Magic Receive: Chris Paul, Gary Payton II and a 2028 second-round pick (via Boston)

Magic Lose: Jett Howard, Caleb Houstan and a 2025 first-round pick (via Denver)

Of course, to take on Durant's $50-plus million salary, Golden State would likely have to send out big money like Chris Paul's or Andrew Wiggins'.

The latter might make some sense for Phoenix, just because the annual salary is more manageable than Durant's, but he doesn't offer the upside of the package already detailed. The former was just jettisoned from the Suns prior to the 2023-24 season, and he obviously doesn't help on the "they're old" front.

So, we'll loop in a third squad to take on some 2024-25 money, and the Magic are in a unique position to do just that.

They might have loftier goals for their cap space (like Donovan Mitchell), but if those don't come to fruition, CP3, even at 39, isn't a bad fallback.

Orlando's young talent is intriguing, but Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner often looked overtaxed on offense. Having Paul, on the last year of his contract, creating a few more easy looks for both would go a long way with their scoring efficiency. And at this point in his career, he won't take enough ball-handling opportunities away from the forwards to hamper their development.

Losing two young, unproven talents isn't ideal, but Paul's playmaking and experience is worth it. Plus, the addition of Gary Payton II to the framework could make an already strong defense even more imposing.