Mike Bianchi: Magic are responsible for Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel on Jun 5, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ORLANDO, Fla. — By now, you’ve probably heard of the Kevin Bacon effect — the theory that everyone in Hollywood is only a few steps removed from Kevin Bacon. But let me introduce you to the Orlando Magic effect, a tragicomic tale in which the Magic unwittingly became the Kevin Bacon of the NBA.

Because somehow, some way, a single 2016 draft night trade by the Magic is now largely responsible for both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers reaching the NBA Finals.

Let’s rewind. It’s June 23, 2016. The Magic hold the No. 11 pick in the draft. They use it to select Domantas Sabonis, a skilled, high-IQ big man with NBA bloodlines. But Sabonis never plays a minute in a Magic jersey. Just moments later, Orlando trades him and promising guard Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City in exchange for overrated power forward Serge Ibaka, who, if we’re being honest, built his reputation because he excelled playing next to young, in-their-prime Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

What did the Thunder do? A year later, they flipped Oladipo and Sabonis to the Pacers for Paul George, who two years later demanded a trade to team up with Kawhi Leonard in L.A. The Thunder oblige, sending him to the Clippers for an absurd return: A young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and other shiny objects and trinkets.

SGA then turned into a superstar and this year’s MVP and is surrounded by talent harvested from the George trade. The Thunder, even though they are still the youngest team in the NBA, matured into the most complete team in the league this season.

Meanwhile, the Pacers didn’t just lose Paul George and go quietly into that good night. No, they kept Sabonis, who became a multiple-time All-Star and the foundation of their rebuild. Then in 2022, they flipped him to the Kings for a 21-year-old guard named Tyrese Haliburton, who has since become the smiling, assist-dropping engine behind Indy’s Finals run.

Translation: The Oladipo-Sabonis trade by the Magic provided both Oklahoma City and Indianapolis with their best player.

And the Magic? They got 56 games out of Serge Ibaka before trading him to Toronto for Terrence Ross and a future first-round pick.

It should be noted that the man who got fleeced by the Thunder in the original Oladipo-Sabonis trade was former GM Rob Hennigan, who is now the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations.

Hennigan may have flopped miserably in his attempt to rebuild the Magic, but he unwittingly helped turn the Thunder and Pacers into championship contenders.

Somewhere, Kevin Bacon is smiling … probably sitting next to a Thunder or Pacers fan.