The Orlando Magic should try to win the Emirates Cup

It’s not true that the playoffs are the only thing that matters. Teams that act like this are no different than slackers that try to get it together when final exams roll around and they are not prepared.

Teams must play well on the way there so they develop good habits for winning rounds. In recent years, the NBA has added a new regular-season test that helps prepare squads for the postseason by upping the stakes: the Emirates Cup.

The winning team receives over half a million dollars and has to go through group play and knockout rounds to get there. The semifinals and championship game are played on a neutral site in Las Vegas as well, adding a separate element to the challenge.

It’s no surprise that the Indiana Pacers were Eastern Conference finalists (2023-24) the year they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost in the Emirates Cup championship to the Milwaukee Bucks, and later went on to win the NBA title. Furthermore, the Commissioner's Cup is the WNBA’s version, and the recent winners, the Indiana Fever got it done without Caitlin Clark in four of six matches which included the championship, and they are now in the playoff Semifinals with a 1-0 lead over the favorites still without her.

There is no danger since it is an in-season tournament aside from losing out on money, but it provides a nice opportunity for teams to show how mentally strong they are by locking in on something important early. Keep in mind that Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the Cup was a good experience for his club. It would be for the Orlando Magic, too.

Don’t be fooled in thinking because the players make extraordinary amounts of money that they won’t be interested in a half a million dollar pot. On top of that, some of the players who aren’t in the rotation on lesser deals could use it.

As for the Magic, they haven’t done anything relevant since Dwight Howard led them to the finals in 2009 and to the East finals the following year. They have the best chance since the Howard years to do something special, but before then, a successful Emirates Cup run would be valuable experience because they are preparing teams for bigger games.

The #EmiratesNBACup 2025 Group Draw results!

Starting October 31, all 30 teams will compete for the NBA Cup with 8 teams advancing out of groups into the knockout rounds, with the semifinals and championship held in Las Vegas, December 13 and 16! pic.twitter.com/VJur4Hv0lL
— NBA (@NBA) July 9, 2025

The Magic are in the East’s Group B with the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons. Aside from likely being better than all of those teams, their goal shouldn’t be to get out of group play. They should be trying to win it all. It doesn’t hurt to have the extra confidence going into the postseason.