The Orlando Magic have one of the NBA’s best young duos in Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
Banchero, entering his fifth NBA season, has earned criticism for his lack of overall efficiency in recent years. Despite being a budding star for the Magic, Banchero’s overall play has often left fans wanting more, especially in shot selection and improvements in his shooting.
While it’s too soon to consider sending Banchero to new surroundings to galvanize his career, the Magic may be open to trade talks, assuming the price is right.
In a recent Bleacher Report article, Andy Bailey proposed a blockbuster three-team deal that would swap Banchero for a haul of talent. The proposed trade looks like this:
Golden State Warriors Get: Paolo Banchero, AJ Green, Goga Bitadze
Orlando Magic Get: Jimmy Butler, Yaxel Lendeborg, and first-round draft picks in 2027,2029 and 2033 all courtesy of the Warriors.
Milwaukee Bucks Get: Wendell Carter Jr.
“Wagner has long been the more positively impactful player of the two,” Bailey wrote. “Butler’s deal coming off the books in the 2027 offseason makes him a valuable piece of this puzzle. And future Warriors picks should carry a lot of value, even in the new lottery system. Once Curry retires, there’s a high likelihood Golden State won’t be a perennial playoff team.”
Orlando Magic Would Shed Salary
Orlando is one of the more expensive rosters in the NBA at present. Parting ways with Banchero would give the front office a chance to balance the cap sheet while also giving them some available cap space next summer.
Butler, 37, is in the final year of his current two-year, $110 million contract. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Therefore, the Magic could cut $56.8 million in salary at the end of the season.
Orlando would also have the upside of Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Once you factor in the three draft picks and Lendeborg, the Magic would also be well-positioned to enter the trade market should a star player become available.
As such, the trade would provide much-needed flexibility for Orlando’s current roster-building efforts.
It’s Too Soon For Orlando Magic To Trade Banchero
Despite Banchero’s efficiency struggles, and Magic’s current cap situation, trading Banchero should be viewed as a last resort. After all, he’s still only 23 years old, and will undoubtedly improve as a player over the next few years.
Even this past season, Banchero saw his points-per-shot-attempt take a sharp leap, rising to 113 points per 100 shot attempts, per Cleaning The Glass. That jump moved Banchero into a middle-of-the-pack efficiency rating, placing him in the 48th percentile among forwards.
There’s also no guarantee Lendeborg will develop into a better player than Banchero. It would be a risk for the Magic, and one that isn’t worth taking. Instead, the front office and coaching staff would be better served exploring ways to utilize Banchero’s skill set.
At his best, the Duke product is a borderline All-Star talent. You don’t part with a young player that gifted unless things have gone terribly wrong or they ask out. Neither has happened so far.
Blockbuster 3-Team Trade Proposals Sees Magic Flip Paolo Banchero