The Orlando Magic and one-time NBA All-Star Paolo Banchero have agreed on a maximum contract extension that could be worth as much as $287 million over five seasons, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a player option.
Banchero averaged 25.9 points (on 45/32/73 shooting splits), 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this past season, leading the Orlando Magic to the first round of the playoffs, where they lost to the defending champion Boston Celtics, 4-1. Banchero averaged a 29-8-4 in that series, looking very much like the franchise player the Magic expected him to be when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2022.
An oblique injury this past season limited Banchero to fewer than 65 games, which kept him from All-NBA consideration. That also means he will have to wait until the All-NBA teams are revealed next season to find out if he becomes eligible for a starting salary at 30% of the projected $171.1 million salary cap for the 2026-27 season. Right now, he is eligible for a max extension starting at 25% of that cap.
Either way, the Magic have locked themselves into the maximum possible extensions for both Banchero and Franz Wagner, the foundation of what they believe can be a championship contender. After all, the Magic made their big win-now move during the NBA Finals, trading Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and the rights to five first-round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane.
Bane’s shooting ability (41% on 6.3 3-point attempts per game for his career) should open the floor for both Banchero and Wagner, neither of whom have established themselves as elite shooters. Both have the potential to become high-end pull-up shooters, which, if that ever happens, watch out for Orlando.
As is, the Magic allowed 109.1 points per 100 possessions this past season, registering the league’s second-best defensive rating, behind only the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. That head coach Jamahl Mosley has received that kind of buy-in on the defensive end from his young team is a good sign, for if the offense ever catches up to the defense the Magic could become a serious title contender.
And that is why Banchero is worth every cent of his max contract. He is a key cog in an elite defense and has shown, when healthy, he can be the driver of a top-tier defense, if only he has the horses around him.
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