A mock trade has the Orlando Magic reuniting with one of their former centers in a trade with the Chicago Bulls that includes a former lottery pick.

To answer that question, I spoke with five NBA talent evaluators who work for rival teams and asked them to assess the Magic. The Athletic granted them anonymity because teams almost never allow members of their front offices to discuss opposing clubs and opposing players publicly.

For Orlando Magic assistant coach God Shammgod, the journey through basketball has transcended the typical narrative of an NBA career. Drafted by the Washington Wizards (then the Bullets) in 1997, Shammgod’s time in the league was brief,

When the 2026 NBA Finals roll around, what’s old will be new again. The Larry O’Brien trophy, at center court, and the NBA Finals script logo will each be painted onto the home team’s court throughout the series. The last time the large trophy was painted on the court was in 2009.

“The NBA will return to painting the Larry O'Brien trophy at center court and Finals script logo on the home team's floor for the Finals starting this season, per sources. The last time the large trophy was painted on court was 2009,” reported ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.

The Orlando Magic are going into the 2025-26 season expecting to be one of the best teams in the league. CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger agrees, placing

The 3-headed reason the Orlando Magic can shock the NBA and win a championship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The NBA has gone a little bit away from its "Big Three" era.

In last season’s Emirates NBA Cup, three teams finished Group Play with 3-1 records (Boston, Orlando and Detroit), but it was the Magic’s point differential (+45) that earned them the East Wild Card spot over the Celtics (+23) and Pistons (+7).