The Golden State Warriors will be looking to prey on any trade opportunities that may arise during the season, including at the Orlando Magic who reportedly considered big changes this summer after their first-round playoff exit.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports that the Magic instead hope that the addition of Sean Sweeney will help their fortunes, but they nonetheless remain a team to monitor for the Warriors after they were linked to both Franz Wagner and franchise star Paolo Banchero.
Warriors get another reason to monitor Magic after Paolo Banchero interest
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported in July that the Warriors have interest in Banchero and Wagner, suggesting the Magic would be a team to keep an eye on as the season gets underway in the coming weeks.
Now with Windhorst reporting that the Magic have already considered a big move in the past eight months, the Warriors have another reason to keep an eye on what happens in Orlando and whether their core for of Banchero, Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs can prove effective.
After trading multiple first-round picks for Bane going back to last offseason, the Magic have positioned themselves to try and be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they could be bound for the Play-In Tournament once again in an East that’s only grown stronger this offseason.
It’s not completely out of the realms of possibility for something drastic to happen by the mid-season trade deadline if the Magic are once again destined for the Play-In. Suggs would appear like the player most likely to be moved in such a scenario, but it’s Banchero or Wagner who would generate most value if Orlando were aiming to reset their team.
Paolo Banchero could be Warriors' next franchise star
The Warriors will be kicking themselves for not drafting Wagner when they had the opportunity back at the 2021 NBA Draft, having taken Jonathan Kuminga seventh overall before the German went to Orlando at eight.
Wagner is more a complimentary star though and has never actually made an All-Star appearance in his first five years. Banchero, on the other hand, is a legitimate franchise star who Golden State could have circled as a player to lead their team forward after Stephen Curry while having a big impact in the short-term.
But if Banchero is a legitimate franchise star and capable of being the best player on a deep playoff team, why exactly would the Magic move on from him at just 23-years-old? That's the question that suggests a blockbuster trade is unlikely, though one that could still come to fruition if the Magic can't get things right.
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