Basketball Twitter basically imploded for a second there. You saw the clip, right? The one where Kevin Durant and Paolo Banchero were getting shots up together during the 2024 offseason? It looked smooth. Too smooth. Suddenly, every "insider" with a blue checkmark was screaming about a Kevin Durant Orlando Magic trade like it was a done deal.
But here we are in 2026. KD is wearing a Houston Rockets jersey. The Magic? They’re busy figuring out how to balance a roster that now includes Desmond Bane.
The idea of Durant in pinstripes wasn't just some random 2K fantasy, though. It actually made a weird kind of sense for a minute. Orlando had the length, the defense, and the young assets. They just needed that one "alpha" to turn them into a true title threat. Honestly, the fit would’ve been terrifying. Imagine a lineup where the shortest guy is a 6’4” Jalen Suggs and everyone else is a 6’10” wing with a 7-foot wingspan.
The trade that almost shook the East
Last summer, specifically around June 2025, the Phoenix Suns finally pulled the ripper. The "Big Three" experiment with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal had flopped. Hard. Brian Windhorst was on ESPN saying there was a "98% likelihood" Durant would be moved.
Orlando was right there in the thick of the conversation.
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The rumored package? It usually looked something like this:
- Orlando gets: Kevin Durant
- Phoenix gets: Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac, Jett Howard, Goga Bitadze, and the No. 25 pick.
Some people, like Kevin O'Connor, thought the Magic should have sprinted to the phone to make that happen. A one-year rental of a top-15 player of all time? You take that. You take that every day of the week. But the Suns weren't looking for bench depth and a late first-rounder. They wanted a haul to replace the mountain of picks they sent to Brooklyn years ago.
Why the Magic ultimately passed
Jeff Weltman, the Magic’s President of Basketball Operations, has always been a "slow and steady" kind of guy. He’s obsessed with "internal growth."
While the fans were dreaming of KD hitting mid-range daggers in the Kia Center, the front office was looking at the books. Bringing in Durant’s $54 million contract would have meant gutting the bench. And in the new NBA, where the "second apron" of the luxury tax is basically a death sentence for roster flexibility, that’s a massive risk.
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Plus, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the future. If you bring in KD, do those guys stop growing? Do they become spectators? It’s a valid concern. Instead of going for the 37-year-old superstar, Orlando pivoted and traded four first-round picks for Desmond Bane. It was a younger, safer bet on shooting and playmaking that didn't involve mortgaging the entire culture.
What actually happened to Kevin Durant?
If you haven't been keeping up with the 2025-26 season, the Rockets won the sweepstakes. In June 2025, just before the draft, Phoenix sent Durant to Houston for a package centered around Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the No. 10 pick.
It was a classic "hired gun" move.
The Magic actually dodged a bullet in a way. Not because KD isn't great—he’s still averaging 26 points a night—but because he didn't end up with their division rivals. The Miami Heat were the other big finalist. If Pat Riley had landed Durant, the Southeast Division would have been a bloodbath. Orlando Daily reported that the Magic front office felt a "huge sigh of relief" when the trade news broke and Durant stayed in the Western Conference.
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How the Magic are building without KD
Orlando isn't exactly hurting right now. They’ve established themselves as a top-4 seed in the East. But the lack of a "super-elite" scorer is still a thing.
Right now, they’re dealing with some financial headaches. They are about $5.6 million over the luxury tax. Because of that, the trade rumors today aren't about superstars; they're about salary dumps. Names like Tyus Jones and Jonathan Isaac are the ones popping up in trade circles now, mostly as ways to get back under the tax line to avoid the repeater clock.
It’s a different kind of stress. Instead of "How do we get KD?" it's "How do we keep this group together without paying $100 million in taxes?"
Actionable insights for following Magic trades
If you're tracking where the Magic go from here, keep these specific markers in mind:
- Watch the $5.6M gap: The Magic need to shave about six million dollars to hit the tax floor. Any trade before the February deadline will likely involve a veteran guard like Tyus Jones moving for a future second-round pick.
- The Desmond Bane impact: Since the Magic gave up four picks for Bane, they don't have the "treasure chest" needed for another blockbuster. Don't expect a superstar trade anytime soon.
- Focus on bench shooting: Despite adding Bane, the Magic still rank in the bottom five for 3-point shooting. Look for them to target "cheap" specialists like Corey Kispert or Cam Thomas if they can make the money work.
- Monitor Jalen Suggs’ health: His hip injury has been a recurring issue. If he stays sidelined, the front office might be forced to get aggressive on the trade market for a defensive wing, even if it costs them a rotation player.
The Kevin Durant Orlando Magic trade will go down as one of those great "What If" moments in Florida sports history. It was the moment the Magic almost decided to skip the line and go for the crown. Instead, they chose the long road. Only time will tell if passing on a legend was the right call.
Keep an eye on the salary cap moves over the next three weeks; that’s where the real season will be won or lost.