3 Opponents we'd like to see Orlando Magic open the 2024-25 season against

1. The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA right now. Led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they secured the number one seed in a packed Western Conference and became the youngest team in league history to do so. 

Many of their players competed in their first playoffs. While that was not an issue during their first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans, it became clearer against Luke Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks. 

In the offseason, the Thunder became better, swapping Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks. The Thunder will be a force in the West and are one of the favorites to win the conference. 

Oklahoma City is a step or two ahead of Orlando in its development, but that is exactly where the Magic eventually want to end up. Opening the season against the Thunder would make for a thrilling game between two strong defensive teams. It would also offer the Magic a chance to announce to the league that they are next in line. For Paolo Banchero, it would be an opportunity to remind everyone why he was drafted first overall over Chet Holmgren in 2022.