The Orlando Magic are staring down the barrel of a major salary cap problem, and the Chicago Bulls should be watching closely how they attempt to solve it.
At some point, Orlando will have to move on from at least one of a quartet of cornerstone-type players: Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black. And according to league insider Marc Stein, Black may be the odd man out.
The longtime NBA scribe wrote in the Oct. 11 edition of The Stein Line (subscription required) that a contract extension for the young point guard is "unlikely at this current juncture."
All four carry their own varying levels of interest around the league, and that should be no different in Chicago, where executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham should have both eyes focused on what happens next in Orlando.
The Orlando Magic have a salary cap problem
Banchero is owed $186 million over the next four seasons and has a player option worth $54.8 million in 2030-31. Wagner just signed his own extension worth $185.6 million. Suggs signed a five-year deal worth $150 million that runs through 2028-29.
Each member of that expensive trio has at least one clear and obvious flaw.
Banchero can look like one of the 10 best players in the league when he’s cooking offensively, but he's not exactly efficient and turns the ball over a ton.
Wagner has plateaued as a good but not great player. Now entering his sixth NBA campaign, it’s difficult to see him finally turning that corner. He’s also missed 70 games over the past two seasons.
Suggs is a premier perimeter defender, but he’s far from an elite shooter. He has a knack for playing his best in big games, but he doesn’t score consistently enough to fall into the top tier of lead guards.
Black may be the most desirable of any of them long-term. The 6-foot-7 guard is borderline elite at getting to the rim and can finish in a variety of ways. He's also a crafty playmaker, versatile defender, and, crucially, only 22 years old.
The Magic simply can’t afford to keep all of them; someone has to be the odd man out.
The Bulls must be prepared to take advantage of Orlando’s cap issues
Just because Banchero, Wagner, Suggs and Black have flaws doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be useful additions in Chicago.
With Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson already entrenched at the forward spots, Banchero would be an odd and expensive fit. But the Bulls have a desperate need for a No. 1 scorer, and the 23-year-old is more capable of filling that role than anyone on the roster.
Wagner is an all-around connective piece who can do a bit of everything. Suggs is the supreme point-of-attack defender Chicago has been chasing for years. And there's always room for a young, high-ceiling prospect like Black.
Graham has pushed almost every right button since taking over the Bulls. When the Magic decide who they’re going to move on from, he should be waiting with an offer, ready to push another.
Add us as a preferred source on Google