Why the Magic Don't Have a First-Round Pick in 2026 NBA Draft

The Orlando Magic and the rest of the league are preparing for the NBA Draft, which begins with Tuesday's first round. However, the Magic are among the teams that aren't slated to make a selection in the first 30 picks.

The Magic are one of eight teams without a first-round pick, joining the Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns.

The reason why Orlando doesn't have a first-round pick is because they sent it to the Memphis Grizzlies in the blockbuster deal that brought Desmond Bane to the Magic last summer. Here's a full look at the trade:

Last year, the Grizzlies used the 2028 first-round pick to trade up from No. 16 to 11 to select Washington State guard Cedric Coward. However, the Grizzlies still have the Magic's pick from this year's draft, which is locked in at No. 16 overall once again.

Magic's No. 16 Pick Belongs to Grizzlies

The Grizzlies could make another trade with the No. 16 overall pick, especially because Memphis also has the No. 3 overall selection. The Grizzlies could move up or down depending on how the board looks when they are on the clock.

While the Magic could benefit from adding a rookie in this year's deep class, Orlando is quite okay sitting this year out.

“I don’t want to say we’re content ever,” Weltman said in a press conference last week. “I don’t want to use that word. We have the 46th pick, and we like our team a lot. So, I don’t know what that’s going to mean. We’re having a lot of conversations with teams. This is our job: we have to explore opportunities, figure out where we can get better.

“I’ve spoken often about the financial compression that we’re facing. We are kind of working on margins here in ways to improve the team, but we’re having a lot of discussions at different levels.”

The Magic are focused on their core with Jalen Suggs, Bane, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero with Anthony Black, Wendell Carter Jr. and Tristan da Silva as the ancillary pieces. Adding in another first-round pick in the mix would be counterproductive to the rookie and the core of the roster.

Orlando could add a prospect with its second-round pick at No. 46, but the team will be very strategic about how to approach that selection.

Add us as a preferred source on Google