The Orlando Magic pulled off the first big trade of the 2025 offseason in landing Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Magic gave up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks, and a pick swap in exchange for the shooting guard.
Orlando’s biggest weakness in recent seasons has been a lack of spacing, and Bane should immediately solve that to some extent.
They are probably now in a position to contend in the Eastern Conference, despite lacking depth in one key position.
But Jeff Teague thinks his former team needs one specific player to step up in the absence of Caldwell-Pope and Anthony.
Teague spoke positively about the Magic’s projected starting five after the trade: Bane, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr.
He does not mind that the lineup is missing a true point guard, as long as Anthony Black can become a more impactful bench player.
“What I like about this team now is that they don’t have a playmaking guard,” he explained on his podcast.
“Well, Anthony Black was like the sixth or seventh pick. He’d better figure it out. It’s time. They basically told him, ‘You’re up next.’
“This reminds me of the Celtics team, not the same scoring or shooting, but Jalen Suggs is a defender. He can get you 16 points per game, but he’s a solid defender. He’s a good on-ball, scrappy player and plays hard.
“Then, you’ve got your two stars: Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. They don’t need a traditional point guard because they play with the ball.
“They need spacing, and one thing Desmond Bane can do is shoot that rock. So, him being able to space the floor, and their big, Wendell Carter Jr., has worked on his game so he can make a shot.
“I think they’ve got the formula for a good team. They’re going to be able to switch one through four easily. It’s going to be interesting.”
The Magic’s bold decision to part ways with four first-round picks in the Bane trade has been called into question by many.
However, Teague is adamant that they don’t need any more young players on the roster, and the picks shouldn’t be too valuable anyway.
“I feel good about it,” he added. “You’ve got to think, they had to get off that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope money. I like KCP, he’s a cool dude, but he wasn’t good.
“Cole Anthony has been a good player for them, but they just weren’t using him right. It was time to get off that money. They extended Anthony, and they paid KCP all that money. To be able to get off those contracts…
“I know they had to give up those first-round picks, but if you really look at how young this team is, you’ve still got Anthony Black on the bench and people you got super high in the first round. You’ve got to give those people a chance.
“Adding more young guys to that roster really wasn’t going to help them. They need some more veteran pieces because their top five players are all under 27. So you’re going to have them for another solid four or five years. Those picks really aren’t going to matter.”
