The Orlando Magic were one win away from a first-round upset of the Detroit Pistons in the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The Magic responded this offseason by parting ways with coach Jamahl Mosley and replacing him with Sean Sweeney. They also stayed quiet in free agency, adding only veteran center Nikola Vucevic.
Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter were re-signed to new one-year deals, with president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman banking on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to stay healthy next season.
Paolo Banchero Gets Brutal Prediction for Next Season
In a recent episode of the Road Trippin’ podcast, the crew of Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, Kendrick Perkins and Allie Clifton made their predictions for the 2026-27 NBA season.
One of the predictions tackled which team will trade their All-Star first. Perkins and Frye picked the Orlando Magic parting ways with Paolo Banchero.
“The Orlando Magic, they’re going to move on,” Perkins said. “Look, you you fired the coach. They’re not going to have a run like they’re expecting. You got a new head coach. They’re going to move on from Paolo Banchero eventually. He will be the first All-Star NBA player traded.”
Frye added, “That’s what I had. I literally have that right here. I just think they have talent, but talent and expectations have reached the point where we’re like, ‘Okay, you’re in the play-in again. Okay, you guys got injured again. Okay, you can’t shoot again.'”
Frye also argued that no coach can’t solve the on-court issues of the Magic, which include shooting and continuity. He did acknowledge that the players aren’t the problem, but how the team was built.
The Magic have made the playoffs for three straight seasons, but they failed to come out of the first round each time. Their have also been questions about Banchero and Franz Wagner as a duo over the years.
As for Jefferson, he picked the New Orleans Pelicans trading Zion Williamson.
Banchero Expressed Frustration After Another Early Playoff Exit
After blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Detroit Pistons, Paolo Banchero was very disappointed and expressed his frustration to reporters.
Banchero didn’t mince his words about the Orlando Magic when asked if they are good enough to succeed.
“I can’t really answer that,” Banchero said, via BasketNews. “I want to say yes, but we haven’t been out of the first round. If you’re going off the last three years, the answer is no. The nice answer would be yes, but honestly, I can’t say that we’re good enough to be in the Finals or Eastern Conference Finals because the last three years we’ve had the same result.”
The former No. 1 pick added that the team should be feeling the pressure next season because losing in the first round three years in a row meant they are not good enough.
Orlando Magic Star Paolo Banchero Gets Brutal Prediction Ahead of New Season