Grade the Trade: Orlando conjures up a Banchero co-star in potential deal with Hawks

After years of mediocrity, the Orlando Magic roared to life in the 2023–24 season, winning 47 games and pushing the Cleveland Cavaliers to Game 7—their first trip to the playoffs in three years. That definitely qualifies as a successful season for the Magic, but the pressure will be on them to build upon that success in 2024–25.

Despite entering the offseason with significant cap space to build around their core of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, so far they have only added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who will help them as a shooter and perimeter defender. However, they could use an upgrade at point guard and they could turn to the Atlanta Hawks to help them find one.

The Hawks were one of the most intriguing teams heading into the summer, with speculation that they were open to trading their all-star guards as well as their starting center. That was made complicated by them landing the number one overall pick but not owning their first-round picks for the next three years.

The Hawks have already made one big deal this summer and a proposed trade from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey has the Magic and Hawks linking up for a blockbuster swap. Would either team agree? Next, we'll take a look at the trade and see if it makes sense for both franchises.