The Magic Insider

Orlando Magic Can Land Former First-Round Pick Via Trade

Don Strouble|
Apr 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley watches from the sideline as they take on the Boston Celtics during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Apr 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley watches from the sideline as they take on the Boston Celtics during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

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Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have a chance to acquire Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht, but it will cost them.

Bleacher Report NBA writer Eric Pincus linked the former first-round pick to the Magic via a hypothetical four-team trade in which the Magic play the role of the middle-man to clear up salary and bring in shooters.

In Pincus' proposal, Orlando would send point guard Cole Anthony and the 25th pick in this year's draft to the Dallas Mavericks for center Daniel Gafford.

Subsequently, the Magic would enter a trade involving the Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, sending Gafford to Los Angeles in exchange for Knecht. Meanwhile, the Nets would receive Jett Howard and a 2027 second-rounder via Orlando.

"Knecht is an upside play. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 draft in and out of the Lakers' lineup as a rookie in part due to their roster volatility. He has good size and strength, but he needs to improve defensively. Still, he shot a respectable 37.6 percent over 78 games, including a 37-point outing in November against the Utah Jazz with a rookie-record nine made three-pointers," Pincus wrote.

"The cost would be Cole Anthony, a reliable veteran who stepped up when injuries to others required him to drive the offense. However, he doesn't have a vital role when the Magic are fully healthy," Pincus added.

This scenario would add another promising young piece to the Magic's core while addressing the Lakers' need for a center. Following the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic, Los Angeles nearly traded Knecht to Charlotte for center Mark Williams. However, the trade was rescinded after Williams failed his physical.

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Don Strouble is a contributor to the Magic Insider. He can be reached at dondrums727455@gmail.com

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Don Strouble
DON STROUBLE

Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers UCF athletics and the Orlando Magic. Strouble is a contributing member of the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF athletics on SB Nation, as well as Fans First Sports Network. He hails from Northeast Ohio, where his love for Cleveland’s teams served as inspiration to work in the world of sports media.

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