NBA Draft: Should Magic Trade for Second Lottery Pick?
With a collection of high-upside players available in the top 10, could the Orlando Magic strike a deal and pick twice in the lottery, just as they did last year?
In part of the exchange that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Bulls in March of 2021, the Magic received Chicago’s first round picks in 2021 and 2023.
That 2021 first rounder eventually became the eight overall pick Franz Wagner, a member of the 2022 NBA All-Rookie first team and cornerstone piece of the Magic’s young core.
Could the Magic make a deal again this year, and potentially set themselves up for six lottery picks over a three-year period?
Unless the Magic, Thunder or Rockets make a stunning decision inside the top three, Jabari Smith Jr, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero will be off the board.
But after that is when the draft gets very interesting.
Players like the G League Ignite’s Dyson Daniels, Kentucky early enrollee Shaedon Sharpe and Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan are all drawing intrigue from NBA front offices.
All of this potential very well could push the Magic to trade up, especially since Orlando doesn't pick again until the second round (Nos. 32 and 35).
Now who could the Magic front office be eyeing inside the lottery? Sochan very well could be a target.
Drawing comparisons to this past season's Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, the one-and-done from Baylor is projected as high as the seventh pick and as low as the 14th.
Last season's Big 12 6th Man of the Year, Sochan is a versatile forward on both ends of the floor who could make an impact right away defensively.
Despite shooting just 30 percent on 3-pointers, Sochan possesses a solid and smooth shooting motion that can be improved at the next level. While there is an influx of young forwards on the Magic roster, Sochan could be the spark off the bench just as he was at Baylor.
A knockdown shooter in his one season at Duke, AJ Griffin will be a target for any team looking for some instant offense. For a team such as the Magic who ranked 28th in the league in 3-point percentage, they surely wouldn’t turn down his 44.7 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Possessing great size at 6-6 and 220 pounds, along with a massive 7-0 wingspan, Griffin has the intangibles to grow into a quality 3-and-D player, which the Magic desperately need.
Projected to be taken anywhere between the eighth and 12th pick, the Magic could take a chance on Griffin’s combination of youth (he's 18) and upside.
Depending on how they feel about re-signing Mo Bamba, a new center could be another need for the Magic. With two big-men expected to be taken in the lottery, Memphis’ Jalen Duren or Duke’s Mark Williams would both be viable options to fill that hole.
Duren possesses a lot of untapped potential that may be too pricey, projected as high as No. 5 on some mock drafts, but for good reason. Duren was a man amongst boys during his freshman campaign at Memphis.
A physical specimen at 6-10, 230 pounds and a 7-5 wingspan, there may not be a better athlete in this year's class. If the price is right, trading up for a shot at Duren should be a priority for Orlando.
But if the price is too steep, Williams out of Duke is certainly not a bad consolation prize. Spending two seasons at Duke, the former five-star high school prospect is a prototypical rim-runner and interior force on the defensive end.
He's drawn comparisons to the Boston Celtics' Robert Williams, due to their ability to change the course of a game with their shot-blocking ability and rebounding presence.
With front offices worried on how his game will fit in the modern NBA, Williams could very well fall out of the lottery. If so, the Magic could potentially strike a deal to acquire him in the middle of the first round.
