Destination Orlando: Donovan Mitchell, Paul George, Klay Thompson would love to play with Magic’s Paolo Banchero | Commentary

Running off at the typewriter. …

Is it just me or do you think Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell was sending a “make me an offer I can’t refuse” message to the Orlando Magic during his post-game interview Sunday after Mitchell and the Cavs rallied from 18 points down to eliminate the Magic in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series?

When being interviewed by ABC sideline reporter Lisa Salters after the game, Salters asked Mitchell what ignited the Cavs’ third-quarter run in Game 7, and before Mitchell answered the question he made a point of giving a shout-out to the Magic.

“First of all, I want to give credit to the Magic, man. They’ve got some dawgs over there. Jamahl Mosley is a phenomenal coach. Paolo Banchero is going to be a monster. Much respect to them. This wasn’t easy.”

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I believe Mitchell was essentially telling the Magic: “Hey, I’m going to be a free agent after next season, and I am impressed what you guys are building in Orlando. I’d love to come play with Paolo Banchero and for coach Jamahl Mosley.”

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Orlando is quickly becoming a free-agent destination because Banchero — only 21 years old — already has developed into the type of superstar other stars want to play with and because Mosley is one of the most respected and well-liked coaches in the league.

It used to be Orlando was never mentioned as a destination for any star player, but now the rumor mill is spinning out of control with reports that the Magic are in play for every big-name free agent on the market, including Paul George of the Clippers and Klay Thompson of the Warriors.

Said ESPN’s respected front-office insider Bobby Marks earlier this week: “There’s no place better to live than Florida. … There’s no state income tax. … The weather is beautiful 9 months a year. … I’ve been to the Orlando Magic practice facility and it is the nicest practice facility I’ve ever seen out of any team. It’s the five-star, Taj Mahal, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Peninsula of practice facilities. They have a top-notch front office, they have a top-notch coach and the pieces are there for Orlando to go out in free agency and get a [star] shooter if they want.”

Personally, I don’t think the Magic should break the bank to sign an aging star like George and risk impeding the chemistry and ongoing development of Banchero and his young running mates Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs.

I think Jeff Weltman, the president of basketball operations, should tweak the roster but not disrupt it by bringing in a mega-free agent.

“We don’t want to lose the North Star of our team,” Weltman said during the team’s exit interviews earlier this week. “Our three leading scorers are 22 and under.”

The good news is that Weltman and the team he has constructed finally has options.

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Magic’s North Star has the gravitational pull to attract other stars. …

SHORT STUFF: Did you see where LIV Golf announced a trading window on Wednesday to allow its teams to swap players? Philosophical question: If a sports league makes a major announcement and nobody cares, is it still a major announcement? … By the way, if you can name even one LIV golf team, then you either need to be commended — or committed! … Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass actually tweeted out after the Lakers were quickly dismissed from the playoffs: “Tough season, but at least we won the in-season tournament!” The tweet got so many nasty comments that it was quickly deleted. Yet another example why I cringe whenever out-of-touch politicians stick their noses into sports. Coming soon: Gainesville mayor Harvey Ward tweeting about Gators coach Billy Napier: “I know he’s had two consecutive losing seasons, but at least he’s 2-0 in spring games.” …

Speaking of L.A.: When LeBron, er, the Lakers fired scapegoat coach Darvin Ham earlier this week, the headline should have been: “Ham gets porked by dysfunctional Lakers.” … What statistic is the greatest indicator that the SEC is the most dominant conference in college football? It’s the fact that the league has had the most players taken in the NFL Draft for 18 straight years. When it comes to producing professional football players, SEC stands for “Superior Elite Competitors.” … Three questions: (1) What will the Magic do during free agency? (2) In what conference will FSU be playing three years from now? (3) What’s Love Got To Do With It? … It’s hard to take poor-mouthing college athletic directors seriously about the budget-draining possibility of having to pay athletes when Georgia just gave head coach Kirby Smart a raise that will pay him in excess of $13 million a year. … By the time you finish reading this sentence, UCF football coach Gus Malzahn will have signed three more players from the transfer portal.

My good buddy David Whitley of the Gainesville Sun pointed out that an order of chicken wings at last week’s Miami Grand Prix cost nearly $200 ($190 to be exact) and then used that as a jumping-off point to compare the stereotypical Formula One fan with the stereotypical NASCAR fan. “The typical Formula One fan is named Bernard (pronounced “Behr-naugh”), who watches the race as he sips Chablis on the balcony of his Monaco villa,” Whitley wrote. “The typical NASCAR fan is named Bubba (pronounced “Bubba”), who sits on a cooler outside of Daytona Speedway slamming Bud Lights. Such preconceptions are never entirely accurate. For one thing, no true NASCAR fan would be caught dead drinking a Bud Light since that whole Dylan Mulvaney thing. But it’s undeniably true that NASCAR and Formula One are targeting different audiences.” Personally, I can vouch for Whitley’s contention. First and foremost, we NASCAR fans prefer chicken gizzards to chicken wings, any day! …

LAST WORD: With inflation being in the news so much these days, it reminds me of one of the greatest sports leads ever written. It came from late Birmingham News sports writer Jimmy Bryan after Alabama beat Vanderbilt 66-3 in 1979: Wrote Bryan during those dire economic times: “Inflation killed the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. Once the ball was inflated, they were dead.”

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen