point guard per se. They are seemingly creating a guard out of the aggregate.

Bane is a capable playmaker. He stepped in for Ja Morant during his injuries the last two year. Bane averaged more than 5.0 assists per game in each of the last two seasons.

But the lack of a point guard is a lingering concern still for the Magic.

The draft question

There are still other criticisms to look at from this move.

Giving up the entire draft stash that the Magic carefully built up in the last few years was a major cost. And that made more than a few of our respondents uneasy.

It was a high cost for a player, even one who fits a lot of things the Orlando Magic need. It has been the cost of doing business to get these high-level role players -- from Rudy Gobert to Mikal Bridges.

As even Jeff Weltman put it, it is on the Magic to determine the value of those picks. If this works, those picks will come very late in the draft.

Overall, then, the Magic are getting praised for not sitting on the sidelines anymore. They are going for their opportunity to win.

Whether that rises to the level of winning a title is another question. One that will play out in the next few years. Orlando put itself in the conversation at long last.