Where Magic Stack Up in East After LeBron James' 76ers Decision

LeBron James is back to torment the Orlando Magic and the rest of the Eastern Conference after signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.

The move comes after spending the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he helped them win the 2020 NBA Finals in the Sunshine State in the COVID-19 bubble. LeBron will be seeing the Magic more often now that he's with the 76ers, so we're looking at where Orlando is in comparison to the rest of the Eastern Conference after this move.

Teams the Magic Are Better Than

Chicago Bulls forward Mouhamadou Gueye defends against Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Eastern Conference is as wide open as ever, with several teams making moves to get into the upper echelon of the conference. The Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Milwaukee Bucks are very clearly the bottom feeders of the conference. None of these teams are lined up to win this season, and they should be the bottom three teams in any particular order for the 2026-27 campaign.

There's also an argument to make for the Washington Wizards to land in this spot, but they have a lot of upside with the number one overall pick, AJ Dybantsa. They should be better than their 19-win output this past season, but they still have a long way to go before they become a true playoff contender.

Teams in the Same Tier with Orlando

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner reacts to Atlanta Hawks center Jock Landale. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The middle tier in the Eastern Conference is the widest. The Indiana Pacers should be back in the mix after taking a gap year following Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles. They will be angling themselves to get back to where they were last year, losing in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors have all tried making moves to get higher in the East much like the Magic, who fired Jamahl Mosley after five seasons and replaced him with Sean Sweeney, who was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals just last month.

The Top Contenders the Magic Should Challenge

Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe dribbles around Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The top teams in the East are pretty well established. The New York Knicks are coming off of their first NBA Finals victory in 53 years, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are fresh off of a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

They will be challenged by the Boston Celtics, who appear to be downgrading after trading Jaylen Brown to the Sixers but still have a reputation of being one of the best teams in the league. The Detroit Pistons will hope to build off of a 60-win campaign, while the 76ers are hoping that their successful pursuit of LeBron James will allow them to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time since 1983.

Magic Have Tough Task vs. 76ers

The Magic and Sixers are essentially coming from the same place after earning their spot through the Eastern Conference play-in tournament in April. The Sixers' playoff run that saw them come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Celtics helped them build momentum going into the offseason, where the front office felt compelled to make a push for the Brown trade.

The deal then caught LeBron's attention, which ultimately led to his move from Los Angeles to Philly. It shows how quickly things can change in the NBA and how one different step can change an entire trajectory.

Orlando is still competitive and will continue to run its own race, focusing on internal development and banking on the coaching change to get them where they need to be. This move will only help them double down on that.

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