It has been a rough start to the 2026-27 season for the Orlando Magic despite being under the tutelage of new head coach Sean Sweeney, whom they hired from the San Antonio Spurs this past offseason. They entered their Thursday night clash against the Phoenix Suns with a 2-5 record, and considering their player payroll and injury situation, falling behind in the playoff race this early has to be ringing some alarm bells.
The Magic have been ravaged by the injury bug; Paolo Banchero's strong start to the campaign was abruptly cut by a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for four to six weeks, and Jalen Suggs followed him on the injured list shortly after suffering a non-contact knee injury.
If the Magic keep on losing and fall way off the pace, there are some difficult decisions for their front office to make, as ClutchPoints insider Tomer Azarly noted on the latest episode of the Clutch Scoops show.
“They have some difficult decisions on their hand. I think Orlando has a good roster, I just don't know if they're good enough to make any legitimate noise in the Eastern Conference. I think I'm gonna buy that they miss the playoffs,” Azarly said.
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ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel then seconded this motion, and he even took it a step further by saying that the Magic will become a selling team at the trade deadline.
Article Continues Below“I also buy the fact that the Magic are going to become sellers at the trade deadline. This core just has not worked out. This is a group of what could have been. Injuries have just been a major setback for them,” Siegel added.
The Magic have an expensive core (they already have around $174 million committed to their core four of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Suggs, and Wendell Carter Jr.), and they will need to re-sign Anthony Black to a new deal with the 22-year-old set to enter restricted free agency at the end of this campaign.
If they miss the postseason entirely, there could indeed be some roster reshuffling in Orlando.