Last season, the Orlando Magic were the surprise team in the NBA. Paolo Banchero made his first All-Star team and they won 47 games, clinching the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They would lose in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers but took them to seven games.

This season, expectations were sky-high for the Magic, but they lost Banchero for at least four weeks after only five games. Still, Orlando has mustered a 7-6 record, good for third in the conference thanks to a well-rounded offense and the second-best defense in the NBA.

Even with Banchero, an All-Star, healthy, the Magic lack a truly elite superstar. Banchero is on the verge of superstardom, but before the trade deadline, they could take advantage of the Milwaukee Bucks, making a league-altering deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Greek Freak is leading the league with 33.3 points per game, and his 12.1 rebounds aren’t too shabby. His elite defense would fit in well with Orlando’s culture, and he could play center with Banchero and Franz Wagner playing forward.

Orlando could send Jonathan Isaac and the struggling Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Bucks to match salary and have up to nine first-round picks that could be traded or swapped to get a deal done. While the Bucks would prefer to land a solid young player (as well as pick) for their superstar, if Antetokounmpo asks for a trade, getting back as many picks as possible will be the main priority, and the Magic can make that happen.

With a suffocating starting five of Antetokounmpo, Banchero, Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, with Tristan de Silva, Moritz Wagner, Gary Harris and Cole Anthony playing off the bench, the Magic would immediately become contenders, rivaling the Cavaliers and mighty Boston Celtics.