NBA Draft 2013: 5 Players Orlando Magic Should Trade Down to Obtain

Apr 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) drives to the basket against Louisville Cardinals center Gorgui Dieng (10) during the second half of the championship game in the 2013 NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NBA draft class is not talent rich. There are projected to be no franchise players, and the only one who was considered close to that class suffered a serious injury in Nerlens Noel of Kentucky.

The draft is so talent-poor that Noel is still projected to go No. 2 overall, despite an injury so gruesome most of his teammates could barely bear to look at. The Magic will consider Noel, but the option of trading down holds the most allure.

There are a number of players who offer considerable upside in the late lottery this year, and the gap separating the top-3 talents from the late lottery is not as perceptible as in most years.

In other words, the Magic could obtain an equal talent from the mid to late lottery. The hope would be that trading down may also rid the team of a bad contract or two. There’s a number of reasons to trade down, but the biggest one is that the Magic really don’t have a need for the type of talent at the top of the draft.

The class is rich in players who play the 4/5-spots, and the Magic are kind of set there. There’s still five guys that the Magic should likely consider trading down for.