Orlando Magic Cast Episode 2 – Desmond Bane , Free agency, Draft talk @LockedOnMagic
all right what is up everybody we are live uh I’m here with uh Locked on Magic again to talk about Magic we did it last year we’re doing it again this year right before draft i thought this would be a good week luckily you had time which is great um please subscribe to his channel if you haven’t it’s Locked on Magic his uh channel links in the description uh so basically um I just want to start off with the magic logo what did you think of the Magic logo and the jerseys um I personally love the logo i love the jerseys more but the logo I like because it kind of it’s like the Lakeland Magic and the Magic Lake like put together um we needed a rebranding but I I didn’t mind the old logo but I just like the new one what do you think yeah I I really liked it um when I got my first look at the at the new at the new branding and and everything I I saw that logo and I immediately was like that’s that’s it that is that is exactly what people want and you know I think the overall vibe of the Magic Stew look is we’re they’re paying homage to the jerseys that everybody loves uh from the from the late late 80s early 90 late 80s early to mid 90s like those are the like whenever you think of Orlando Magic you think of the pinstripe jerseys you think of the look that the Magic had with Shock and Penny yeah and I know whenever I talked about logo stuff or or whenever they would release the throwback jerseys everyone would always tell me “Why don’t the Magic just go back to the original jerseys why don’t the Magic just do those permanently?” And I was I would always be like “They can’t they’re not allowed to the the marks are all o you know the NBA you know puts the marks under lock and key it goes into the Disney vault never to be seen again.” Um and so for the Magic to kind of hear that response uh and this is the whole branding not just the the logo but for the Magic to hear that response and really fight for it um because you know if you’ve read any of the stories about the the branding pro the rebranding process the Magic had a lot of things to review but it kept coming back to fans kept saying “Go back to the old logo.” Yes and the magic found a way to to honor that look but do something that spins it forward that gives it a new twist that gives it a little bit of a refresh and so I think they did you know I know people were really scared of of everything that had to do with this they gave fans something that I think they really really wanted there there are things to fix and tweak and things that some of us would say “Oh I wish they would have done that or this or the other thing.” But overall like crack out your crack out your 1990s gear it’s so It’s so good i love it yeah it’s like a rebranding of the 90s gear with the twist of like you know modern NBA uh I loved it i thought it was good the Magic needed to rebrand um because it’s been a while we’ve had the logo for a while and um same logo since 2010 I want to say 11 season same jersey since the 2009 season so it was it definitely felt like time because like even when the even when the the previous jersey set came out in 2009 obviously it was tweaked a little bit when they moved from Adidas to to Nike um people didn’t love it like like I like everyone kind of understood what they were going for with it and again nod to the pinstripes like kind of this updated version of the old old logo but it was just like I don’t know people didn’t like the font like there’s just a lot of things people didn’t like about it and and look at they they wore them for a long time they had some success in them they had a lot of down years in them it was it was time to signify a a new generation or a new era of of the team with with its look yeah like I agree we we needed a rebranding and also it’s like a new era with uh because that was the old Magic Players now we have like we have Ben Carroll we have France and uh Suggs and all these new players it’s like you know it’s just a whole new young team but I like that they did the old retro look with it you know the the magic so that was really cool also I wanted to say um now we have a new addition to the team Desmond Bane uh which is so great i love it at first I was just trying to process it because um I didn’t it came out on Father’s Day i didn’t know if it was real or if this was a you know he got hacked or something because Shams was the first person i mean if if he didn’t get hacked for the Luca trade I think you just gota you just got to trust that he’s got like three factor authentication on his on his account yeah yeah no I agree right but my first reaction was very subdued because I didn’t know if it was real i didn’t know how to feel about it there was like four first round picks but the more I thought about it I liked it because we don’t need first round picks right now we need to get a veteran talent which Desmond Bane is and I like Desmond Bane because he can play multiple positions um he’s a great shooter which is something the Magic need we do not have a shooter like that uh KCP was struggling we needed to let go of him and that contract wasn’t good either uh I liked call Anthony but I just don’t see like where he’s going to play right now so um I liked it originally i didn’t know how to feel about it because I was like four first like you know how Twitter is when they see first they just see the four first round picks and that’s all they think about they don’t even think about oh the Magic are trying to build now and they don’t care about those picks because the Magic are going to be pretty good for the next four to five years hopefully you know we that’s what we’re hoping um so those picks are not going to they’re going to be like 20th to 30th range so if all goes right yeah if all goes right and you know some of the it’s not every year like it alternates so sometimes we will have our pick and you know it’s not like we’re never going to have it um what did you think about the Desmond Train like when it first happened and like you know now where you’re at with it yeah I I think the biggest I mean like we all expected the Magic to make a trade this off seasonason like we knew they couldn’t sit still with what they had they they had to they had to do something like they they couldn’t they couldn’t do nothing um they needed they needed to add to this roster they needed to add offense it it was just what are they going to do what what is the move and a lot of us had pinpointed a lot of these guards and some of these other players and so when I saw that it was Desmond Bane the first thing that I thought was I didn’t even think he was available i was like I I I didn’t even think the Grizzlies were gonna be open to trading him let alone that’s the player the Magic would target because when I was doing my calculations and when I did the locked on mock draft I was like okay I am going to grab a player that is going to help the team offensively but might hurt them defensively might might take away too much on defense and that’s just a compromise that I have to make as a general manager and with Desmond Bane and and Jeff Welman made this when you spoke to the media with with with Desmond Bane he got a player who fits this team’s culture already you’re you’re you’re getting someone that is purely additive that’s purely adding to what you have and so the immediate reaction was yes that is a lot to give up you know you knew you’d have to give up two rotation players you know Casey P Cole Anthony were always kind of the the go-to trade chips giving up how many first round picks like I’m bad at valuing first round picks so I don’t I don’t know what a first round pick is worth but um giving up the Phoenix pick was the big one the the Phoenix spot for was the big one that was But I think Phoenix got better now after this Durant h Kevin K trading away Kevin Durant never makes you better let’s let’s let’s just make I agree but like I don’t know he was not fitting there like he was just that was organizational he was awesome last year he was he was part he was the only thing keeping that team afloat but that’s either here nor there um to get something you got to give up something good and and clearly the Magic were trying to kind of dump KCP’s contract although I think KCP will be very good for Memphis um the Magic the Magic got the best possible player I think they could have gotten the summer like I I would not have pegged them to get a player right of Desmond Bane’s caliber and now honestly if you look around the Eastern Conference at least because that’s the Magic’s main competition mhm honestly only Cleveland at least among healthy players now only Cleveland probably has a better uh starting four or or opening four than Orlando does and and so immediately this vaults the Magic into maybe we can win the Eastern Conference like like it are they this good now and that’s something the Magic haven’t proactively done in a very very long time so this was you know you have to give up a lot to get something very very good if all works out those draft picks aren’t going to be that that meaningful they they’re meaningful because they’re cheap contracts and the Magic need cheap contracts now but um they’re overall not that meaningful and they got a player who could potentially really transform this team’s offense without taking too much away from the team’s defense yeah and the odds came out today that the Magic would finish around top three so two one two three any of those it’s like not just not just top three in in in the East yeah fanduel has them with the fifth best odds to win the title of winning the finals i of winning the championship i thought that was kind of like whoa that was I was like I saw that I was just like whoa whoa whoa there guys i know the East is bad but you got to get there to have a chance to win it so I get that part we saw we saw Indiana though like Indiana is a team that was good but nobody expected them to go to the finals in the beginning of the season if I asked nobody would have said that and they did and they almost won it like they got to game seven unfortunately Hal Halleurn got hurt and then we don’t know what would have happened um I still think the Thunder would have won but it was a very great series like this was a great NBA finals went to seven games um all that so it is so funny that it was Desmond Bane because I agree with you i did not have him on my radar at all we talked about it last year we had people like Anthony Simons and that that type of people like uh all the guys and like I like I talked to so many people about Anthony Simons and the line I kept using I’ve been using this line for about a year if the Magic wanted Anthony Simons he’d be on the team already and and by all accounts and reports the Magic did fish around the Magic did ask about him and it just felt like it honestly just kind of feels like the Magic kind of understood he was in their back pocket and a move they could make but it was not the move they wanted to make desmond Bane is the move they wanted to make and obviously they paid a big price because that’s the guy they wanted well I think they paid a big price for Desmond Bane but also they wanted to get rid of KCP so they were like here’s two more picks on top of it well I mean look I mean look you’re you’re bringing in Desmond Bane to start yeah they’re trading Contavius Skull of Hope like some of it is just cap math like like like whenever someone pitches me a trade the first thing I do is to say okay what does the cat math actually say like how do we construct this deal so that it works under the NBA’s rules and that’s like half the battle is figuring out what is what like what how do you make the math work and to get a guy like Desmond Bane he’s being paid what $33 million next year it you had to include Kavius Kwell Pope and you had to include one of Cole Anthony or Jonathan Isaac and you’re probably and yeah KCP’s contract not terrible it’s two years left 22 million he’s a starting level shooting guard still i think KCP is gonna have a bounce back year and I think Magic fans will be a little bit upset by it but they they’ll have Deon Bane so maybe they won’t be too upset by it um but like yeah the Magic probably had to pay a first to get off KCP’s contract they probably had to pay another first to get off of Cole Anony’s contract the the real price for Desmond Bane was probably the Phoenix Pick Swap next year yeah like that’s that that is the cost of doing business here and and at the end of the day the Magic took their shot and as a fan that’s all you can ask for is that when your team feels like it’s close to winning a title and maybe the Magic aren’t maybe the Magic are you take your shot when it’s there and and this was the shot this is our shot because we have Ben Carroll and France both young both in their like prime they’re getting better every year and then another thing is just like the Magic don’t make trades that often like the last time we made trades was trading people away you know this was the first trade where the Magic acquired a player since 2023 when they acquired Patrick Beverly in the Moamba trade yeah and then he was and they cut and they cut Pat right away so I think I think this is the first trade where the Magic acquired a player they intended to keep since Bull Bowl don’t quote me on that it’s been a while this this this team the Thunder yeah we have so there was somebody talking in the chat talking about Kobe White i thought that was another person that we could have went for but that was more like in the trade deadline but I think Chicago is going to try to like build around Kobe White the Yeah and the issue with Kobe White and the issue with like Anthony Simons and Jordan Pool was I am so happy we didn’t get No me too um I had to like seriously entertain it because I was like “Okay we got to talk about it it’s it’s not crazy.” Um but the issue with those guys and like Austin Reeves and and even Colin Ston was another guy that I really like the issue with those guys is they are expiring contracts and so you you bring you pay a heavy price for them bring them in and then you have only that year to figure out if you want to keep them on a long-term deal with Desmond Bane he’s got four years left on his deal you’re also you’re not only trading for Desmond Bane you’re trading for four years of Desmond Bane yeah and that that that cost control is incredibly important because like if the Magic if it doesn’t work out or the Magic have an opportunity to get even better they can move him they can move him again like you’re not you’re not under the gun you’re not under the clock now I mean think of it this way if this core four works and again we don’t know if it’s going to work we’ll see what it looks like in October November and onward if this core four works Jaylen Suggs is under contract for four more years fron Vagner is under contract for four more years desmond Bane is under contract for four years carol’s gonna get his Palo Vancer is gonna you know it could be any minute that Shams tweets out that the Magic have agreed to a max extension with Paul it’s gonna happen i think it’s gonna happen they got Paulo Vancero for five more years on that deal the Magic’s four guys again like I said probably the at least the second best starting four in the Eastern Conference you know you could make your argument for New York make your argument for Boston boston’s gonna change a little bit yeah make make your arguments for other guys but the Magic are in the conversation for having at least one of the best four one of the best like starting four guys in the Eastern Conference that group is under under contract for four years you could figure out the the rotational pieces but for the next four years the Magic have a rock steady solid group to work with i I agree and the thing I love about Desmond Bane is that he can facilitate too he’s not just a shooter like I mean yes that’s a great thing and that’s what the Magic need but we got a guy who can average five assists when John Morant went down he became kind of like the leader of that team you know and he’s a nononsense guy you’re not going to get like he’s just straightforward basketball that’s all he cares about and you see you see it in his play you know and he can average anywhere between 20 to 25 points and he shoots the best like one of the best three ball shooters out there yeah and it’s not even just that he’ll average 20 points per game because like look Paulo’s gonna be up around 25 fran’s gonna be up around 25 bane will probably settle in at like 18 19 suggs will be at 15 16 17 it’s not just that Bane can get you 20 it’s that he can have a game where he gets you 30 and that’s not just a random Tuesday night that is a couple random Tuesday nights that could be you know he’ll have a you know he had a game against Sacramento where he had I think 42 made seven threes was seven for seven from three part of the Magic’s problem and this was part of the problem with signing uh Contavius Calwell Pope was KCP was never a volume shooter he was getting up five a game he was going to make two and that that was fun the Magic needed a volume shooter desmond Bane is gonna Desmond Bane had a down year last year and he took six three-point attempts per game oh yeah he could be up near especially playing off of Paulo and Fron where he doesn’t always have to be the first option or even the second option you can get him up to seven or eight and now he’s making three or four of those seven or eight per game your offense is completely different now and that and that volume matters a lot too uh I want to get back to KCP for one second when you said KCP right he had a lot of wide open looks if that happens with Desmond Bane if he gets those looks Bane makes shots those wide open looks at theoretically yes yeah because the thing is Ben Carro and France do take a lot of the pressure away and I think Bane will have open looks now I don’t know if it’ll be like KCP because I guess KCP people were a little bit like oh I don’t know if because they left them open and he wasn’t making them you know I remember because I called and watched a lot of Magic games last year almost every I want to say everyone but about like 60 like 70% of the games I did last year and all the playoff games so I was heavily invested in Magic and um yeah I would see KCP wide open and yeah he just met None of us none of us could figure it out like profile this guy’s a 40% shooter too his shot profile at least statistically was the same as it was in Denver would I would Now would I say like the quality of his passes were the same as they were in Denver no nicole Joic is one of the best passers in the league and Orlando’s passing I would say is not so great is not fantastic um yeah like no one can explain why his shot went bad and like look if if Bane struggles the same way KCP did then the Magic’s problem goes a little bit deeper than than than just we need a shooter it’s it’s like oh there’s some structural problems here that have to be addressed right i I think he’s a perfect fit i I really like it uh for the team um it’s a I mean honestly honestly think you think of a trade I always say are you like especially for a team in the Magic situation are you better today than you were before the trade and undoubtedly the Magic are a better team today than they were before they made the Desmond Bane trade also what I like is this gives other Magic players a chance to step up like Tristan D Silva uh Anthony Black you know who knows Anthony Black he showed flashes last year where he could be really good you know uh he was shooting a little better than the year before and he’s a great he can pass the ball he just needs to work on his turnovers and other things but I I think he has promise um and he can come off the bench and be like a six-man for the team mo Vagner might come back i mean he guess he’s going to come back but I don’t know when exactly because he tore ACL so we still have a lot of depth we didn’t trade many depth pieces away which I love you know that’s what I’m trying to get to yeah i mean I I I am not a subscriber that the Magic’s depth is very good like the Magic still have work to do this summer and and look Mo Vagner is not coming back till Christmas at the earliest I would say um so you’ve got to deal with almost half the season without Mo Vagner yeah um Anthony Black there were good signs you’re right absolutely played some really good basketball very inconsistent and two years in like you don’t know what his role is you don’t know what you can rely on him for the Magic I think really need to find another guard to play next to him and they need to find some scoring off the bench like the one big thing you’re losing with Cole Anthony is Cole Anthony was your spark plug he was your spark plug scoreer i know he had a an inconsistent and rough season last year but you know he won you that game against Miami he was huge in that game against Brooklyn like he he won you games last season um the Magic need to find a way to replace that not to mention kind of what he brings in the locker room too um the Magic still have work to do this summer like their their off season is not done they you know their their bench right now is very defense focused with Anthony Black Jonathan Isaac and Todd um and you know that’s fine because you now your kind of lineup is very topheavy and really there’s no reason the Magic shouldn’t have at least one of their four look if the Magic play any lineups without any of their as long as they’re all healthy with any of their top four guys on the court I if one of those guys needs to be on the court at all times frankly the Magic could probably jerryrig it or or or set their rotation so that for almost every minute two of those guys are on the floor so they don’t need to have a 10-man rotation next year um but I I do think they still need to add some shooting they need to add another kind of offensive player to that bench and and they just need to kind of solidify their depth a little bit that their depth is probably the biggest thing that their offensive depth especially offensive depth concerns me a lot offensive depth is defense they’re they’re they’re gonna they’re gonna be you know will they be the second best defensive team in the league next year they probably take a little bit of a step back but their defense will still be elite next year yeah that’s true yeah like I totally agree with that and um Yeah so what do you think the uh will the Magic Oh no i want to talk about this actually there was two guys released uh Corey Joseph and Gary Harris this is what I like about the Magic now they are I feel like they’re becoming more serious you know before they would these guys would always stick around and you know you’d always be like I mean like let’s let’s not let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves like wait do you do you think that they Okay I think that they are as good as gone do you think that I think there is a 75% chance both are gone yeah that’s what I’m thinking yeah like Harris the reason the reason the Magic declined their team options is to stay under the first apron so they they still it’s just a cap mechanic like there’s like they want to act you know for the draft they want to act like they’re under the first apron so they want to have access to trades they want to be able to to to to do things mechanically so So a lot of this is just like boring collective bargaining agreement stuff like you mentioned Mo Vagner earlier the Magic are going to decline that team option um it’s to their benefit to do so the Magic Decline the team options for Mo Vagner and Caleb Houston that puts them under the tax line and gives them access to the non- taxpayer mid-level exception which allows them to sign a player or a combination of players to 14 million to $14 million contract um so this is just a mechanic of the of the of the salary cap that they have to they have to kind of do this performatively i still expect them to bring Mo Vagner back oh I don’t I don’t think they’ll bring back Gary Harris or Corey Joseph if they do it’ll be it’ll be for the minimum like end of bench guys like just solid veterans i think they’ll also ultimately bring back Caleb Houston wouldn’t shock me if they don’t decline that team option completely i think they should bring him back he should i think they should too yeah but again you’re talking about guys that you probably want you know outside of Mo Vagner you’re talking about guys you probably want at the end of your bench and you know those guys know your stuff they fit your system they they they’re they’re reliable that stuff matters too as you’re completing a roster yeah especially if any foreseen injuries happen or anything like that um but yeah I mean it’s draft week so uh you know Wednesday is the NBA draft magic have the 25th pick what do you think the Magic go for in terms of needs like what player do you have what you know like do you have a player or a point guard in mind yeah I got I got a few players I’m looking at um you know first off I don’t think the Magic are going to ultimately change their kind of draft philosophy they’re still looking for these kind of long rangy players the need for drafting players who can help out a little bit more immediately is probably bigger now so you know would they draft a Jagger Demon which you know Jagger Demon from BYU is like oozing with I’m an Orlando Magic player he’s a 6’8 point guard probably the best passer in this draft can’t shoot worth a lick like like his percentages are just awful it’s like sub 303 point field goal percentage sub 70 free throw percentage that’s like major red flag but like two years ago the Magic draft him and they don’t think twice about it like that’s like that’s that’s a guy that we like we can mold him we can work with them right now though they need shooting so badly and still they they need guys who can contribute quickly um I I think the Magic are going to take I don’t think the Magic are going to focus this draft on one positional need even though free agency free agency is sparse at every position so I don’t you know if the Magic know they’re going to do something in free agency like if they know they’re signing that for example Nikuel Alexander Walker they probably don’t draft Nick Clifford or draft Liam McNeely or another one of these wings because Nikuel Alexander Walker is going to fill that role um but I think the Magic are probably gonna look at the the best player on their board you know obviously uh I think most people in Florida are big Walter Clayton fans i was gonna say see I thought you were going to say him while No no and I I like him a lot too i put I took him in the lockdown mockdraft i don’t think he’s going to be there at 25 i I think that I know they had him at 16 I think when we I’ve seen I’ve seen him all over the place i I I I I don’t think I’ve seen a mock draft that has him dropping past the Magic at 25 but I don’t think he’s gonna be there i think I think if he’s there at 25 Oh you take him in wrong for sure he’s gonna be like he’s like if you’re looking for a guy to replace Cole Anthony Walter Walter Clayton does everything that Cole Anthony does um but you know like if you don’t like him Jace Richardson could be good i wouldn’t shock me if Jace Richardson falls a little on the small side which I don’t think the Magic want because you know they want they love their size um I would be looking at Nick Clifford i mentioned him from Colorado State i really like him i watched him play in the NCAA tournament he was he really stepped up his game colorado State went on like a 12game win streak to make the NCAA tournament and win the Mountain West tournament me Clifford averaged like 20 he averaged more than 20 points per game uh he had like he fills up a box score too this is what I really love about him he’s not just he’s like “Oh he’s a primary scorer.” He can get to his spots he can create his own shot which is big like I I think a big thing the Magic need offensively is more guys who can do multiple things but he averaged like eight nine rebounds per game and like four or five assists per game in college so he’s like a like he’s 67 he’s you know he’s he’s a good goodiz wing his three-point shot probably needs a little bit of work but I like he’s he’s a do everything guy he played with Tristan Dilva at Colorado before he transferred to Colorado State um I know that they’re still in contact a little bit um he’s he’s a really good wing to have uh I’d be looking I don’t think he’ll be here either but I would look at Cedric Coward from uh Washington State he was supposed to transfer to Duke had an incredible combine really impressed everybody decided to stay in the draft i I think he is probably the guy that you’ll be shocked is in the lottery um would not shock me if he goes higher he he I see him at 14 so I’ve seen him that high too like he measured really really well yeah he’s like 66 with like a 72 wingspan like again stuff the Magic really really like um as far as like bigs what about bigs any Yeah I was thinking as far as bigs because we really need that I think yeah do the Magic really need a big Yes um they’re f I I think they’re fine with Wendell Carter i know fans aren’t are kind of like Carter i think the Magic are fine with Wendell Carter like like he’ll fix Yeah like look at the end of the day what the Magic want are is defense first and plugging a rookie into your starting lineup that isn’t a super jumpy athletic big man isn’t going to work wendell Carter is going to defend the perimeter well you know theoretically he can make threes he didn’t last year obviously um he stays out of the lane because he pops so much so the lane stays open get a get a you know if Wendo Carter can improve his shot he can sit there but there there are a few guys to look at yeah um a lot of Magic fans would look at Danny Wolf from Michigan i I am not a Danny Wolf fan i think Do you like Maxim Rain re I do like I do like Maxim Reo um seven foot 7 foot one I think is is what he’s what he’s official at good wingspan good shot blocker great rebounder yeah uh can score inside and out my only concern with him is he really didn’t play against a lot of tough competition even in the ACC but if you go and look at his Yeah yeah if you go look at his numbers against Duke and Cayman Malok um he was like seven for 21 like had eight rebounds like you know 17 points eight rebounds it wasn’t a bad game but like you look at that numbers like oh he was inefficient against bigger stronger centers that’s a problem when you get into the NBA so like there’s a reason why he’d be picked at 25 um Ryan Crener from Kraton yes really good shot blocker another like big guy he looks like your typical like 90s kind of stiff player that that I’d be a little worried about in the NBA um I’m not a big fan of the centers in this draft like Reno would be fine i’d be okay if you don’t like you don’t like Joan Bearinger or also I I haven’t watched enough of them and he’s just so raw that like again like I’m looking at this Magic team they’re trying to win now so unless you’re this like super jumpy guy like I I I you know like a Derrick Lively type I don’t think there’s a pl I don’t know if there’s a place for you on this team you know the other guy I would look at is Thomas Sorber from Georgetown he missed the last month of the season with a foot injury he’s not going to be able to play in summer league because he’s still recovering from the foot injury really good shot blocker though kind of like Wendell Carter he’s kind of like a like Wendell Carter was in his early days where he was just this like very like kind of groundbound shot blocker sorber is a lot longer a lot bigger than Carter is um but again he’s got this foot injury you got to be really confident with the foot injury there could be a reason why he tumbles into the teens i think he’d be I think he’s a lottery talent if it weren’t for the injury so we’ll see what what comes of that but you know t I I’ve been saying this for the last like few weeks typically I try to downplay draft classes and I’m like I really don’t like this draft i’m not there’s like three guys that I’m really interested in for the Magic pick and when they’re drafting like 15 i’ve been telling people like look even at 25 I’m really confident the Magic get someone that they like and and get someone that that that that’s going to fill a need and help this team you know even if it’s a Drake Powell from North Carolina you know uh uh you know even if they end up with like a a Will Riley from Illinois I think he’ll be long gone by the time the match but like when we had the 16 pick they also said Igor Deon like that was a guy that Yeah i I’m I’m not a Joerger Demon like Joerger joerger like again like your Oh that’s his name joerger joerger yeah yeah um it’s either Joerger or Aar i don’t know that’s not Eigor um uh it’s um he he just can’t shoot and like I I’m not draft like if I’m the Magic like I’m not looking at Ace Newell like Ace Newell is a lottery talent like that is a really interesting kid he’s 69 trying to play center not big enough to play center not quick enough to play the four not a shooter at all what do you do with him like he’s a lottery talent like you can mold him into something really interesting the Magic don’t have time to mold anybody the Magic need someone that’s going to help them pretty quickly because they need like the draft is really really important now the Magic are going to be an apron team next year they’re going to be a second apron team in 2027 they’re not going to be able to add any players except through the draft and except through these small contracts getting value out of your small contracts is super important right now for the Magic and whenever the Magic get to the finals get to the conference finals it’s going to be because one of these guys hits yeah I agree like and so getting this right is really really important and again Magic will have some good options here they really messed up that one year when they took Jet Howard like yeah the Jet Like I I like I’ve I’ve told people my my thought on that draft was the Magic had the draft of a team that’s still rebuilding and I don’t think they understood how good their team was already yeah like like when I like I got yelled at so like we do the locked on mock draft every year all of us podcast hosts take over as GMs of our teams we make trades we do everything right right that year I got slammed because I picked Grady Dick with the six pick which that’s who I admit was we did that we did that mock draft super super early in the process i hadn’t done my study i would take him later i would I would I would have taken him later too but I ended up trading 11 i ended up trading 11 for Isaiah Hartenstein and and I got yelled at by everybody i got yelled at I got yelled at I got yelled at by the draft experts and they asked me to explain i said “Look we went 27 and 28 over our last 55 games last year.” Yeah I believe Paulo Benro is his rookie of the year he’s a he’s a future all-star i’m ready to win i don’t need any more rookies i don’t need any more young guys so I went out i got the best shooter in the draft which is my biggest need i don’t care that I drafted him early i agree i drafted him early but I don’t care i wanted him i went out and got the best shooter in the draft and I went out and got a backup center that I’m comfortable starting when Wendell Carter inevitably misses his 15 to 20 games i feel really good about my team heading in and you know that that was my draft strategy i was I was super aggressive about it i was like I you know the other I had another deal in that draft for Daniel Gaffer which I almost took um I think I made the right call between those two but either way like Yeah you did i I looked at it and I was like I need to solidify my team and be ready to win basketball games and I I I think the ma I think the Magic at that time weren’t in real life weren’t ready to make that commitment and so they drafted a project in Anthony Black and you know again Anthony Black super talented but everyone understood he wasn’t ready to come in and play he’s not ready now yeah he needed to develop his skills and they took a reach on Jet Howard a the the a guy that they saw as a shooter but could maybe give them a little bit more with some time and development and someone frankly was probably willing to spend the year in the G-League rather than be on the roster which I think was part of it um yeah his father had something to do with the I don’t I don’t think so like really because he was part No no no like Jet Jet Howard Jet Howard was one of the best shooters in that draft class um and I and and from what I understand the Magic didn’t like Jordan Hawkins because he was too small and and so I think the Magic looked at Jet Howard and a again they saw someone who was you they probably talked to the agent and said “Hey we’re going to draft him but he’s spending the year in the G-League we’re not playing him this rookie year his rookie year is going to be spent in the G-League to to get better and improve.” But they looked at him and said “This is a guy who’s not just a shooter he can playmake and pass a little bit he’s bigger we we think we can groom him into a defender and and obviously like you see a little bit of hints of the playmaking and passing like it’s it’s there like I I I definitely see that the defense has never come around and the shooting hasn’t been what it was advertised to be um so they took a reach if they if they looked at their team and said we are ready to compete and win they they attack that draft differently and not saying they attack it the way that I attack that draft but they attack that draft differently and add players who would help them win and help them win quicker wow and I think that was just a you know Jeff Welman is as aggressive as he was acquiring Desmond Bane Jeff Welman is very conservative you know he is he’s you know like that that report you know from Brian Winhorse back at the trade deadline he is a little too conservative at that time he could be a little too conservative yeah um I I think when they looked at that draft they didn’t realize really how how good they were already and and again that’s that’s going to hurt them like that was their last shot at a lottery pick and we all knew it was their last shot at the lottery pick they needed to get their needed to get their Ben Mathan they needed to get their you know they needed to get their last kind of bite at the bite at that apple so that they wouldn’t need Desmond Bane so to speak but here we are now you can’t go back and and you got to you got to push forward with what you have and look Anthony Black’s still contributing it’s not like he’s a nothing player but did you maximize the value you could get from that spot no no you didn’t uh we have something here that says Orlando has one more move incoming he will trade their 25th pick i don’t think that’s going to happen what do you think uh I think it’s possible the Magic trade 25 i would bet it is unless they’re getting Who would they get for the 25th pick um I don’t know like I think I mean like like seriously like like nobody knows what what’s gonna what’s gonna happen on draft night draft night’s gonna be wild i I I would expect draft night to be pretty active especially now that the Kevin Durant domino has fallen now everyone’s kind now everyone who was in the Durant sweep stakes is kind of free to move around and and Phoenix is going to be active like they need they need more like there’s there’s going to be a lot of action on draft night but um I I don’t think the MA the Magic right now can’t afford to take on more salary they need a cheap contract somewhere and that’s why the draft is really important because like the 25th pick is a salary slot of $3 million if you can get a rotation player for $3 million in this cap environment that’s free money that’s like that’s like having a player for free i agree yeah um and so I don’t think this is an opportunity the Magic can pass up it wouldn’t shock me if they are trying to like the the idea that I’ve had is to try and trade up into like that into like the 1920 21 range to make sure you get Walter Clayton or uh Jace Richardson to make sure you get that point guard that or that that reserve guard you need or whoever it is whoever that player might be go out and get him if it could be Rashe Fleming go get him um it wouldn’t shock me if that’s part of the plan uh but you know we’ll see like I I don’t know what direction the Magic want to go i I I I don’t have a sense like Jeff Wilman said after the trade like they have to kind of relap the league and have to kind of go around and say like “Hey what do you think what are you thinking what do you want um we got Jon you know we got Jonathan Ice we got Goa Batz.” Like right right what do you think exactly um like they gota they got to figure things out again like like they they they they kind of they kind of they they pushed all their chips in the middle they got a lot back they’re trying to pocket some of it now and and we’ll see what else they have left to wager yeah exactly this guy said Kobe Bria with the 46th i don’t know kobe Bri Kobe Bria at 46 has been a popular pick i’m still studying up on my second round players but definitely he’s definitely guy I thought they might get is Elijah Martin but who knows elijah Elijah Martin might be there at 58 i I would say this i I know the Magic typically sell off their second round picks yeah that’s what I’m saying i would I wouldn’t shock me if they do that again um I’m still planning to be there at the building at the training center on Thursday last year last year they literally told us Wednesday they told us the night uh it was a Thursday Friday draft they told us Thursday night after the first round was complete like “Hey you guys don’t have to show up tomorrow we’re trading to pick like we knew we knew it the day before and like me and Jason Bey and and Mason Williams all kind of huddled together we’re like if they do something we got to be here for it.” Where where is is the trading center in Kia Center or is it somewhere else no it’s a separate It’s about a block away now the the new the new new training center yeah oh so they got a Yeah oh yeah there’s like new Also we didn’t talk about this but the magic have new training facilities as well yeah new training facility has been three years it’s been awesome yeah yeah but I’m blows everybody away first time you’re in there you’re just like whoa yeah exactly and Desmond Bane was talking about that how much he loves that and that’s And like they don’t show you the cool stuff the good stuff’s in the back that they don’t tell us like like they got they’ve got the they like they every everyone in there has a walk-in locker locker like a walk-in closet locker it’s in it’s insane like it’s crazy i’m sure they’ve update upgraded it in the last you know like they took us on the grand tour when they first opened it um I’m sure they’ve upgraded it since what is your thoughts of the RA i know this is random but I just curious what is your thoughts of the Raptors uh I am they’re a really talented team like that with the talent on that roster they should be a playin team at the very least um you know Scotty Barnes Scotty Barnes Brandon Ingram uh Emanuel Quickley RJ Barrett and Yaka Purle is a very underrated center i want I want that guy on our team yaka Purle i feel like Yeah he’s a little he’s I like I like him a lot too um Toronto will not trade him for some reason it’s very good i know um they’re they should they should be better than they are and look injuries were a big factor for them last year they don’t have much of a bench uh I I am curious what they’ll do with their draft pick this year you know they have reportedly been trying to be players in some of these big trades like if Giannis ever breaks free him and Messiahi have a relationship it wouldn’t shock me if Toronto is involved in that um Toronto is missing that that one piece like I I know everyone likes to talk about the Scotty Barnes Fran Vagner thing fran Vagner’s eclipse Scotty Barnes like Scotty Barnes looked really really good when Pascal Seakum was kind of taking away the pressure from him when Scotty Barnes was the lead guy he was not good he he was what people think Paulo Baker is um it’s funny because the Magic and again it’s not he’s a it’s not that he’s a bad player he’s a really good player like don’t get me wrong he’s a really good player magic really wanted Scotty Barnes but he went right before us and we took Jaylen Suggs and it was I think they were still pretty happy with Jaylen Suggs i know i’m saying it was surprising that Suggs Yeah it was surprising that Toronto took him ahead of Suggs yeah um like I look I I wasn’t the biggest Scotty Barnes fan and it wasn’t because I thought he was a bad player it was because I thought the Magic needed a star they needed a number one guy and I thought Barnes was better as a role player fitting in around another another kind of star player rather than as a guy you put the ball in his hands look he’s developed into a like the best like one of the best point forwards in the league like he’s like I’m not here denigrating him but I don’t think you can build a championship team with him as your number one guy oh yeah no I agree and and that’s kind of where Toronto is stuck right now because Barrett’s not number one guy we’ll see what they look like with Ingram like people forget Ingram is is really good um he’s just a kind of a one-dimensional score but to Toronto should be a playin team next year with their talent level it’s just whether they stay healthy or not yeah this is not to do with the Magic but this is a really good question thoughts on how rigged the lottery is about it is not rigged uh like but the fact I guess he’s saying because the fact that they got Cooper flag Yeah yeah uh very like what was your reaction to that with with with I mean like my first reaction was like oh my god I can’t believe Dallas got away with trading Luca to get Cooper flag like look human the human brain is designed to see patterns even when there is no pattern like we are we are designed like our brains are designed to tell stories and try and connect dots that do not connect um that is that is human nature um I don’t think the lottery is rigged if the lottery was rigged why the hell would the Magic win it three times um or four times however many if won it four times why would they why would they give the Magic the lottery four times especially Shaq you know one of those um I don’t think it’s rigged at all um but it like the story was wild like just to have the lottery play out that way um it’s more again a lesson that tanking doesn’t work tanking is irrelevant um and you know at the end of the day like you you know you got to make your own luck in the draft you got to be smart with the pick that you have to get the best value you can and and that’s that’s what matters at the end of the day a Nuggets fan said “Thanks for Magic Legend Aaron Gordon.” I mean yeah you’re welcome for that i mean over here he wasn’t doing much and it was sad like look we’ve watched enough bad teams in Orlando i would always tell people this that the issue with the Magic was never talent they had talent yes aaron Gordon was exc was was really good nicole Vuch is a multi-time all-star you know you just go down the list tobias Harris is still playing and contributing meaningful basketball um Victor Adipo turned into an all-star when he left Orlando el is still playing no Victor Aladipo that hurt yeah yeah but like the issue the issue with those magic teams was never never necessarily talent it was slotting players into the right roles to maximize that talent and the best teams are able to kind of pick the guy like why like look at Phoenix phoenix has all the talent in the world devin Booker Kevin Durant Bradley Beal that should be enough to get you in the playoffs but they don’t maximize each other you know the rest of that roster didn’t maximize those great players aaron Gordon was born to play the role that he was playing in Denver we all saw it in Orlando huh no I agree he He perfect role he could just be playing off Jokic you know yeah we all We all saw that in Orlando and we’re like “Yeah we would love to like Orlando would have loved to play him like like they like they do in Denver.” The problem was he was drafted fourth aaron Gordon had it in his head I need to be the star the Magic needed him to be the star and he’s not a star that’s not who he is he is like like again his best is what he’s doing in Denver uh and the Magic couldn’t play him like that because they didn’t have the personnel and they didn’t have the pecking order to to to kind of put him in his place there part of Magic’s problem during those rebuild years was like everybody was fighting for their own and nobody knew who the main guy was like Desmond Bane coming to Orlando like if you listen to Desmond Bane’s like introductory you know media availability he was like I’m so excited to play off of Paulo so excited to play off of France off of France like he wasn’t thinking oh I’m gonna create I’m gonna score 20 points per game he was thinking like man I’m going to make their lives so much easier to maximize what they do because they’re going to maximize what I do and that’s that’s the difference that’s the difference between a championship team a ch a winning team and a rebuilding team the rebuilding teams they’re trying to figure out what they have winning teams they know everybody knows their roles at the time we traded those players we needed to rebuild that that they’ve gone as far as they could go and in that we got France Vagner in in that trade so we got a guy who you know could be an all-star you know pretty good player who averages 24 points a game and then you got Ben Carroll the next year like the magic just and the great thing is that they hit on that and they didn’t like because first overall pick there were a couple of people that were saying Chad Hongrren that were saying others and I’m at first I was like bank I like Ben Carroll at Duke I always thought he was a good player but I didn’t know if he was worth first of all but then when I saw it I was like yeah I could definitely see this guy right he’s a guy I had Magic fans telling me Fron is better and I just don’t see that like I mean what is your thoughts on this they like a it doesn’t matter who’s better they they complement each other well they do very well it’s it’s they do different things like like my my take on Paulo during the draft process was if you draft Paulo Bancero he’s got to be your star um and look I’ I’ve had this conversation with people because like you know Jaylen Williams was taken in the same draft as Paulo Jaylen Williams just won a championship um yeah and there are people that say “Oh no Jaylen Williams is much better than Paulo Banker.” And I’m like look Jaylen Williams could definitely take over games when he needs to but he also showed us in this playoffs how inconsistent he can be yes at the same time though he’s in a he’s in a in a situation and a roster where Shay Gildas Alexander gets all the attention paulo Vancero gets doubled i I think it’s the 15th most in the league like he is one of the elite players and because the Magic have such little shooting he sees like really exotic defenses and still finds a way to beat it most of the time um if Paulo though I don’t think he’d be able to scale down to do what Jaylen Williams does just like I don’t think Jaylen Williams would be as successful as Paulo scaling up into Paulo’s role i don’t think Paulo scales down to Jaylen Williams role so when you draft a guy like Paulo Banero you’re drafting him because he’s going to be the star and kind of the driver of your engine and that suits him fine fron is really good at playing off of him i think Fran’s personality is to be to defer to people like Paulo anyway so I think France is in a role that he’s really comfortable in so I think ultimately it worked out it like honestly you look back at that draft it worked out best for the three teams it worked out the best for all three teams everybody got exactly who they needed i remember Jabari Smith like they were talking about Jamari Smith really high and I I thought for a second like he was gonna beat the guy but I was so happy when we got Ben Carroll and so saw what he was able to do and how he matched with Fron so well like you said they complement each other so greatly and now that they have Bane that’s going to be even better so ways for them to score too which is what I’m really looking forward to like I like I’m begging get Paulo a dump off in the dunker spot get him get him some easier shots that’s gonna help him so much the Yeah so I wanted to talk about free agency is there anybody in free agency that you see the magic getting or that you would want them to get um you know it is it is a relatively sparse free agency list i haven’t Yeah I haven’t gone through the full list um obviously there’s that rumor of the Magic chasing Nel Alexander Walker um would not shock me if that is accurate um I think he fits a lot of things the Magic need he’s a great shooter you know good solid wing i think to add um it would not shock me if that is that is the direction that they go um there are there are a few other players I’m trying to think not a lot of centers i wasn’t super thrilled with the center list center list is not good no no the point guard list like someone on Orlando Magic Daily suggested Chris Paul and I was like sure why not like that’s short term i don’t think he wants to start i don’t think he wants to come off the bench and I don’t think he wants to uh I don’t think he wants to um come for the minimum but Chris Paul would help a lot yeah sure why not um yeah I I do think Taius Jones is a possibility can get him for super cheap honestly I would love I would love Tai Jones you could probably get him for the taxpayer mid-level exception like like four or five million a year um I think that would be a solid ad but again that’s a short-term fix he’s he’s just not playoff defense ready but if he’s coming off your bench maybe that’s enough you know he starts you know 20 25 games when Bane has to miss some time or Suggs has to miss some time um like he’d be really solid in that role and and then you move on from there but um it’s it it’s not a big free agency summer it’s it’s it I I do kind of Miles Turner is a free agent did you know Miles Turner is a free agent but he’s gonna stay he’s not going anywhere he’s not gonna go anywhere you think he’s gonna stay there yeah he’s gonna stay in Indiana they’ll give him They’ll give him three years three years like 90 million like he’s he’s gonna get he’s gonna get his check brook Lopez yeah i don’t really like any of like I I’ve seen some Magic fans pitch Brook Lopez and like it’s like Lopez can’t move like like his defense is not like I know he was defensive player of the year a few years ago but he’s his defense is not the Magic’s defense the Magic’s defense is in your gorilla he is drop you can’t drop like you can’t succeed and be a drop right right and besides he has Giannis next to him to help magic don’t have Giannis they have Paulo they needed a center who could cover for Paulo a little bit not that Pow’s a bad defender he’s gotten a lot better but he’s Oh yeah he has gotten a compared to Yeah he’s gotten a lot better and I I like that he improves every part of his even defensively yeah he’s buy He buys in defensively does he still make mistakes does he still kind of lose focus when he’s off the ball sure but he he tries like there are a lot of stars who don’t have defensive reputations they don’t try he tries he buys it he gets it yeah so which need do you think the Magic have the most in free agency i think I think the the the biggest need this off season so left is I think they need a backup point guard um we saw last year how much better this team played with Cory Joseph as as the backup guard um and how much better they looked with him mhm um I think that I think that getting a backup guard to kind of play that role or or play that role as well tyus Jones would be perfect for that tyus Jones would be really good there there are questions but Tyus Jones would be really good um he had a up and down year with Phoenix but you know you know what you’re getting with Tyus Jones like you’re not Yeah Tyus Jones and you have Trey Jones both brothers are Trey Jones would Trey Jones wouldn’t be bad either i’ve put him on my list as well um but yeah it’s it’s I I think getting a a true point guard just in case you actually need it um because that’s ultimately what this season’s gonna figure out is like the Magic double down on the idea of Jaylen Suggs as a point guard um they’re going to do this they’re going to do point guard by committee it’s you know I’ve been jokingly saying what the Magic are doing is they’re moneyballing the point guard position they can’t find a point guard so they’re going to create one in the aggregate you know between Paulo Fron Jaylen Suggs Desmond Bane they got enough ball handling they got enough guys who can pass that they can kind of be a point guard but the question is you know intang point guards do a lot of things intangibly what does that mean what does that look like and I think that’s the question moving forward here yeah I I totally agree with that you know uh we have a lot of guys who handle the ball like and that’s good you want like like you want that like the biggest problem the Magic had last year is like all their guys just did one thing offensively and it was really only Paulo and Fron who could like be a playmaker and a score like Kavius Scop just a shooter Gary Harris just a shooter you know Andy Black really undefined offensive role like you know having guys who can create get downhill move the ball that’s going to loosen up the offense and the Magic have more of those now and they should be still seeking more of those kinds of players i I agree and one thing also about just going back quick to the Baiton thing I love that Bane came here because now I feel like more players are gonna want to come to Orlando like Yeah like t players players know what it’s like to play Orlando and there is a lot of respect for for the Magic as a team and and I think there is a a a healthy fear of if the Magic figure out their offense they’re just going to be miserable to play like everyone was miserable playing Oklahoma City like they’re they’re they’re afraid that Orlando is going to turn into an Oklahoma Oklahoma City team that just gets after you off gets after you on defense and is just able to pummel you offensively orlando wasn’t able to pummel anyone offensively but everybody hates playing the Magic and so that you know the teams you hate playing against are the teams you want to play yeah the Magic uh have that gritty defense you know and um now they’re going to be even better offensively with Bane and whoever they get like you said if they get Tai Jones or Trey Jones like a guy to come off the bench I think that’d be pretty good we we we need like a backup point guard like you said um there’s no centers I really like in the free agent looking at the free agency centers and there’s not many list like Moagner keeping keeping Mo Vagner is a big deal and figuring out the right contract to pay for him is is going to be a big deal like obviously like I like Miles Turner but you said like in the end is definitely gonna keep it and he’s gonna get he’s gonna get max contract miles Turner is gonna get $30 million he’s out of the Magic’s price range like the M like like I don’t think Magic fans have fully wrapped their heads around this yet oh we’re pay a lot of people yeah the Magic are very limited in what they can do so let’s let’s just take like this is their maximum spending the maximum amount they can spend is if they if they decline the team options on Mo Vagner and on Caleb Houston they’re about $10 million under the luxury tax so they got that $10 million so that so that gives So you can’t spend that $10 million um that gives you access to the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception that’s worth about that’s worth $14 million you add in so that’s $14 million you can spend that gets you to about um $4 million under the first apron line so if you spend any part of the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception I believe it’s any part um but if you use the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception you’re hardcapped at the first apron so the Magic have about $18 million that they can actually spend before they get to the first apron from from that um mark from that Mo Vagner mark um so 14 of that goes to the mid-level exception three million of that goes to the um goes to the to the draft pick to the rookie um that they spent so the Magic really only have about $15 million they can spend so they essentially have to include Mo Vagner in that calculation of what the the non- taxpayer mid-le exception is so they have salary they have contracts up to $14 million to spend and you can trade and use the middle level exception trades now um they have that $14 million they can’t spend it all they really only have about 10 maybe less of that so that really limits who you can chase in free agency oh there’s a player I wanted to talk about um Goa Bataz i like him i think he has great defensive he’s great defensively just needs to work on his offense a little bit but I wanted to see what was your thoughts on Gogab Bataz um should he be the starting center is he fine at the backup role like what do you think about Look he is far overqualified to be the third center that the Magic use him as yeah he should consider but considering that Movager is going to be out till Christmas like let’s assume he’s out till Christmas at the at the earliest wendell Carter played the most games he’s played in his career last year he played actually the most consecutive games he’s played in his entire career last year he played like 57 straight games right um you still have to like just based on his history you have to bet that Wendell Carter is going to miss 15 to 20 games and so you have to you have to have a starting caliber backup center really a starting caliber third center because Mov is just not someone you want to start because his defense just isn’t starter level he’s good in the little spurts that you use him in um Goatad is overqualified for that role he is a luxury to have um I don’t think he should start he’s just way too inconsistent defensively the way he defended toward the end of last season the way he defended in the playoffs was just bad like he was just throwing elbows and he was being aggressive and like that’s fine like I don’t mind being aggressive but like Goa Goa goes overboard i like him a lot he like he chases blocks a little bit like he’s he’s good i’m not saying he’s not good and and I think there’s a lot of teams that would really value him it would not shock me if the Magic are shocks do trade him yeah would not shock me if the Magic trade him like he’s just like he’s $8 million you could spend elsewhere and you can bring in a low rent center like a Paul Reed to play that role like Paul Reed would be fine in that in that third center role as well um give a give a local local kid some love here um but like I I don’t trust him starting more than they’ve than they’ve started him him and Paulo kind of occupy the same space on the floor because Goa can’t shoot very well um you know he’s just not not going to extend the perimeter so especially on a team with such poor shooting that that really hurt the team and so Oh yeah yeah it like go’s really good i think he’s he’s clearly established a place in the NBA um he’s overqualified for the role the Magic have for him but he’s also really important in that role for the Magic right now so it’s hard to hard to move him oh yeah no I agree like um but the thing I like I just like his heart you know like Yeah he plays hard such grit and such and he’s so thankful for the opportunity like he was out he was out of the NBA like like the cruel the cruelty of this business is hitting this team and I’m curious how they’ll react without having Cole Anthony because he was just such a connector in the locker room right um that like that was a big concern about Michael Holtz and like not having Keller was hurt it hurt absolutely hurt them um and so like you got to worry about those things a little bit but that’s also you got to do what you think is best for the team to help them win and if you can find an upgrade go go get that upgrade yes i think like I like Goa but obviously if they can trade him and get what something like Paul or anything like that that still would be good but I I just really like Goa because there are options for that third center it’s just do you trust that player to start 20 games like do I like do I trust Maxine Reo to start as a rookie in November if Carter has to miss time no I don’t do I trust him to play that backup center role until Mo Vagner’s healthy a little bit more but not a lot so like I do think having a veteran in that spot is still really key yeah exactly i totally agree i agree but the the reason why I like because like he he he was one of those guys that like kind of like the Markeel faults and all these people that we take on that are like projects but it seemed like he was working out so well in the beginning of the year and then towards the end of the year he kind of like fluttered and somebody brought up the concussion that he wasn’t the same no no that was that was a turning point in the season and that actually did change a lot but um I just wish that Mosley would play him more i feel like uh last Yeah it’s it’s it’s it’s hard it’s been hard like it’s you’re trying to like experiment with Isaac a little bit it was just those like I would agree like Mosley Mosley tended especially toward the end of the year to stick with a set rotation and and he kind of gets stuck in his way every coach does this but kind of gets stuck with his idea and and plays it out and you know like he abandoned Jet Howard probably a little too quickly but I don’t blame him for that um you know they’re just ideas that that he stuck with maybe a took longer than he should have what What do you see Jet Howard’s role in this team next year um throwing in a trade like I I I like I like Jet as a person um he was meant to come in and be a shooter he is shooting he shot sub 30% in his first two seasons like when JJ Reic wasn’t playing when he came in the game he still shot 40% from three it was like okay he can shoot i mean you know Jet Howard Jed Howard can’t shoot like you know bad when you’re celebrating when he makes a three-pointer like it became a running joke with us that Jed Howard only made threes in garbage time when the game which he did yes which he did but when things mattered when when he actually was playing meaningful minutes he was not good and his defense just isn’t there and it’s I don’t know what what to say like like if if the Magic are going into next season with Jet Howard pencled into a rotation role that’s a mistake like he has not earned it now do I think that the Magic should give him a pathway to get that spot or have an opportunity to get that spot absolutely but you know if if you sign Nikuel Alexander Walker then I don’t see Yeah I don’t see any role for him if something like that yeah and that’s fine but look I I say this I say this every year all the time um you’re going to need all 15 guys on your roster at some point right like we saw last year all the injuries that hit this team and the Magic probably aren’t going to face that many injuries next year um knocking knocking on wood yes um but at some point during the 82 game season everybody’s going to get their chance and you’re going to need something from everybody at some point during the season right and if you don’t believe that that person can give you that something they shouldn’t be on your roster you should have enough faith in everyone on the roster that if you call their number for five minutes they will give you something positive and if they don’t believe that they shouldn’t be on the roster and Jed Howard is on the on the on the fence on that i would say J Howard Caleb Houston also you could kind of make arguments kind of on that it’s like he’s a team option i think they bring him back but yeah there’s just like not enough Caleb played well like Caleb Caleb was a big part of the team getting to the playoffs and getting to the playin the way they did um you know again it’s just consistency like yes he can make threes and he had a really good stretch and then you’ll just go cold and you’ll just be a volume shooter who doesn’t make shots and that especially if you’re a shooter yes you’re judged on your ability to make shots his whole job is to just Yeah exactly he shot 40% from three last year on this team like you have you can’t you can’t I would tell people this about Gary Harris like people were yelling about Gary Harris i was like look this is a Magic team that does not make threes you cannot throw away one of your best shooters without like having a plan to replace him like I like Tristan Dilva he started off really good he like he started off really hot and then he just and he was out of rotation like Yeah and then he just went downhill and I’m like what happened look some of that is he didn’t play like some of that is you’re just out of rhythm you’re not playing like you’re figuring that part out trist you know first summer first summer you know your your best summer is your first summer after your rookie season yeah we’ll see hopefully we see him in summer league we’ll get a get a sense of where he’s at like that’s that’s a summer league is big for him i felt like he was pissed at himself and he was visibly frustrated you could see it in the games uh like in the second half of the season first half of the season he actually won us some games like he was against the Celtics he clutched early in the season in the corner i still remember the big game against Toronto and like when Paulo went down and France went down he stepped up as as rookies you don’t you’re you’re maybe not good consistently but you show hits of what you can If you don’t show a hint that’s a problem he showed hints so stick with him see what see we can we see what he can do keep a pathway open for him to play that’s that’s all I think and I think he will i think he will have more u definitely come off the bench and stuff yep someone said “Tristan I think he’ll be good.” Yeah I agree i I like him i He just gota I don’t know be more consistent consistent consistency like rookies are bad but he was a rook he was a rookie so you got to give him a little bit more yeah yeah gota give him some leeway yeah trading again he played only five minutes in the playoffs so trading Cole and KP might be what Jet needs to get more minutes we’ll see you are not a Jet fan at all they’re they’re like I like Jet as a person let me make that very clear jet is a very cool dude um if they go into the season with Jet Howard in the rotation Yeah i am not confident about that oh I agree 100% like if he earns his spot like show it to me prove it to me um they’re going to find another shooter to fill that role and if not Caleb Houston’s ahead of him on the depth chart like I don’t know how I don’t know why you would play Jed Howard ahead of Caleb Houston other than oh we drafted him 11th who cares that was two years ago who cares yeah this is such a excited season like I’m so excited for this season probably more than any in a long time just because we got Desmond Bane we have we know we already know what Ben Car you say that you say that but like I remember last year at media day talking to like David Steel and being like this is like the most anticipated Magic season since like 2012 and he was like he’s like yeah and like it’s the same way now it’s just like this is like there’s like they’re really going I really think this is different yeah only because we got not only we got Desmond Bane but now I feel like more people want are gonna want the the Magic signal to their fan base and to the rest of the league that we’re going for it that we’re trying to win a championship and it’s the first time the Magic have done that since 20 since 2010 they’ve been in retreat for 15 years and now they’re they’re playing offense yeah exactly and I’m I’m happy that they did a big trade because we always play like GM for the Magic and it seems like like we talked about Simons we talked about all these guys last year and it just seems like nothing ever happens you know and and it was just like like you said we didn’t even know Desmond Bane was available nobody talked about it and it just came out of nowhere on a random Father’s Day that oh the Magic did this and it was during like the season is technically not over until the finals are over so it’s technically even so that was just crazy you know oh I wanted to get your thoughts about the Kevin Durant trade before we end everything um what was your thoughts about the Kevin Durant trade do you think the Houston Rockets won the trade do you think the other did or was it good for both teams um I mean I think I think Phoenix did what they had to do like Durant wasn’t staying there and like there’s reporting coming out now that Durant very much made it clear Houston was where he wanted to go and even though Houston didn’t have the offer Phoenix wanted they made it clear to everyone else that Houston’s where he’s going and that’s just what they had to take um Phoenix should have gotten a lot more probably should have played a little more chicken with him um been willing to bring him back honestly um but you know I think I think Houston got a really you know Houston obviously got one of the best players in the league who’s still playing very very well um my only concern with them you know is I don’t think Durant can be your number one perimeter guy anymore like I I like some of it is like some of it is I just don’t think it’s in Durant’s personality like Durant wants to be cool in the background and just kind of go out there and hoop and not you know necessarily be that guy anymore um so is Alurn Shenun you know Albert Shenun’s awesome fred Van Fleet’s still awesome my concern is I think Houston Houston Houston um they needed a guy like Durant but I don’t think they needed Durant if that makes sense um and so I’m curious what the dynamic is going to be there um I’m curious how much of Houston’s defense gets kind of taken apart not having Dylan Brooks anymore um and then on the Phoenix side like Phoenix is clearly not done um I like getting a player like Jaylen Green like getting a young guy to kind of reset themselves i think that was that was that was a guy they should have gotten that was that was a guy they should have targeted um but they they’re just such a mess it’s you know they they it’s hard for them to dig themselves out of that mess and and they were never going to win the Durant trade they were they’re always going to get swindled on the Durant trade and and like look they got swindled i think they got as much as they could out of that deal um and it was just time to move forward and we’ll see what they do with Bradley Beal um I I think um they they need to they need to to balance their roster out but that is a multi-year wait till contracts expire type rebuild and it’s it’s not pretty you know what I laughed about when they put Miami heat as one of the teams expected affect the R i did not see that in the possibility always i feel like Miami is always a team that they always everyone wants to play for Miami but like Miami is you know like I I talked to Keith Smith a lot and and Keith Smith said at a certain point you got to stop being precious with your guys who’s Keith Smith keith Smith he works for a spot track he’s a kind of salary cap guy um he he he would always tell me at some point you got to stop being precious with you guys and you just got to do what you got to do to make your roster better miami for the last three or four years every time they get into the cycle of trying to get a these like highlevel players they’ve been too afraid to give up on their guys to give their to to trade their players whether it was Tyler Hero with Damen Lillard whether it was Kell now whoever it is they aren’t willing to do what it takes to get these big deals done and so they’re just kind of spinning their wheels in the middle of the East rather than being an elite championship level team like they should like they like they think they should be and that they probably could have been if they pulled off one of these deals did you want Miami is just Miami is just stuck in the middle like they’re not going anywhere before the bane trade did you want Durant on the Magic or No no I didn’t yeah no they got Powell and France like Like if you can’t play with Paulo and France you’re not beat you’re not on the team like I’m sorry like I’m not trading Paulo or France for Durant he’s 37 coming to the end of his contract he doesn’t he doesn’t make this magic team a championship team yeah I agree like like that ultimately like what Houston feels is Kevin Durant makes us a championship level team maybe they’re right maybe they’re wrong we’re gonna find out um I I think I think Orlando last year is a good lesson to teams like Houston and Detroit who just got in got kind of into this this this contending window it’s not easy to repeat it you got to prove you can do it again and Orlando to some extent proved they could do it again this year but they hit a lot of roadblocks it’s a very different story for them this year they had a lot of injuries too that Yeah didn’t help but like Houston’s got to do it again and they haven’t proven they can do it again yet um I’m not saying that they won’t they’ll they’ll definitely be in the playoffs next year but they gota prove they can do it again and it’s a lot harder to do it a second time than it is to do it the first time yeah I I agree it sucks time to prove that he’s a point guard for the Magic but I just hope he stays healthy i think if he stays healthy he will prove it he He’s shown last year that he was really good like defensively and even offensively he averaged around he can be the daughter of the Mag too like the first like the first five games of the season he was shooting 42 43% on catch and shoot threes on like seven attempts per game the Magic might have two volume shooters in that starting lineup that’s that’s a crazy thing to think about exactly i agree yeah that that’s a small sample i don’t want to like overlook that’s the problem with the magic is like they always have these injuries were injuries ruin us so I I I said this a bunch this is throughout our history like yeah I said this a bunch this season if that Paulo Bancerero injury happens in December I don’t think it matters as much like I think the magic like they get into a groove like everyone’s kind of figured out their roles they they kind of play through it the fact that it happened in October and and early November um the Magic didn’t have a chance to kind of settle their roles and settle who they are and it just threw everybody off like I I think the timing of that injury was really a big deal and I know the Magic played well after the injury but it overstressed Jaylen it overstressed Fron it just it just Exactly you had to start at a you had to start at a dead sprint rather than kind of find your find your way through the season and and and get kind of get get your muscles used to it exactly they had they got stressed and then they got injured themselves bronze and sucks like you were mentioning exactly that really hurt us yep overuse was a big deal last year overuse was huge exactly so yeah is there anything else you want to talk about or uh Orlando Magic wise i feel like we covered most of the I think we I think we hit I think we hit anything unless you have something else yeah I mean I don’t have anything else i am just super excited i know I say that about every season but this season more than any because I feel like the East is wide open uh not just the East like you said the NBA Magic are picked for all this because even analysts can see like um I I did not like that Stephen A smith was attacking the trade that was I don’t listen to Stephen A smith me either but just I just heard it from another source right and I’m not I’m not even acknowledging that man he’s just But he he is he is a cancer to the discourse i Yeah I just want to say like this is always fun talking to Magic fans um especially you since you’re locked on Magic and you talk about I don’t know how you do it i like talk about them every day because it’s like you got to think of like topics you know yeah it’s it’s this is the part where it gets a little little sketchy like I’m trying to save draft stuff for later like I got I got I got a good episode planned today i think and I know that and I know that it’s draft still but then like after the draft it’s like it’s summer and the summer is like not much is going on well look I I look forward to summer to the end of summer league when I can go down three episodes a week and and take a little bit of a breather right i look forward to that right yeah and you know so I I’m really always happy that we can do these podcasts and talk about it i feel like Magic fans need to do this more collaborate more and talk more especially since we are a fan base that I feel like is ignored by the NBA like we are not talked about we’re small but we’re mighty yeah we’re we’re a small market team and not talked about as much as we should i think winning is the only time well we will we will we will see i am I am like I am exceptionally curious what the national TV schedule is going to look like this year oh yeah i am I am curious i’m envisioning us getting more well I I think I think they’ll get a little bit I think they’ll get like 10 or 12 and the fact that the Magic like are so high up on the on the odds like the NBA looks at that like they’ll say like “Oh FanDuel fan FanDuel our official partner has the Magic in the East let’s get them on TV a little bit more.” But it’s not just that it’s for the first time in a long time we have new television partners yes and I’m curious what NBC strategy is going to be what is Amazon strategy gonna be on who they put on TV on what kind of games they want to see because they’re not traditional cable like they don’t they’re not thinking they’re not thinking you know they’re thinking how can we get the most people to watch our games as possible but their ideas of how to do that are going to be very different than what Turner does and what ESPN does and so I I am very curious if like that Sunday so like after football season ends you got Sunday night basketball on NBC I’m very like that’ll probably be like very marquee matchups but you got that Monday Peacock game and I’m curious what the strategy is to get people to to watch games on Peacock um you got the Tuesday I think it’s a Tuesday or Thursday Amazon Prime game i’m very curious what their strategy is going to be to say like these are the games we want to feature and so like it’s going to be fast like honestly like NBA nerd stuff NBA nerd and media nerd stuff I’m very exc I’m very interested to see what how they put put together this schedule and how they put together their broadcast schedule this year yeah I I agree i’m really excited to see how the schedule is i’m really excited for the season um this was one last thing I want to talk about and then we could end it or whatever gilbert Arenas I saw what he was saying okay no I want to get to something here i think he is still bitter about his time in or Oh yes absolutely i feel like there’s a lot of players that do this you know um he like and I think it’s wrong because Magic at least gave him a chance and I think they did they g they gave him a chance um him and Stan Van Gundy did not get along that that’s just clear they did not get along um look I’m saying I’m discrediting what he’s saying because look Yeah no no like the issue the issue with all of it is it’s an act they know that rage and outrage gets clicks and gets attention gets them more opportunity gets them in front of more people it’s an act and it’s just you know lowest common denominator stuff that that just is a distraction from things that are actually important it’s trying to make things that are unimportant important it’s not important i don’t I don’t I don’t care what he has to say yeah i don’t I didn’t care what he had to say but I just put it on for comedic value because I thought it was pretty funny it just And I like Gilbert i I covered the team when Gilbert was there gil like Gilbert was a great guy to be around like always funny jokester willing to talk when when he’s happy when he’s upset he did not talk um look he didn’t like Stan like we get that like it’s fine gil was a great guy i will I will defend Gilbert Arenas the person forever until he does stupid stuff like he’s been doing and just spouts nonsense and it’s just like that’s always who he’s been by the way has always been a little bit of a little bit of a loud mouth a little bit of a just say what what what you know I always said like Gilbert Reinzas has no filter he says whatever comes into his head and that’s fine but like again like be positive like there’s no reason to hate on people it’s it’s it it that can’t be your act that’s why I don’t stand Stephen A smith it’s just like watching halftime of game seven we’re watching this great game and he’s shouting and I’m just like you don’t need to shout dude we’re you’ve got the your mic is working you’re fine i feel like Yeah he I don’t know sorry that that that Stephen A smith uh last night was terrible that was awful it was so bad he should not be like that thank god they’re done it’s It’s inside the NBA inside the NBA crew from here on out yep exactly and um yeah I just want to say thank you for coming on this was so much fun we got to do it again sometime absolutely who knows maybe there’s a big signing that come quickly and talk about it um it’s gonna come fast and furious wednesday is gonna be a busy busy night yeah and we could talk about like what we think of the draft pick that they did like you know and how do we feel about whoever they took with 25 or maybe they trade 25 we don’t know we’ll see um do you have any final words you’d like to say uh subscribe to Lockdown Magic as well subscribe to Lock Magic definitely do that we had a really fun week covering Desmond Bane like literally like I I try to make my episodes at least somewhat evergreen so you can I gotta give you a lot of credit because talking magic every like I love talking magic but every day finding a new top hard yep every day throughout the season it’s hard it it it’s a grind but uh I do it for you guys so definitely check it out yeah so subscribe to uh Lockdown Magic great guy love his magic takes and uh we’ll definitely do another magic cast soon um and thank you guys for joining and we’re out take care peace and see her
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