Giannis Trade Rumors: Celtics, Magic, Blazers, Hawks, More
The Celtics were considered a “team to watch” for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo even before Jaylen Brown‘s recent comments about 2025/26 being his “favorite season” led to speculation about his future in Boston, league sources tell Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
According to The Athletic, Boston expressed a level of interest in Antetokounmpo prior to the February trade deadline, and rival teams expect the Celtics to be aggressive in searching for roster upgrades after an unexpected first-round playoff exit in which they blew a 3-1 series lead to Philadelphia.
While Brown’s comments — and those of his mentor Tracy McGrady, who said Brown was frustrated with the organization — raised several eyebrows around the league, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and Brown himself have since clarified there’s no discord between the two sides. A Celtics source and a source close to Brown confirmed as much to Amick and Nehm.
It’s worth noting that Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently mentioned the Celtics as a possible suitor for Antetokounmpo, but he downplayed their deadline interest and also reported that the two-time MVP might not be enthusiastic about the idea of joining Boston.
Here are a few more Giannis-related trade rumors and notes from Amick and Nehm:
- Although a Magic source tells The Athletic that Orlando has not yet discussed the possibility of a trade for Antetokounmpo this offseason, the possibility can’t be ruled out after the team expressed interest in the 31-year-old a few months ago, according to Amick and Nehm, confirming prior reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. As Amick and Nehm write, Antetokounmpo wouldn’t solve Orlando’s shooting woes, but he’d be an upgrade in just about every other way and the Magic’s front office has multiple ties to both Milwaukee and the 10-time All-Star. While it reads as speculation rather than firm reporting, Amick and Nehm suggest Paolo Banchero would likely be the centerpiece of any potential Magic offer.
- Fischer has reported multiple times that the Trail Blazers are interested in Antetokounmpo, and Portland controls Milwaukee’s first-round picks (via swaps) from 2028-30. Despite the ties between the two clubs — the Blazers have two of Antetokounmpo’s favorite teammates in Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard — rival teams are skeptical the Greek star would be interested in joining a Blazers club that could have a tough time making it out of the loaded Western Conference even if they add Antetokounmpo, per The Athletic. That same line of thinking has people around the league believing Antetokounmpo would prefer to end up with an Eastern title contender, Amick and Nehm add.
- The Hawks have been linked to Antetokounmpo in the past, but they seem unlikely to pursue him — or any other superstar — in the near future. Team sources tell The Athletic that Atlanta intends to be “very patient” with its young core, which features Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Fischer previously reported the Hawks planned to take a measured approach to the offseason, and GM Onsi Saleh seemed to confirm as much at his end-of-season press conference, Amick and Nehm note.
- The Warriors, Heat, Rockets and Raptors are four other teams mentioned by Amick and Nehm, who point out that the list of potential Antetokounmpo suitors could grow, depending on what happens to some other teams still in the playoffs.
Magic Notes: Roster, Coaching Search, Mosley, Isaac
The Magic are making a head coaching change this spring, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman doesn’t believe significant roster changes are necessary for the team to take the next step toward title contention, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
Although Weltman admitted that losing a first-round series after leading 3-1 – and holding a 24-point lead in Game 6 – was a “gut punch” for his team, he believes that it’s a positive that Orlando was one game from closing out the top-seeded Pistons before Franz Wagner went down with a calf injury.
“When healthy, we were top five (on) defense and top 10 (on) offense,” Weltman said. “… I think we saw some of what we had hoped to see (against Detroit). So I don’t want to tear this thing down and dismantle it because of the way it ended and certainly one half.”
Injuries have been a recurring issue for this version of the Magic. Wagner was limited to 34 regular season appearances this season, largely due to a nagging ankle problem, while Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Jalen Suggs all had extended health-related absences in 2024/25.
“It’s very frustrating,” Weltman said, per Youngmisuk. “But it’s also very encouraging because whenever they are together, they have been elite. I feel like there are different ways to build a team. We are built on physicality, versatility, good defensive personnel and ultimately guys that can elevate their games in the playoffs. I think what we had hoped to happen in the playoffs happened. But obviously it’s hard to outrun injuries.
“… Had we stayed healthy, I’d like to imagine where we would have gone in this series and beyond. I think when you build a team for the playoffs, you try to construct a roster that has the attributes that we have. It’s not easy to get the positional versatility, guys that can elevate their games when it matters the most. The physicality, a lot of the way that we are built is designed to be successful in the playoffs.
Here’s more on the Magic:
- Not everyone around the league shares Weltman’s rosy view of his roster. One Eastern Conference scout who spoke to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN said the Magic are “kind of a mess,” adding that Banchero and Wagner overlap as “iffy” shooters who need the ball in their hands to be most effective. “Their ceiling just isn’t very high with Paolo. Their roster construction is just off,” the scout said. “Paolo has to have the ball to make an impact. He reminds me of Julius Randle: great size, great talent, but he’s more of a floor-(raiser) than ceiling-raiser. Having him lead your team is tough to pull off.”
- Weltman spoke at length at his end-of-season presser about the Magic’s impending head coaching search, though he said the team isn’t looking for a “particular trait or a quality,” suggesting that he wants to keep an open mind about potential candidates, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Weltman wouldn’t even say whether he prefers someone with or without prior head coaching experience. “I don’t want to kind of come to it with any preconceived non-negotiables,” he explained. “There are some really talented young guys out there that haven’t gotten a chance yet – as (Jamahl Mosley) was. There are also some guys that have proven that they can do the job. What’s the best fit for our team right now? I don’t think you can really know more than speculate until we really like … get in and talk to them and exchange ideas and their thoughts on our team. That’ll hopefully lead us where we need to go; the more preconditions you put on that, maybe you kind of give yourself a worse chance of getting to the right place.”
- Speaking of Mosley, he put out a formal statement on Monday after being let go by the team, referring to his five years on the job as “incredible.” Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) has the full statement.
- Within his preview of the Magic’s offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says adding more shooting off the bench will be a priority, as will acquiring an athletic, rebounding big man and a play-making reserve guard. Marks also considers whether Orlando will sign Anthony Black to a rookie scale extension and suggests Jonathan Isaac is a potential release candidate, since only $8MM of the $44MM left on his contract is guaranteed and that money could be spread across seven seasons using the stretch provision.
Magic Won’t Replace Jeff Weltman After First-Round Loss
The Magic are expected to make changes to their roster and coaching staff after losing Game 7 in Detroit on Sunday, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman‘s job is safe, two sources tell Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Weltman reportedly signed an extension early in the season around the time that the team advanced to the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
Everything else appears to be on the table after another disappointing playoff run that saw Orlando lose in the first round for the third straight year. The Magic seemed to be on the way to upsetting the top-seeded Pistons after winning Game 1 in Detroit and taking a 3-1 series advantage, but they let a 24-point lead slip away in Game 6 and never recovered.
The first expected move is the dismissal of head coach Jamahl Mosley, who has been the target of rumors about his job security since the season began in October. Weltman opted to stick with Mosley even after some puzzling losses that led to a 45-37 record and the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, but the fifth-year coach may not survive this latest playoff ouster.
The Magic were hoping to become one of the East’s top teams after trading for Desmond Bane last summer, and management was very confident that they were headed in that direction with a healthy starting lineup, according to Robbins. The season took an unfortunate turn when Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain on December 7 that sidelined him for most of the campaign.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs also missed time with injuries, meaning that the team’s preferred starting lineup was only available for 19 games. Robbins notes that Orlando outscored opponents by 11.6 points per 100 possessions when they were all on the court together and posted an elite defensive rating of 105.2 points per 100 possessions.
They were putting up similar numbers in the first round before Wagner suffered a right calf strain in Game 4 that knocked him out for the rest of the series. Robbins states that Wagner is the Magic’s best all-around player, and his absence created a huge hole for the team as it tried to close out Detroit. Mosley was using him as the primary defender on Pistons star Cade Cunningham, who shot just 42.4% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range while averaging 6.8 turnovers in the first four games of the series.
“When one of your best players goes down, it definitely changes a lot, especially a guy like Franz,” Wendell Carter Jr. said. “Franz’s IQ for the game, his will, his determination — he’s the ultimate competitor and one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. So, when he went down, it was tough, for sure. But we still gave ourself a chance even with him being out. I think we just drank the Kool-Aid. We were just right there.”
Robbins observes that Orlando’s defensive identity has come at the expense of outside shooting. Suggs, Banchero, Wagner and Anthony Black are all below-average three-point shooters for their positions, while Jett Howard, who was drafted in the first round in 2023 to help with shooting issues, never progressed enough defensively to earn the trust of the coaching staff.
Finding a traditional point guard to run the offense could be a priority for the summer, Robbins suggests. Wagner and Banchero handle most of the play-making duties, while Suggs is more of a defensive specialist who has struggled with turnovers and his outside shot. Tyus Jones was signed in free agency last summer, but he was disappointing on both ends of the court and the Magic traded him at the deadline to avoid the tax in a deal that cost them two second-round picks.
Banchero’s maximum extension will kick in next season, making the core of the roster even more expensive. Robbins points to Suggs, who has four years left on his contract, as a potential trade candidate, but notes that his injury history might limit his value.
While a roster shakeup could be necessary along with a coaching change, Robbins cautions that Orlando’s cap situation and reduced stock of draft picks after the Bane trade will limit its ability to make moves this offseason.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Magic, Banchero, Riley
While the Hawks‘ playoff run ended in disappointing fashion, it helped them gain a better understanding of the roster and where it needs to go moving forward, Lauren Williams writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Hawks have two first-round picks and plan on not skipping steps as they work to build the team into a contender. They also have financial flexibility, which could be used to bring in free agents or negotiate new deals with current players. They are unlikely to make a huge swing, but will continue to build piece by piece.
“We’re not a single player away from being what we want to be,” general manager Onsi Saleh said. “When I came here, the biggest thing was, how do we become sustainable?”
CJ McCollum is likely to return, as is Jonathan Kuminga, Williams writes. On the other hand, she considers players like Gabe Vincent, Keaton Wallace, Buddy Hield, and Tony Bradley “a coin toss” to be back.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Magic failed to end a 16-year run without winning a playoff series, falling in Game 7 to the Pistons after having held a 3-1 series lead. They have to be wondering what would have happened had wing Franz Wagner not missed the final three games of the series, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The series showed that Orlando needs someone who organizes the offense, rather than the point-guard-by-committee approach the team employed this season. Guard Desmond Bane also pointed to rebounding as an area that cost the Magic, as they were out-rebounded in all four losses, notes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter video link).
- Magic star Paolo Banchero had an up-and-down series, and he issued a warning that the team is not at the level it needs to be after the Game 7 defeat. “Losing in the first round is not acceptable. That should be the attitude,” he said, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “It shouldn’t be comfortable in the building. It should be everybody on their Ps and Qs feeling pressure to be great. I think that’s the mindset that needs to be there from top to bottom.”
- Much of Pat Riley‘s end-of-season press conference has been widely discussed, but some talking points from the Heat president deserve more attention, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Twice in the presser, Riley seemed to hint that head coach Erik Spoelstra needed to be more willing to allow young players to play through mistakes. “Even if it costs you during the regular season, you got to play it through their bad times, and you got to play it through their ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve read all the criticism of our young players, but nobody ever really… gives them the space to be young and to make mistakes, and not to be who you think they should be in three or four years…. They’re not the top five picks in the draft.” He also seemed to hint at the possibility of putting the Heat’s lottery pick, which projects to be 13th overall, on the table in a potential deal for a star, while adding that he doesn’t want to bring in someone he considers “damaged goods.”
Magic Notes: Game 6 Collapse, F. Wagner, Game 7
The No. 8 Magic had a great chance to complete their first-round upset of the top-seeded Pistons on Friday. They led 60-38 at halftime and were up 24 points early in the third quarter, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
However, the rest of the game was an entirely different story, as Orlando only managed to score 19 points over the final two quarters, the fewest points in a half in NBA playoff history. The Magic missed 23 shots in a row over a prolonged stretch, ultimately losing by 14 points.
“I think they were just playing more desperate than us, playing harder than us,” guard Desmond Bane said. “Whether it was offensive rebounds or heating up their pressure to get steals, it really kind of took us out of our stuff, messed with our flow. I mean, it’s going to be hard to win games (when) you score 19 points in a half, and I thought a lot of that was because they came out with more energy than us in the second half.”
While there’s recent precedent for the Magic collapsing — Toronto went on a historic 31-0 run against Orlando on March 29, Robbins notes — Friday’s game was different due to the stakes.
“This team always shows fight,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “There’s no other way to put it: This does suck. You know, you have a 24-point lead, and we let it go, and I think that the reality is it’s got to sting, and it’s got to hurt right now. But you’ve got to be able to bounce back, and you’ve given yourself an opportunity to go get it done in Game 7.”
Here’s more on the Magic, whose Game 7 matchup at Detroit will take place on Sunday at 3:30 pm ET:
- Mike Prada of The Athletic shares some of the historically inept stats from Game 6. The Magic shot just 4-of-37 in the second half, the worst field goal percentage (10.8%) in a half by any team — regular season or playoffs — since 1997/98. They were 3-for-17 in the third quarter, when they scored 11 points, and 1-of-20 in the fourth, when they only managed eight. The 1-for-20 mark was, unsurprisingly, the worst field goal percentage (5.0%) in a playoff quarter in the play-by-play era, Prada adds.
- Star forward Franz Wagner has been ruled out of Game 7 as he continues to deal with a right calf strain, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The 24-year-old German suffered the injury in the third quarter of Game 5.
- As badly as the second half of Game 6 went for Orlando, the team remains confident it can emerge victorious on Sunday and advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010, according to Beede. “We all believe already what we’re about to go do,” guard Anthony Black said. “It’s one game. That’s all that matters,” added star forward Paolo Banchero. “We’ve got to do whatever it takes.”
Magic’s Franz Wagner (Calf) To Remain Out For Game 6
Magic forward Franz Wagner will remain out for Friday’s Game 6, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. The 24-year-old German strained his right calf during Monday’s Game 4, which gave the No. 8 Magic a 3-1 lead in their first-round matchup against the top-seeded Pistons, and was sidelined for Wednesday’s Game 5 loss in Detroit.
Through four playoff games this spring, Wagner averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals in 30.5 minutes per night, with a .439/.333/.933 shooting line. He was also Orlando’s primary defender on Cade Cunningham, who erupted for 45 points on Wednesday to help Detroit stave off elimination, observes Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Cunningham, who set the Pistons’ single-game playoff record for points, had only recorded 17 points on 6-of-24 shooting (plus six turnovers) when he was being defended by Wagner, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
Still, as Robbins writes, the Magic’s problems on Wednesday were largely self-inflected, as they gave up 16 offensive rebounds and made just 16 of their 30 free throws in the seven-point loss. Paolo Banchero (45 points on 17-of-31 shooting, nine rebounds, seven assists in 41 minutes) had “one of the best games of his life,” but even he struggled at the line (5-of-12), according to Robbins.
“They played really hard, but that’s how they always play,” Banchero said of the Pistons. “In front of their home crowd, they brought their energy, they attacked the boards, gave themselves second-chance points. Yeah, we didn’t expect them to lay down, and they didn’t lay down, and we gave ourselves a chance. But they did just a little more on some of the little things.”
Cunningham and Banchero became just the second pair of players in NBA history to score 45 points while dueling against each other in the playoffs, per Youngmisuk, joining Donovan Mitchell (51) and Jamal Murray (50) in 2020.
“That’s what’s up,” Cunningham said. “I’m sure it was a great game. Hope the fans enjoy it, but it was a great win for us.
“… Not everybody is blessed with those types of opportunities to have pressure and things on the line like that. A lot of times I feel undeserving of how great of moments I get to be a part of. Just try to make the most of it.”
The Magic will be looking to bounce back and wrap up the first-round upset on Friday in a matchup of two teams with very similar strengths (physicality, defense) and weaknesses (shooting), Robbins notes. The Orlando has gone 8-1 at home in the playoffs under head coach Jamahl Mosley, but the team will be missing Wagner, one of its best players.
“We’re going to be in front of our home crowd on Friday, so it’s our turn to protect home,” Banchero said. “We’ve done a great job at that. Obviously, they’re going to be desperate. We’re going to be desperate. So it’s going to be another war. We’ve just got to be ready for it.”
Magic Notes: Game 1, Wagner, Banchero, Suggs, Bane
The Magic‘s 112-101 upset victory in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Pistons may have surprised some people, but the players in the locker room weren’t among them.
“I think everybody knows we have a really talented team,” forward Franz Wagner said. “Obviously, we didn’t have the regular season that we wanted, but that’s how it goes sometimes. I think we showed (Sunday) that we belong here and it has to be consistent, though. One game doesn’t win the series. That’s got to be our mindset going forward.”
Coach Jamahl Mosley felt that the fact his team had two play-in tournament games last week while the Pistons had the week off played a role in the upset.
“They’ve been off. We found a little bit of rhythm playing so many games, so that always plays a part in it,” he said. “But I’m still just happy that our guys came out and defended the right way. We were intentional in how we executed our offense. I think those are the things that we talked about being able to do against a great team like this. How they turn you over, how they defend, how they rebound the basketball – all those small things within the game. I was happy that we accomplished that with this group.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- Paolo Banchero led the offense with 23 points. He also supplied nine rebounds and four assists. “I thought Paolo’s dominance in his approach to the game was excellent,” Mosley said. “His voice, his command on the floor, his court presence was special. I think that’s how the team follows. When he has that presence, it’s something to be seen. His aggression downhill, attacking, stepping into a shot with a high level of confidence, finding the matchups that he wanted, all those small things within the game, the guys fed and read off of that.”
- Banchero feels the team has put aside its uneven regular season and believes it can continue to make noise in the postseason. “There’s nothing you can do to go back and change what happened. At the end of the day, we’re here in the playoffs, and we have a chance to go and do what we set out to do since October,” he said. “You can’t get too caught up in what happened in the regular season and the frustrations. You have to just come together, realize that we’re fully healthy right now, and we feel like we’re clicking as a group. We found something against Charlotte with our defense and our energy and our communication. We know that if we just reciprocate that, we give ourselves a chance every night no matter who we’re playing. It’s definitely a new season and a new energy.”
- Jalen Suggs seemed to be all over the court, contributing 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals before fouling out in the late going. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) said Suggs was favoring his left knee at times but came out of the contest “feeling solid.”
- In his breakdown of the contest, Beede provides his insights into the upset, including the fact that Desmond Bane played 35 minutes despite dealing with an illness.
Magic, Suns Advance; NBA’s Playoff Field Set
After losing their first play-in games earlier in the week, the Magic and Suns bounced back in impressive fashion on Friday, winning home games against the Hornets and Warriors, respectively, to clinch their spots in the playoffs. Orlando and Phoenix will enter the first round as No. 8 seeds, with the Magic taking on Detroit in round one and the Suns facing Oklahoma City.
The Magic ran out to a 22-point lead by the end of the first quarter in Friday’s early game and expanded that cushion to 31 points by the end of the second quarter. Their defense set the tone early by allowing the Hornets to make just 5-of-20 (25.0%) shots from the floor in the first period and 13-of-41 (31.7%) in the first half. Orlando maintained that significant lead in the second half, winning by a score of 121-90.
“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said after the game, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “There (are) no second chances.”
Paolo Banchero contributed 25 points and a team-high six assists to lead a balanced offensive attack that saw all five of the Magic’s starters score in double-digits. Franz Wagner added 18 points and matched Banchero’s six assists, while Desmond Bane was a team-best plus-30 in his 35 minutes of action despite scoring just 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
In the late game, the Suns emulated the Magic by building a big lead in the first quarter, though Phoenix gave most of that 18-point edge in the second quarter before putting the win away in the second half by a score of 111-96.
Suns guard Jalen Green, who struggled in his first taste of playoff action with Houston a year ago, was excellent in this week’s play-in games, scoring 35 points in Tuesday’s loss and then pouring in 36 more in Friday’s win over Golden State. Green made 14-of-20 shots, including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, and also contributed six rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals. His eight three-pointers matched a career high.
The Suns also did an admirable job holding Warriors star Stephen Curry in check after he went off for 35 points in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Curry made just 4-of-16 shots from the field in Phoenix and had as many turnovers as assists (four apiece).
The Suns and Thunder will tip off their series in Oklahoma City at 3:30 pm Eastern time on Sunday, with Game 1 of the Magic/Pistons matchup to follow in Detroit at 6:30 pm.
While Phoenix and Orlando will enter the series as massive underdogs, their regular season results against their first-round opponents offer a sliver of hope — the Suns went 2-3 against the Thunder, while the Magic went 2-2 vs. the Pistons.
Southeast Notes: Diabate, Magic, Snyder, AD, Wizards
The Hornets could be missing their starting center when they play at Orlando on Friday to determine the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up for the elimination game due to left hip soreness, Charlotte announced (via Twitter).
A French big man, Diabate recorded eight points, 14 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes during Tuesday’s play-in victory over Miami. The 24-year-old averaged 7.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG and 1.0 BPG in 73 appearances this season (26.0 MPG).
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- The Magic are looking to bounce back on Friday after dropping Wednesday’s play-in game at Philadelphia, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando won its October 30 matchup with the Hornets by 16 points, but lost its final three regular season contests against Charlotte by 15, 27, and 19 points. “They’ve kicked our ass this year,” Paolo Banchero said about the Hornets. “So we’ve got to be ready. I’ve got to be ready. And we’ve got to be locked in from the jump. I thought we played hard (Wednesday), but it wasn’t enough. And so it’s going to take even more of an effort, and it’s going to take me playing better, as well, for us to get the win.”
- Head coach Quin Snyder deserves kudos for helping the Hawks turn their season around, according to Ken Segiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link). The Hawks made multiple big trades that reshaped their roster after injuries foiled their offseason plans, but they closed out the regular season by going 20-6 after the All-Star break, the third-best mark in the NBA over that span. “He’s done a great job just adjusting to the personnel,” guard CJ McCollum said of Snyder. “We’ve changed and really looked at our team, how we play, how certain guys’ games have evolved over the course of the season, which also happens. We’ve added stuff, we’ve taken stuff out, we’ve kind of evaluated what works, what doesn’t work and what’s going to work for this group.”
- Trae Young and Alex Sarr are among the Wizards who have expressed excitement about playing with Anthony Davis in 2026/27, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I’ve never played with a player as talented or as special as A.D. is. We haven’t gotten to play on the court yet, but we’ve talked about a lot of things,” Young said. “We talked about what it would look like when we do get on the court together.”
Magic Notes: Sunday’s Loss, Banchero, F. Wagner, Bane
Head coach Jamahl Mosley has bemoaned the Magic lacking a sense of urgency throughout the season, and it was a talking point again after Sunday’s loss in Boston, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic had a chance to secure the No. 7 seed and home court advantage for Wednesday’s play-in contest vs. the Sixers, but instead they’ll travel to Philadelphia for their first of two chances to advance to the playoffs.
“It was a must-win game, at least I thought,” forward Paolo Banchero said. “I just think we didn’t come out with urgency. It’s frustrating, honestly.”
According to Beede, Orlando led by 16 points early in the game, but a disastrous third quarter turned out to be too much to overcome. Banchero finished with a triple-double (23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds) and was plus-two in 38 minutes during the five-point loss, though he shot just 7-of-22 from the field and had six turnovers.
“I definitely didn’t play my best basketball,” Banchero said. “I think collectively, we just have to have more urgency. We can’t expect to win just because guys are out.”
Here’s more on the Magic:
- As Beede notes, the “guys” Banchero was referring to on the Celtics included the team’s entire starting lineup and several key reserves. Boston was already locked in as the No. 2 seed in the East and only had eight players available, but four of them — Baylor Scheierman (30 points), Ron Harper Jr. (27), Luka Garza (27) and John Tonje (13) had career scoring nights. “They hit a ton of shots, we turned it over, gave them a couple extra opportunities and that was a big portion of the ballgame,” Mosley said. “But you’ve got to give Boston a hell of a ton of credit for the way they came out with those seven-eight guys and played their tails off.”
- Forward Franz Wagner was on a minutes restriction in his sixth game back from a high ankle sprain, Beede adds. The German star had 20 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, but didn’t score efficiently (7-of-18 from the field) and was wearing a wrap on his left leg while on the bench. “I’m trying to push through and get as much time out there as I can,” Wagner said. “I feel all right. … For sure, it’s frustrating but there’s only one way to get past that and that’s to push through it and do it in a smart way. But to go to that point consistently, and that’s all I can do.”
- Desmond Bane appeared in all 82 regular season games in 2025/26 for the first time in his career, but Mosley’s plan to limit the 27-year-old’s minutes on Sunday backfired, per Beede. The sixth-year wing played the first six minutes of the game and the original plan was to sit out the remainder of the contest. However, after the Magic fell behind in the third quarter, Bane wound up playing nearly the entire fourth period, finishing with 18 minutes. “I kept my mind ready to go, my body ready to go, riding a bike, putting heat on my knees and stuff like that,” Bane said. “But I don’t think coach really wanted to (put me back in), just to protect me. Keeping me healthy was his main goal. But I appreciate him letting me go back in the game and giving me a chance to try to help us win.”
- Both Wagner and Bane struck an optimistic tone following Sunday’s loss, according to Beede. “I’m excited,” Bane said. “We’ve got an opportunity to go and play postseason basketball. Not everybody gets to say that. That’s not something that everybody gets to experience so I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”