Orlando Magic Placed Highly In Latest NBA Power Rankings

The Orlando Magic are moving up in the latest NBA power rankings.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso defends. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic are making their push towards becoming one of the best teams in the NBA.

They traded for Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane while signing his former teammate Tyus Jones in free agency.

CBS Sports ranked the Magic at No. 10 in its latest power rankings after the first wave of free agency.

"The Magic saw the Celtics, Pacers and Bucks all dealing with major injuries and thought, "Why not us?" Pushing in all their chips for Desmond Bane, Orlando now has the floor-spacer and secondary creator it desperately needed," CBS Sports wrote.

"The Magic also brought in the mistake-averse Tyus Jones to be a backup point guard extraordinaire, taking some of the playmaking pressure off of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. This team had the second-best defense in the NBA last season, and now it has an offense that should, at the very least, get out of the bottom-five."

The teams that ranked higher than the Magic were the aforementioned Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Magic still have to prove themselves once the season begins, but if their upgrades can make that expected impact, the team could be one of the top contenders in the East.

The Magic's run at the Las Vegas Summer League begins Thursday.

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