NBA Draft: Would Magic, Thunder Trade Top Picks?
The Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves at the top of the 2022 NBA Draft, but they might not stay at Nos. 1 and 2 respectively.
Mike McGinnis/Getty Images
While it's hard to see the Magic trade down from No. 1, a trade scenario from Bleacher Report could be exactly the right deal to make.
In the deal, the Thunder feel strongly enough about Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith that it doesn't want to risk the Magic taking him, so Oklahoma City trades Nos. 2 & 12 to Orlando for Nos. 1 & 32.
It seems funny, but there's a strategy Orlando's front office can play here. If the Magic can get a good read on general manager Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City front office and threaten to take its top choice, this deal makes sense. It has shades of the 2017 NFL Draft, when the San Francisco 49ers tricked the Chicago Bears to trade up one spot to take Mitchell Trubisky despite not showing interest in any quarterback.
However, in this scenario, the Magic and Thunder are looking at the same guy. If the Magic don't have a particular preference between Holmgren and Smith, this deal is worth it for Orlando. The Magic still get a Top 2 guy while also adding another lottery pick.
The deal is worth it for OKC if it significantly favors one player over another and if they are willing to move down 20 spots in the draft for it. However, with the two players really close to one another, it's hard to see a deal like this materialize.
