The Milwaukee Bucks were undoubtedly at a crossroads.
They had spun out since winning the title in 2021. A title defense ended in seven games in the second round as their roster began to show its age. First-round losses where Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt with injuries led the team to acquire Damian Lillard in a much-celebrated move.
In the end, that only netted them an NBA Cup trophy. The Bucks found themselves stuck again and staring down the existential question all small market teams inevitably face: What happens if their generational star asks out?
The Bucks were not going to take that lying down. If their ship was going to sink, they were going to go down swinging.
They pulled off the most shocking move of free agency so far, acquiring Myles Turner from the Indiana Pacers and waiving and stretching Damian Lillard's remaining salary.
Overnight, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, two potential contenders in a struggling Eastern Conference, were in retreat.
Throughout the Eastern Conference, teams seemed to be in retreat or, at the very least, stagnating, unsure how to navigate their uncertain futures.
The Orlando Magic dove headfirst into the tempest. They are one of the few teams in the conference that seemed to be going for it and attacking the vacancies atop the conference. They sensed an opportunity to make progress.
It has put the team in a position to make waves in the Eastern Conference. It was an opportunity the Magic had to take advantage of and to get right.
At least on paper, Orlando has attacked its needs and are legitimately in the conversation as one of the best teams in the East.
The Magic attacked an open Eastern Conference
The Orlando Magic were expected to attack their offseason aggressively.
After relying on continuity for two seasons to build into a playoff team, even accounting for injuries, the team clearly hit its ceiling. They saw clearly they did not have enough to compete in a playoff series with a title contender like the Boston Celtics.
The question was always who they were going to target and how they would address their offensive issues.
Fans had the team targeting low-hanging fruit and high-volume, high-scoring shooters. But the Magic targeted Desmond Bane, a high-level player nobody saw in the market. In him, they grabbed someone who would not subtract from the team's identity while adding to the team's offensive needs.
It came at a heavy cost -- nearly all the team's available-to-trade first-round picks along with two rotation players.
Orlando then aggressively pursued a point guard to come off the bench, giving them that cushion if their point-guard-by-committee idea does not work. Signing Tyus Jones checked off more shooting boxes, even if it boxed them in against a first-apron hard cap.
The Magic feel they have something with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and see that their window is open. They see how open the path is for them to win.
In this NBA, with how big the team's payroll was about to balloon, championship windows open very suddenly and close just as fast. With teams in attack and retreat, there may be only 3-4 years to win a title. With Banchero and Wagner's age, the Magic could set themselves, with multiple opportunities to attack this window.
This upcoming season marks their first attack to win a championship.
The East in retreat
That attack would have likely come regardless of the circumstances. But the timing could not be more fortuitous. The landscape in the Eastern Conference is shifting in a major way. There is a power vacuum at the top.
It was very clear from the moment Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles in the second round of the Playoffs this year that things would be different. Suddenly, one of the perennial contenders was staring down uncertainty.
Already expected to slash payroll to avoid second-round restrictions, the Celtics went into overdrive ahead of what appears to be a gap year, trading Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and watching Luke Kornet walk in free agency. Al Horford is still undecided where he may end up.
With Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Anfernee Simons, the Celtics are still a dangerous team. But hardly a championship contender.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealing with their own second aprons. They pivoted to trade Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball, knowing they would lose key reserve Ty Jerome to free agency and their salary restrictions.
The New York Knicks have mostly sat silent, only adding Mike Brown as their head coach Wednesday.
Other teams have swung and missed. The Indiana Pacers will be without Tyrese Haliburton this season and opted not to pay the tax, allowing Myles Turner to leave for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Miami Heat struck out on Kevin Durant.
The Detroit Pistons are following the Orlando Magic's blueprint, mostly staying intact after their breakthrough season. But they have had major changes too, losing Malik Beasley (to legal troubles) and Tim Hardaway Jr. They have only replaced them with Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson.
The only team in the East that seems to be attacking and trying to fill this void is the Atlanta Hawks, who acquired Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The Hawks had an intriguing reset last year and seem eager to see how it grows with Jalen Johnson returning from injury.
No team though made the splash the Magic did. No team seems as close to making that big leap in the Eastern Conference as the Magic. No team had the chance to make a big splash and climb the standings like the Magic.
In an Eastern Conference that was clearly in some retreat and in major flux, the Magic are preparing to step into the void. They should be among the favorites to win in the East next year.