The Orlando Magic were the preseason darlings of the pundits, many of whom had them penciled into a top three seed in the Eastern Conference. Some of that hype has waned after a 3-5 start in which their big addition Desmond Bane has not played well.
Bane is averaging just 13.9 points per game in eight games with the Magic, lowest since his rookie season. He’s shooting just 41 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3-point range, which has some people wondering if he is going to be the one to fix their offense, which is still near the bottom of the league.
It’s far too early to write off the Bane trade, as he will return to his norm, and the Magic will eventually start winning. The Eastern Conference is a little livelier than people expected early on, but I have no doubt the Magic will be fighting for playoff seeding soon enough.
But they did give up a ton to acquire Bane, including Cole Anthony, KCP and four unprotected first-round picks, so this move needs to work out for Orlando, as they sacrificed a lot of their future draft assets to get him, something that should be a warning to the Pistons.
If the Detroit Pistons make a big trade, it has to be the right one
As I said, it’s far too early to declare the Bane trade a failure, but it’s been a clunky transition so far.
Many fans in Detroit feel it’s a matter of when, not if the Pistons will eventually make a big trade, as it’s not likely they can pay all of their young guys, and they still have some glaring offensive weaknesses, just like Orlando last season.
There has already been ample speculation that the Pistons will be the next team to cash in some of their young talent and draft assets to acquire a second star to put next to Cade Cunningham.
Until there is a clear second star in Detroit, we are going to keep hearing these rumors, but if the Pistons do make a big move, it has to be the right one, as they are probably only going to get one shot at it.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are untouchable, and Jalen Duren is getting there. Isaiah Stewart is far too important to trade, which leaves the Pistons with limited young players to deal.
If they are going to give up one of them along with Tobias Harris’ expiring contract and a bunch of draft picks, then they have to land an impact player who moves the needle.
The Bane situation will probably work out for Orlando in the long run, but if it doesn’t, they are stuck with the team they have with little flexibility, a position the Pistons don’t want to find themselves in.