Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 24: One Draft to rule them all
The Orlando Magic are waiting for the beginning of the NBA Draft this week. That will be a day that sets the franchise’s course and answers our questions.
We have finally made it. The end of all the questions and speculating is finally here. The Orlando Magic will be on the clock in a few short days with a pick that will change the team’s fortunes in a significant way.
The Magic hope the sixth overall pick will be one that will make a big impact in Magic history and, one day, lead the team back to the Playoffs. Sooner rather than later, of course.
The 2017 Draft presents ample opportunity. The sixth pick is one the Magic hope can become a star — a statement interim general manager Matt Lloyd made before the Draft Lottery and a statement general manager John Hammond repeated to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. But the 25th, 33rd and 35th picks will also produce plenty of value.
The Magic have a chance to reset their roster, add plenty of young players and depth to a roster that has been depleted of talent. Following the 29-win season, the Magic could certainly use that. Especially considering how poor the team’s bench played last year.
Orlando remains a bit of a mystery throughout this draft. Since president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has pretty much closed shop on leaks and any information coming out. Reports say the Magic worked out De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, but nobody knows when this happened. No one is even quite sure if the Magic worked out Jonathan Isaac or Jayson Tatum. It feels safe to assume they did. But nobody really knows.
Orlando Magic
That mystery and intrigue could lead to surprises at the NBA Draft. The draft is already full of surprises thanks to the Boston Celtics agreeing to trade the top overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Magic are not likely to stay quiet. They have assets to change and a roster to remake. And with four picks, it almost guarantees the Magic will have something to say at the Draft.
There are a lot of questions to answer ahead of the NBA Draft. This is still a period of massive questions with a big offseason ahead. The first piece of that offseason gets laid down with the draft. From there, we will get a better idea of which direction the Magic will go.
Last week, I opened up the Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag to answer the first batch of your questions about the draft. With draft week upon us, it is time to finish up answering your questions as the offseason gets set to hit overdrive.