A little more than a month ago, Orlando Magic fans were celebrating the acquisition of Desmond Bane.
The aggressive move to improve the team's starting lineup and add the perfect complement to the team's young core and their starting lineup. It was a day of celebration that has seemingly vaulted the Magic straight into championship contention.
That move came with a price, sending Cole Anthony to the Memphis Grizzlies. While everyone seemed to understand this was a necessary move to advance the team, losing Anthony was still a heavy cost to pay emotionally, even if he struggled on the court the last few seasons.
Everyone had to move on. And quickly it became clear that Anthony's future was in some doubt.
Even in the hours after the trade, it looked like the Memphis Grizzlies would end up either moving Anthony in a second trade or buying him out of his contract. That finally came to an agreement with reports that Anthony will leave the Memphis Grizzlies and sign a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
That presents an interesting case for the Bucks, one of the Magic's Eastern Conference rivals. They now have a backcourt that is very familiar to Magic fans.
Milwaukee also signed Gary Harris to a short-term contract, giving the Bucks the Magic's backup backcourt from last year and the two longtime Magic guards. Both were seemingly discarded this season after struggling to produce when the team climbed into Playoff contention.
Anthony and Harris struggled in Orlando
Both Cole Anthony and Gary Harris received their share of criticism for failing to deliver the offensive boost the team so desperately needed.
It is curious, then, that the Milwaukee Bucks chose to take on the Orlando Magic's backcourt from last year. They are walking back into a failed duo that the Magic felt they needed to move on from to reach a championship level.
Anthony's struggles throughout last season were well noted. He averaged a career-low 9.4 points per game and shot 42.4 percent from the floor. Some of that was because his role diminished as the Magic added more guards -- notably Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anthony Black. The Magic's desire for size on defense ultimately pinched Anthony's minutes.
Anthony still delivered some big moments, including a 35-point effort in the comeback win over the Miami Heat in December, a game-winning floater in another comeback against the Brooklyn Nets in December and a critical 22-point, nine-assist showing in a March win over the Milwaukee Bucks that was a turning point in the season.
Anthony just could not show up in the Playoffs, scoring only 11 total points in 51 minutes in the Magic's five-game series with the Boston Celtics. He shot 4 for 14 overall in the series.
In two Playoff series in the last two years, Anthony averaged 3.9 points per game and shot 30.6 percent from the floor.
Harris did not produce much else. Harris became the firestorm for constant criticism for his seeming lack of statistical contribution during the last two years.
Harris averaged a career-low 3.0 points per game last year and shot 35.6 percent from three, his worst in five seasons with the Magic. Harris was still depended on because he was solid on defense. That helped him take minutes from unproven players like Jett Howard and even a veteran like Cole Anthony.
That still did not sit right. And in the 2024 season, where Harris started 27 of the 54 games he played, Harris averaged only 6.9 points per game and took 5.5 field goal attempts per game. He took only 2.8 field goal attempts per game last year.
As a duo, the Magic had a 103.0 offensive rating and 112.5 defensive rating in 194 minutes across 29 games last year. It was clearly not a duo that worked particularly well in the Magic's ecosphere, even defensively.
There is a reason the Magic opted to move on.
The Bucks are desperate for veteran depth
For the Milwaukee Bucks part then, they are are desperate for reliable veterans on the cheap. In their quest to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy and competitive in the Eastern Conference, they are seeking all the help they can get as they bump up against the cap. That is what led them to waive and stretch Damian Lillard to ensure they could get Myles Turner.
Anthony joining the team on a minimum contract along with Harris shows how far both have fallen and where they might fit into the Bucks.
It is likely both Anthony and Harris will compete for regular rotation minutes for the Bucks. Milwaukee could see similar results as the Magic saw.
Paolo Banchero may not be as good as Giannis Antetokounmpo yet. But he still soaks up enough attention to create openings for players like Anthony and Harris, and they still struggled.
The Bucks could have done a lot worse than this duo. But Magic fans know exactly where this leads.