Rumors

Dwight Howard's five-year run in Orlando was so strong that the rest of his career could be pretty “meh” and he’d still rate as one of the all-time great players. The last part wasn’t “meh,” though many might remember it that way, but it wasn’t at the level of those first five seasons. (Howard made All-Star teams in L.A. and Houston, led the league in rebounding in his first tour with the Lakers and won a title as a defensive specialist in his second stint.) As many of you know, I have a formula called “GOAT Points” designed to measure career strength. Howard ranks 35th all time, which is astoundingly high for a player who was left off the all-time 75 list. (Every other player who would have been in the GOAT Points top 50 in 2021 made it except Tracy McGrady. Do we need to investigate for potential voting bias against Magic-to-Rockets careers?)

New York Times

Jason Beede: Breaking News: Reece Beekman and Justin Minaya have signed Exhibit 10 deals with the #Magic, the @orlandosentinel has learned. Plus, Orlando's Exhibit 10 signings of Lester Quinones and Colin Castleton are now official. Details inside for @orlandosports: orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/02/orl…

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Brett Siegel: Number of National TV games for 2025-26 NBA season (ESPN, ABC, NBC, & Amazon): Atlanta: 13, Boston: 25, Brooklyn: 2, Charlotte: 3, Chicago: 3, Cleveland: 24, Dallas: 23, Denver: 26, Detroit: 16, Golden State: 34, Houston: 28, Indiana: 9, Los Angeles Clippers: 21, Los Angeles Lakers: 34, Memphis: 10, Miami: 5, Milwaukee: 18, Minnesota: 28, New Orleans: 2, New York: 34, Oklahoma City: 34, Orlando: 14, Philadelphia: 14, Phoenix: 9, Portland: 8, Sacramento: 9, San Antonio: 22, Toronto: 2, Utah: 2, Washington: 2

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Jason Beede: The #Magic will travel to Philadelphia to round out their 2025 preseason schedule, @orlandosentinel.com has learned. Orlando’s full preseason schedule: - Oct. 4: at Miami (San Juan, Puerto Rico), - Oct. 10 at Philadelphia, - Oct. 12: vs. Miami, - Oct. 16: vs. New Orleans

bsky.app

Barry Jackson: Also, Heat has summoned a Magic executive and former Orlando guard Nick Anderson to Kaseya tomorrow for a preseason announcement, with Glen Rice among the Heat lumunaries expected.

x.com

Jason Beede: Former #Magic guard Cole Anthony and his 50 Ways Foundation will be saying farewell to the city of Orlando with a Back 2 School Community Day event August 10, the foundation announced on Instagram. Details: pic.x.com/D4VIwGSAOo

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Sources say that Suns star Devin Booker was a fan of the idea, too, given how well he and Paul played together during the Suns' run to the NBA Finals in 2021 and with Phoenix seemingly in need of a proven playmaker after Tyus Jones' free agent departure to Orlando.

marcstein.substack.com

Jason Beede: #Magic rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, as well as second-year pro Tristan da Silva, won’t play in today’s summer league game vs. Dallas — Orlando’s fifth and final contest in Las Vegas.

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The current version of the Magic are one of the top up-and-coming teams, led by All-Star forward Paolo Banchero, who recently signed a five-year contract extension worth $239 million. Orlando has been to the playoffs the past two seasons, but have failed to advance past the first round. This upcoming season could be a different story with the Eastern Conference wide open. "They've been in this sort of situation they're in for the last few years, a playoff team first round," Grant Hill told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview. "But I think bringing in (Desmond) Bane, what they've done this offseason. They were decimated by injuries throughout the season last year, but you got an incredible young player in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as well."

sportsboom.com

Sean Cunningham: Sacramento Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud will not play in today’s Summer League game against the Suns due to right wrist soreness, suffered in Saturday’s win over Orlando.

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Josh Lewenberg: Collin Murray-Boyles will make his Summer League debut vs Orlando today and start alongside Shead, Walter, Battle and Castleton.

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Full schedules will be announced in August, coinciding with the rest of the NBA's schedule rollout for the 2025-26 season. The groups: East Group A - Cleveland, Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington. East Group B - Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Brooklyn, Philadelphia. East Group C - Milwaukee, New York, Chicago, Miami, Charlotte. West Group A - Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah. West Group B - L.A. Lakers, LA Clippers, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans. West Group C - Houston, Denver, Golden State, Portland, San Antonio.

ESPN

Marc Stein: Dallas has been in discussions with former Lakers/Cavaliers/Raptors assistant coach Phil Handy and Jones to fill staff vacancies created by the departures of Jared Dudley to Denver and God Shammgod to Orlando. As reported here last week, Handy also has interest from the Knicks.

x.com

Jason Beede: I asked new #Magic guard Tyus Jones about Orlando’s talent and the team he’s joining: “The talent's through the roof. This team has everything you need to win a championship … All of the pieces are going to flow together and I'm excited to see it all come together.”

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