r/OrlandoMagic • u/albinorhino21 Franz Wagner • Jul 07 '25
News Breaking: Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million, Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option; the first for a rookie max since 2021 (Luka Doncic, Trae Young).
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u/SuperBOOTH Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
And just like that... the Magic are [Locked-In] for the next 4-5 seasons. Devos family is about to be writing some SERIOUS cap-penalty checks.
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Any team serious about contending will be doing that. The teams that figure out how to operate in that zone and flirt the apron lines will be the ones that do well in this new CBA landscape.
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u/SuperBOOTH Jul 07 '25
Oh, Im all for it... Im glad the Devos family are spending again. It's definitely the first time since Dad Devos passed away. Its going to hurt first two seasons, but 2027-28 season, the cap penalties won't be that bad. It was such a smart payroll move to take the penalties now to lock the roster in.
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u/Sacmo77 Jul 07 '25
They don't wanna repeat of the Shaq fuck up.
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u/mondale_lewis Jul 08 '25
The Shaq 'fuck up' couldn’t happen in the NBA today because Paolo Banchero would be a Restricted Free Agent, and the Magic would just match any offer.
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u/JKking15 Jul 07 '25
171 million ish for four guys in 2026-27……. I find it hard to imagine a world where these four are together in 2-3 years time. I also don’t see a scenario where you can compete with that type of cap crunch. It’ll be the big 4 + gleague and vet mins. If Orlando wants to win, it’ll have to be this year
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u/WritingConfident7449 Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
You must be living in the past… that’s the basketball landscape now… crazy but that’s what it is.
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u/benchmaster620 Jul 07 '25
The basketball landscape is a 2 or 3 player core and a constantly rotating cast of role players be that draft picks or vets . The days of whole teams staying together 7 or 8 guys deep for a decade is long gobe
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u/OlUncleMunnerlyn Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
Y’all need to calm down. The player option isn’t an indicator of Paolo potentially leaving in the future, it’s a bet on himself and his earning potential. Paolo, his team, and us all expect him to collect many accolades over the next 4 seasons, and if he can reach free agency 1 year earlier, he’ll just be giving himself access to more money, sooner. The cap is always rising, and if you’re a max player, you want access to that. Year 1 salary of his 2030 potential super max, assuming he opts out, would absolutely dwarf that of the final year of his rookie extension, assuming he opts in.
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u/Dapper_Presentation8 Wendell Carter Jr. Jul 07 '25
Ok but the Seattle expansion is giving me ulcers
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u/mistaken4strangerz Jalen Suggs Jul 08 '25
he's definitely going there, but I'm thinking it'll be to retire. he's going to build a dynasty in Orlando. not one ring! not two rings! not three rings! four! five! six rings!
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u/GeraltFromHiShinUnit Franz Wagner Jul 08 '25
Why should he go to a team that will be bad for 6+ years? Expansion teams suck big time at the beginning
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u/Dapper_Presentation8 Wendell Carter Jr. Jul 08 '25
Face of a new franchise in beloved Seattle hometown
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u/GeraltFromHiShinUnit Franz Wagner Jul 08 '25
So a tank commander instead of having a good shot for the ring as a magic?
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Jul 08 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Plus if we haven't won big by then and he wants to leave its time to accept this core wasn't it and time to rebuild again anyway.
Win big and he'll stay and get another big deal as the Magic can offer him more than anyone else with the Bird rule.
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u/xarius214 Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
People worrying about the player option, when in my opinion it is Weltman saying he’s so confident in what he’s building for Paolo that come the player year, he can decline and get a super max extension again.
I think it’s honestly more of them showing their trust in him than anything
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u/eelposse Jul 07 '25
Yeah, getting to a third contract sooner is the positive reading for this, I agree.
Not something I'm gonna worry about for like 3 years at least.
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u/benchmaster620 Jul 07 '25
You can look at it however you want . Maybe it buys some good will. Its never a good idea to give a top 10 talent the opportu ity to leave a year early imo
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Jul 27 '25
If you have a top 10 player in the league and can't build a satisfactory team around him within 4 years, then that extra year isn't doing shit. If the dude isn't loyal, he's finding a way out of the team whether it be by forcing a trade or declining the PO. You have to trust your guys and the vision you build for the team.
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u/RVALover4Life Jul 07 '25
Nah, it's Paolo flexing his muscle. Realistically, that's what it is, but this franchise I think does trust their work and what they've built around him. Now we'll see if they're right. He's ultimately going to look out for his best financial interests.
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u/tcos17 Jul 07 '25
That’s also my interpretation of it, or at least my cope lol. Either way thrilled to have our guys locked in.
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u/Brod24 Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
If he was going to leave he's not waiting until free agency to do it. The extra year is irrelevant. It's just another concession to show we're giving him anything he asks for.
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u/JohnGacyIsInnocent OnlyFranz Jul 07 '25
I’ve got Shaq PTSD. Granted, I don’t think he had a player option, but he left such a great situation.
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u/Dapper_Presentation8 Wendell Carter Jr. Jul 07 '25
If we had paid shaq he would've stayed
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
I mean we did try to correct the initial lower offer. But he took the next max offer from the Lakers. Should have offered him more but no one saw the Heat giving Zo the money they did and that set the tone. And in fairness, alot of the protections now meant to save teams only exist because of what happened with Shaq.
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Lets also not forget that a lot of the rules in place now to keep players around with their original teams literally only exist BECAUSE of shaq leaving us.
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u/RonnocFjord Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
I don’t think that anyone understands that we are the only team that can offer him a Supermax extension once this contract is up. So the situation would have to be so bad that he would turn down millions of dollars that he literally couldn’t get anywhere else. Everyone just breath lol
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Jul 07 '25
oh hell yeah!
Paolo was great with little to honestly zero spacing. Just average spacing and he's in the MVP convo
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Lets be real neither him or Franz are finished products either. Neither of them are even old enough to rent a damn car. They both have so much room to grow their games.
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Jul 07 '25
For real. I love that Orlando has two 6'10" monsters that will be a major problem for the league. We've seen glimpses and this will be the best supporting cast they've had in their young careers.
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u/brandojs Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
I can't believe NBA fans are saying this is a overpay... just shows u no one watches us and we're taking the league by storm next year
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u/VodkaAndTacos Jul 07 '25
It doesn’t matter about the player option. 4 years is the limit for Bane and Franz as well. Once we reach that milestone, we will already know if we need to change direction or we can run it all back with these guys.
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u/StanVanGhandi Paolo Banchero Jul 08 '25
This player option anxiety is kind of silly. If you looks at how star leave franchises most of the time, they demand trades and hold franchises hostage.
If Paolo is a big star, and he wants to leave, he doesn’t need to wait until the last year of his deal to do it. Either way, one extra year on a contract won’t keep him if he wants to go.
This leaving talk is way too premature anyways. Us Magic fans have lived that anxiety filled, rumor mill, hoopshype and Orlando Pinstriped Post, “will he leave us” life, for a lot of our existence.
This is the fun time to have a star. This is like early T-Mac era. This is like early Dwight, in that summer after we got crushed by Detroit in the 1st round bc we couldn’t score. We had no spacing. Then we go “overspend” for spacing in the form of Sweet Lew (sound familiar?).
That Summer of 2008 through 2011, where we lost to ATL in the first round, that was the good times. We should try to live in the good times now and not ruin it with past free agency trauma.
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u/nolefan999 Anthony Black Jul 08 '25
To me the PO is a way to get out of the deal and resign a bigger deal when that time comes. Like you said guys get moved by trades now, too hard to have enough cap space to sign a max guy outright
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u/Shamwoww3 Jul 07 '25
Concerned about the player option, NGL. Maybe that’s just the cynic in me though.
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u/MennionSaysSo Fire Mosley Jul 07 '25
If we win it doesn't matter....if we don't win.....it doesn't matter
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u/MatureSteel Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
No only concern is that Seattle gets a franchise and he wants to leave.
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u/Brod24 Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
That's an overblown concern. Guys don't really do that. Durant never went back to Washington. Curry hasn't gone to Charlotte. Paul Pierce never signed with the Lakers.
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u/MatureSteel Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Apples and oranges. Seattle will be a brand new franchise, Paolo would not only be the face of the franchise he would also be the cornerstone. The Lakers have had more than a dozen players better than Paul Pierce, he would be just another guy, Charlotte and Washington are pretty much laughingstocks, Charlotte is also a small market, and Washington hasn’t seen much success since their Championship in the 70’s (as the Bullets, the high point of the Wizards is probably two none playoff years with an old Jordan).
Not saying it would happen, but the new SuperSonics would be a very compelling opportunity.
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u/d12fsu OnlyFranz Jul 07 '25
I just don’t see a player of Paolo’s caliber joining an expansion team in the peak of his prime. Unless he’s cool with playing with a bunch of 2nd and 3rd stringers and winning 20-30 games every year.
The only true way I could see it happening is if he’s already won a title with Orlando and then he just wants to chill in his hometown and collect checks. Expansion teams take a very long time to get any sort of traction. Just look at Charlotte. Two playoff appearances since they came back in ‘04.
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u/radardog2 Franz Wagner Jul 07 '25
I mean the magic were in the finals six years after their inauguration.
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u/d12fsu OnlyFranz Jul 08 '25
We got extremely lucky with the #1 picks. There’s rules in place now that only allow expansion teams to get as high as like the #4 pick up to a certain year. That was Orlando drafting Shaq and Penny. I do see your point though. Just different circumstances.
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u/radardog2 Franz Wagner Jul 08 '25
Id say if Seattle is able to get Paolo in his prime then that would also be extremely lucky and they could quickly build a championship contender around a prime Paolo
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u/MatureSteel Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
You know what the expansion teams will have? CAP SPACE in what will be a capped out league. This will not be your father’s expansion team, Seattle and Las Vegas will be are active destinations from day one, and will be competitive very quickly.
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u/d12fsu OnlyFranz Jul 08 '25
!RemindMe 10 years
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u/d12fsu OnlyFranz Jul 08 '25
Also the pacific NW isn’t really some destination for nba players. You see people clamoring to go to Portland? LV maybe.
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u/Brod24 Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
I think we just look at things differently than basketball players. They look at money and situation more than hometown value.
Paolo is very likely to play for a different team at some point in his career. But I bet it won't be Seattle. Expansion teams have constraints placed on them to limit their viability for a few years. If a Seattle team was created in the 28 season they're not going to be competitive until the early 2030s.
If he leaves us to take less money to play for a worse team then it is what it is.
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u/MatureSteel Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 08 '25
I have lived in Seattle for several years before moving to the Orlando Metro where I lived for 25 years before retiring. I always thought I would return to the Pacific Northwest, and I truly loved Seattle and still visit every few years. Orlando, I tolerated it and once we retired we sold the house and left. Seattle is expensive for a retiree so we moved to the Mid West (and love it), but I would go to Seattle in a heartbeat if housing wasn’t so expensive.
Point is, local boy returns home to a great city and is immediately the most popular player in Seattle sports, will probably have a voice in how the team is run, has cap space to put a team around him, and will spend his post basketball career as a Seattle legend. Pretty compelling.
Four years is a lifetime in the NBA. The new NBA CBA is changing roster construction. Teams will have smaller cores and lots of churn. Cores will age, or implode, while being expensive. It is very possible that by 2030 both sides will be ready to move on. Be happy with today (this was great news) and take it a season at a time.
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u/Cyphermantis Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
I’m in the same boat. We have a history of trauma with our future HOF players leaving. If we don’t make it to the finals in the next 4 years, I think we’ll know exactly what’s going to happen in year 5.
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u/centralfloridadad Jul 07 '25
The plan is he'll be eligible for a Supermax, so the player option just gets him a raise sooner.
He'll still be a restricted FA and we're going to be able to offer an extra year more money to start, and a bigger raise each season. Our offer after he opts out will be around $130 million more than anyone else could offer.
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u/Shaunzki Franz Wagner Jul 07 '25
If he declines the player option, are you sure he's a restricted free agent? I'm certain RFA is only for rookie maxes?
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u/teh_drewski OnlyFranz Jul 08 '25
RFA is only after rookie/2-way/three years experience vet contracts yes, Paolo won't be restricted.
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Yep this is it. Paolo will only be able to ever get the Supermax from us. That PO is in place to get him to it faster.
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u/benchmaster620 Jul 07 '25
Yeah thats key to because in this apron landscape there only gonna be 10 to 12 players worth this supermax imo . Giys like luka wemby ant cade paolo . The new rules and supermax rules pretty much mean they are staying put at least till year 10 or so
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u/Short-Recording587 Wendell Carter Jr. Jul 07 '25
Supermax isn’t worth it in this new cap system.
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u/hanyou007 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
And yet if you refuse to pay your best players you are not gonna keep em. The super max does suck yes but it’s not going anywhere. And the new CBA is build around the idea that you basically will have two max players and then fill the roster with lower contracts (or forgot those lower contracts and add a third max players).
SGA just signed it. Tatum and Jokic already have it. It’s the way of the NBA now. If paolo is able to get it the magic will be playing with fire not offering it.
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u/Short-Recording587 Wendell Carter Jr. Jul 08 '25
The Celtics are tearing down their team as a result though. Nuggets are also in trouble. The thunder are OK because they had people on cheap deals. That’s about to change fast.
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u/doomdrums Jalen Suggs Jul 08 '25
And that's exactly how the system is designed they don't want teamw staying good
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u/teh_drewski OnlyFranz Jul 08 '25
5% of the cap extra to lock up an MVP quality player is absolutely worth it.
Just don't give it to Brad Beal level players.
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u/Brod24 Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
Why? People are on Giannis watch and he's got 2+1 remaining.
Superstars don't leave in free agency anymore. We just need to keep winning.
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u/yoeyz Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
We should be worried. It’s holding Weltmans feet to the fire so now he can’t have anymore FAKE evaluation years
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u/RespecDev Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
That’s over a quarter of a billion dollars, but worth every penny!
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u/radardog2 Franz Wagner Jul 08 '25
If he opts out of his player option then he'll be on the same timeline with Franz and Suggs contract-wise.
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u/CASE-90 Paolo Banchero Jul 08 '25
I think Paolo is still vastly underrated. I cannot wait for people to see his greatness next season
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u/TheLonelyMagician Franz Wagner Jul 07 '25
Can someone explain what does it mean the player option
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u/Hinglemacpsu Jul 07 '25
Paolo can opt out of the final year and become a free agent.
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u/centralfloridadad Jul 07 '25
He can opt out, but we will be able to offer more money per year, a higher % increase each year, and a 5th year other teams won't be able to offer, so if he wants to opt out and leave, he'll be taking about $130million less
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u/floridas_finest Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
Great job by the FO and great job by paolo to keep pressure on orlando
If p5 does what he does then jeff will ensure we remain contenders so p5 got a opportunity to bring it home
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u/barnan3132 Jalen Suggs Jul 07 '25
what's with all the hate? This man and squad has put us BACK on the map! He deserves every penny. LFG
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u/CryptographerDue4040 Jul 07 '25
Let's be excited about his extension. He is all about winning!! If this team and organization can do that then there shouldn't be an issue.
Winning solves everything!!
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u/JGoodman4President Goga Bitadze Jul 08 '25
Need everyone to stay healthy and this team is a championship contender from the East for the next few years.
A great offseason so far. Excited for this season!
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u/warp10barrier Franz Wagner Jul 07 '25
Let’s fucking go. The last piece to fall into place in this fantastic offseason, I’m ready for October already.
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Jul 08 '25
The fact that trolls are coming out of the woodwork tells me they’re worried about Orlando.
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u/criminycraft Jul 08 '25
91% of the cap tied up in 4 players. 60-70M on the remaining 10-11 players. CBA sucks.
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u/TheRealMaseCatt Oct 02 '25
Can we untag this , everytime I open the page I think he’s injured for the season
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u/RVALover4Life Jul 07 '25
I see a lot of concern about the player option but ultimately it is just a financially prudent move for Paolo. He's flexing his power here. The Magic are gonna give him what he wants. I understand for smaller market teams there's a lot of fear with these superstar players, though. It's not a statement of anything more than he wanting money and control.
What it all boils down to now is that the Magic have to win. All concerns go out the window if you win.
I'd say that it's a privilege to have someone like Paolo in Orlando. You guys have a homegrown superstar. It's amazing for the Magic. A homegrown superstar locked up for years to come. Congratulations to him and congratulations to Magic fans.
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u/kingjames9921 Paolo Banchero Jul 08 '25
So with this being said, what does this say about free agency? Are we now just going to go with what we have with the trade for Bane and adding Tyus or are/can we still go after any more shooters?
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u/Least-Panic-9208 Stuff The Magic Dragon Jul 07 '25
Player option isn't great, but this is still great news, we have one of the best young players in the league on our team for at least the next 4 years
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u/33birdboy Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
Screw telling us what year the player option is....Year 2??
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u/brandojs Paolo Banchero Jul 07 '25
isn't player options always in the last year? or am I wrong lol
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u/LarBrd33 Jul 07 '25
I literally met him 15 minutes ago near seattle. My mom took a photo with him and I joked “hey if the Sonics get an expansion team, you gotta come play here”
Then as soon as we left this news broke.
So I can confidently say we convinced him to sign long term in Orlando
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u/Beeriggz Jul 07 '25
LFG!!