The Orlando Magic swinging a blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane should reinforce what the New York Knicks already know: They need to nail their head coaching search to keep pace in the Eastern Conference.
The first part of this isn't a revelation. New York always needed to nail its next head-coaching hire. Firing Tom Thibodeau after coming two wins away from the NBA Finals is a controversial decision no matter the context. You can't make a decision like that, and then fail to upgrade the coaching position.
Viewing this search through the lens of the entire East isn't as much of a given. The Knicks just made the conference finals as the No. 3 seed, and have their entire core under contract. With the Boston Celtics and, potentially, Milwaukee Bucks both gearing up for a gap year, New York is expected to retain its position near the top of the field.
Orlando's acquisition of Bane, a fringe All-Star who dramatically improves its offensive optionality, is a good reminder that the Knicks can't afford to assume anything.
The Knicks' Eastern Conference rivals can continue to get better.
Let's start here: According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Orlando is sending the Memphis Grizzlies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, the No. 16 pick, three additional firsts (2026, 2028, 2030) and one swap (2029) in exchange for Bane. The move is risky relative to the value the Magic are shipping out, but it automatically vaults them into the upper-echelon of the East.
This may seem like hyperbole. Orlando just won 41 games, before getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs. But context is everything. Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs all miss significant time with injury. In fact, according to BBall Index, only four teams lost more on-court value to injuries than the Magic. That they still managed to play .500 basketball, cobble together an elite defense, and make the playoffs is a minor miracle, even in the ultra-forgiving East.
Getting Bane solves two of the Magic's biggest issues: shooting and scoring. They have not deployed an above-average offense since the days of Dwight Howard. Bane is not only a major upgrade, but Orlando is jettisoning one of its weaker offensive players (and lower-end contracts) in Caldwell-Pope.
The Magic will not be the only Eastern Conference team to make significant improvements, either. The Detroit Pistons are on the come-up, and have plenty of flexibility. Better health would be a huge bump for the Philadelphia 76ers, who also own the No. 3 pick. The Miami Heat might be frontrunners to land Kevin Durant. The Toronto Raptors should be better if they're healthier, and they're in the market for a blockbuster trade as well.
Beyond that, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers aren't going anywhere. So while the East may be wide-open, neither the Knicks nor anyone else have a comfortable margin for error.
New York will be hard-pressed to improve the roster beyond the head coach
The Knicks cannot hope to keep pace with other teams positioned to make major additions. Their Kevin Durant pipe dream is basically kaput, they don't have the first-round picks for another big trade, and they won't have more than the mini mid-level of $5.7 million to spend in free agency.
Hiring a head coach will, in all likelihood, be the most impactful move the Knicks make this summer. They are talented enough, on paper, for that to make all the difference—provided they get the hire right.
Never mind who they are eyeing. Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, Mike Woodson, an assistant coach we’ve yet to hear about, some other team’s head coach—it doesn’t really matter.
What matters most is what’s mattered all along, only it’s more important now: that the Knicks find the perfect replacement for Thibs, so that they can hold their ground in what the Magic just proved is going to be a scrappy Eastern Conference arms race.