'We Were Super Excited': Paolo Banchero's Agent, Mike Miller, Talks KCP Signing, Orlando Magic's Future

On the latest episode of "The OGs," Mike Miller, Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero's agent, gave insight into the excitement surrounding the signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the intrigue of the Magic's future.

Mason Williams | Aug 4, 2024

Paolo Banchero and his agent, Mike Miller, pose for a picture. / Mat Hayward/Getty Images

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Orlando Magic

Almost equally as important as the year when a team first flirts with the idea of contention is the offseason that comes after it. Ever true for the Orlando Magic following a 47-win campaign that vaulted them into a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24, it's been a busy summer at 400 W Church Street.

The idea? Capitalize and build on the momentum a young core firmly laid ahead of this upcoming season. So far, the Magic have done a considerable job of that.

Heading into the summer with fatter pockets than most franchises concerning cap space, the Magic sought out the services of two-time NBA champion and lauded three-and-D veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The 3-year, $66 million price tag that formed the pairing between Caldwell-Pope and the Magic includes a player option in the final year of the contract and was among the richer deals brokered this summer. It also, aside from a signing of veteran backup guard Cory Joseph, is the main external addition Orlando has made this offseason.

The rest has consisted of retaining a large chunk of core rotational pieces, with contract extensions for Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac, and re-signing Goga Bitadze, Mo Wagner and Gary Harris. Trevelin Queen was brought back on a two-way contract as well. In summation, a glance at Orlando's offseason sees the blend of a vote of confidence in the growing continuity of a young core and seeking out valuable impact without dismantling the pillars that have created success.

It's got the attention of many in and around the league, including Mike Miller – the 17-year NBA veteran turned agent who represents both Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.

"KCP, to me, was awesome," Miller said on the latest episode of his podcast, "The OGs Show," which Miller cohosts with fellow NBA lifer Udonis Haslem. "We were super excited when it happened."

the OGs discuss the future of the Orlando Magic with Shams (@ShamsCharania)

Watch full episode here: https://t.co/Vw4ajzDQjw pic.twitter.com/OB9zdsDsTS
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) August 3, 2024

Miller is with LIFT Sports Management, which he co-founded in 2020. Alongside the Magic's Banchero and Carter Jr., Miller also represents Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant and a growing network of young up-and-comers, according to RealGM. He was in Banchero's hometown of Seattle when the news broke of Caldwell-Pope's signing with the Magic.

Understanding the Magic get better as a whole with the move, he's also centrally focused on becoming the best version of himself.

"(Banchero's) biggest thing is he wants to get better," Miller said. "Does he want the team to get better? Absolutely. But he's focused on getting better, because he knows if he's better, the team is better.

"He's sick. The great ones are sick. He wants to win."

Joined by The Athletic NBA insider and news-breaking extraordinaire Shams Charania, the group heaped praise upon the Magic as one of the winners of the NBA offseason. Caldwell-Pope's arrival and fit in Orlando, Haslem and Charania reasoned, should be rather seamless.

"Orlando was a team that I like," Haslem said. "I like that (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) pickup as well, just because that's a young team. They can f–ing defend their asses off. I think that's a good pickup for them too, bringing in a guy that's won a championship, can hold everybody accountable. Championship expectations, all that s–t like that."

Said Charania: "You think about OKC and Orlando, they're on similar trajectories. You think about what both of them did. They did nothing to disrupt what they have. They didn't trade away one of their cornerstone players. They didn't trade away a boatload of assets. They brought everyone back and brought in a really good veteran two-way player who makes threes.

"KCP just slides right in as a starting shooting guard, and I think they have the pieces."

Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shoots the ball in the 2024 NBA playoffs.

Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope shoots the ball in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With representation for both Banchero and Carter Jr. – one being the center of the Magic's future and the other figuring to be a key contributor – Miller laid out the situation with a sense of cautious optimism. In questioning what's next, agreement with the sentiment that Orlando has the pieces in place was accompanied by inquiry of an "all-in"-caliber move still to be made.

"I've dealt with (Orlando) a ton and I love dealing with them, but we still have to address, in my opinion, we got to be able to make shots. You just have to make shots," Miller said. "You can't be second-to-last or last in the league in three-point shooting."

Despite a stifling, third-best defensive rating of 110.8 throughout the regular season (NBA.com), the Magic paired it with a 22nd-ranked offensive rating of 112.9 – the lowest of any team in the playoffs. It toted the league's lowest percentage of points scored via 3-pointers and a bottom-third overall shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Signing Caldwell-Pope – who scored 10.1 points a game on a 60.2% true shooting percentage and shot north of 40% (40.6%, to be exact) from three for the third time in his career last season on 4.1 attempts a game – helps maintain the defensive excellence Orlando became accustomed to while providing much-need scoring capabilities. As Banchero's playmaking ability evolves into the next phase as the hub of the Magic offense, Caldwell-Pope is a welcome floor-spacer with elite perimeter defending capabilities.

Time will tell if it's the lynchpin move that elevates the Magic to an echelon of championship-level competition. If not, further decisions may need to be on the table for Orlando's front office.

"The biggest thing now – and this is always as a front office guy – when is it time to make the next step? When is it time to throw the deck all in?" Miller said. "It's going to be interesting to see what they do. But they got to at some point, and there's never a good answer for it, but when are you going all in for it? Because you have to make shots."

As Banchero enters the third season of his career, the former No. 1 overall draft pick's ascension coincides with the Magic's upward trajectory. Twelve additional wins came in his Rookie of the Year campaign from the prior year, and Orlando made another 13-game jump last year.

Now, with a firmer idea of what's required of successful teams after a sluggish seven-game series spelled the end of Orlando's season, the Magic must be cognizant of every ensuing move's after-effects.

If there's a voice to take insight from, few voices ring louder than those of the one who represents the Magic's best player going forward.

"If you're going to try to take on the Bostons, the Phillys, the Miamis, you're going to have to get better," Miller said. "You've got to get better wing scoring, you're going to have to be able to shoot better, and we know that. It takes time. But they're built to be able to make advantage... they're there.

"Like I said, there's no perfect time – when are you going to make that move?"

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