A car breakdown on a busy highway usually generates intense frustration for the car's driver and for anyone else caught in the resulting traffic jam.

But for Desmond Bane, whose vehicle conked out Wednesday on the side of an Orlando expressway, the experience offered an unmistakable sign of how happy Magic fans are now that he's on the team.

First off, don't worry. He's OK. That's the most important thing. His car's OK, too.

It wouldn't even be worth mentioning except for one thing: It offers a glimpse into the vibe these days in central Florida.

As Bane sat in his vehicle waiting for help and traffic plodded past, other commuters caught a glimpse of him and yelled "Bane!" That's not too shabby considering that his trade from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Magic occurred in mid-June and he hasn't even played in a game yet for the Magic.

Bane recounted the experience during a phone interview with The Athletic that had been scheduled early in the week. He only told the story because he had just been asked whether people in Orlando already are recognizing him when he runs errands around town.

"I haven't been to the grocery store yet, honestly," Bane said. "But my car broke down on the side of the road today on the highway. There was a decent amount of people screaming my name outside the window. So I think that it's safe to say that Orlando fans are excited."

He's right. More buzz surrounds the Magic now than at any other time since Dwight Howard's heyday, more than a decade ago. Orlando already had franchise cornerstones Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on its roster, along with defensive ace Jalen Suggs. But it was Bane's arrival, in a daring trade on Father's Day, that demonstrated to the NBA, and to Magic fans, that the team is going all-in to try to contend in the Eastern Conference.

A 27-year-old swingman/combo guard, Bane should help Orlando address its most glaring weaknesses: a lack of 3-point shooting and subpar floor spacing. Bane is a career 41 percent 3-point shooter, and his abilities to shoot off the dribble, shoot off the catch and create his own shot made him an ideal complement to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Often a No. 2 scoring option alongside Morant or even a No. 1 option when Morant missed games, Bane should slot as the third option in Orlando alongside Banchero and Wagner.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks almost certainly will enter the preseason as the favorites in the East. But the conference is relatively wide open, largely because the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum and the Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton are recovering from Achilles tendon tears.

In recent years, the Magic have fielded one of the NBA's most physical, most stingy defenses but also one of the league's least efficient offenses. Bane and free-agent signee Tyus Jones should make Orlando a more balanced team.

"I don't think that there is any limit to put on what this team can do," Bane said. "I mean, we are a new team, adding some new pieces and things like that. But we have a very good roster in place, a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. So it's very exciting from that standpoint.

"I just want to come in and be the glue, the guy that brings his whole thing together, kind of rounds out some of the gaps that they may have had in their team."

The Magic's front office clearly believes Bane will help. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, previously known for his conservative approach to roster construction, agreed to trade four first-round picks, a first-round pick swap in 2029 (top-two protected), swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and guard Cole Anthony for Bane. Weltman took a calculated risk that Bane will elevate Orlando to one of the league's better regular-season records, making the 2028 and 2030 first-round picks owed to Memphis less valuable and preventing a pick swap in 2029.

Immediately after the trade, Bane said he wanted to spend time this offseason getting to know Banchero and his new teammates. Mission accomplished. Magic players who did not participate in the EuroBasket tournament gathered last week in Las Vegas, Bane said.

The entire team must know that the expectations are sky-high. Banchero, Wagner and Suggs, who endured so many injuries last season that they appeared in only six games together, totalling 97 minutes playing simultaneously with each other, should be healthy. Wagner and Tristan da Silva contributed to Germany's EuroBasket title. Backup center Goga Bitadze performed well in EuroBasket for the Republic of Georgia. Sixth man Moe Wagner, who tore his ACL last December, should return during the season. And then there are the additions of Bane and Jones.

Bane grew accustomed to high expectations with the Grizzlies, and that should help prepare him for the expectations surrounding his new team.

"I think it just starts with our work," Bane said. "We've got to understand what it is that we're trying to accomplish and work towards that and work like that. There's no shortcuts to it. You've got to be extremely together and you've got to work extremely hard. Even then you've still got to have some luck on your side with health and some of those other things.

"But with the team that we have, it's just going to come down to how committed we are."

Desmond Bane is feeling the love in Orlando -- even when he's stuck on a highway