Magic Having Pair of Lottery Picks 'Exciting,' Says Exec Jeff Weltman
ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic pre-draft process is in full swing after it was announced that the team would have a pair of lottery picks in this year's NBA Draft.
The Magic currently holds its own No. 6 selection and the Chicago Bulls' No. 11 pick, which was acquired as the final piece of the Nikola Vucevic trade back in 2021.
The Vucevic trade signaled the official start of the rebuild, and now the final pick will give Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and the rest of the front office the tool to take the next step.
"It's what we're doing, it's what we fully embarked on a couple years ago," Weltman said via Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. We said we were going to build through the draft and having two lottery picks is exciting for us."
This year marks another crucial draft for the Magic, which is looking to capitalize after taking Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick last year. Orlando truly believes it can contend for a playoff spot next season, but a big part of that will come down to who the team drafts to best complement the current promising pieces on the roster.
"Now, the hard work starts, and the fun starts," Weltman said. "We have to figure out for the architecture of our team what allows us to play the best basketball."
The NBA Draft takes place on June 22 on ESPN.
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