The Orlando Magic’s Playoff dreams are long gone. But as we enter the final week of the regular season, there are still storylines to watch.
The Orlando Magic have two games remaining this season and then they will part for the offseason once again. The NBA season will carry on with the Playoffs beginning Saturday. The Magic will be left at home trying to pick up the pieces and plan their offseason.
Orlando plays the Chicago Bulls on Monday and the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday to close out their 2017 season. For a long while, the Magic have not had much to play for. The Playoffs were an improbability for a long time and became an impossibility a few weeks ago.
It seemed the Magic had little to play for as the season wound through its final weeks. All that was left was to play out the string, try to build some semblance of a culture or identity and hope for the best.
The season has long been determined for the Magic. Yet, there is still some intrigue to go for the Magic to end the season.
As Orlando enters the final week of this 2017 season, there are still a few things for the team to play for and watch.
The First Round Pick
The obvious thing to watch is the Orlando Magic’s first round pick. The team owns its first round pick and the Magic will likely have one of the top-five Lottery odds. Orlando is one loss or one New York Knicks win away from being officially locked into one of the top five lottery odds.
As things stand entering Monday’s games, the Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers are tied for fourth and fifth best Lottery odds. This is a race that will clearly go to the final games.
The Magic take on the Playoff-battling Chicago Bulls on the road and then close the season with the disappointing Detroit Pistons. The 76ers close with the similarly-playoff-battling Indiana Pacers at home before closing out in New York against the clearly tanking New York Knicks.
The Magic may play the more difficult schedule down the stretch. It will be interesting to see how this turns up. The difference between fourth and fifth lottery odds is the difference between 119 lottery combinations and 88 lottery combinations. If the two teams are tied, they split the 207 lottery combinations with a coin flip determining who gets the odd number.
This is the true race to the bottom. The change to get a better shot at the top pick in the Draft is something valuable for both teams.
Orlando will not change its tune. The Magic will try to win these games because that is what teams do. Just keep an eye on the scoreboard the next few nights.
The Lakers Pick
The other intrigue the rest of this season in the first round is whether the Orlando Magic will get the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2019 first round pick.
Orlando acquired a future first-round pick from Los Angeles in the Dwight Howard trade. It was top-10 protected, then top-five protected over the years it had not transferred. There was one catch, though. The Lakers owed a first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns first as part of the Steve Nash trade. The Suns since sent it to the 76ers in the Brandon Knight trade.
It is a top-three protected pick. If the Lakers finish outside the top three, the pick goes to the Sixers and the Magic get the Lakers’ 2019 first-round pick. And that pick is unprotected because it is the last year of the conditions on the pick.
If Los Angeles cannot forward the pick to Orlando by 2019, then the pick becomes two second round picks (one in 2017 and the other in 2018). Because of the Stepien Rule, a team cannot trade away first round picks in consecutive years. And so the Lakers have to lose the pick this year or else they cannot give it up in 2019 (it would go to the Sixers in 2018 and the Lakers would have to keep their pick in 2019).
Orlando Magic
So this is it for the pick. Either the Lakers send their pick to the Sixers this year and thus send the Magic a 2019 first round pick or the Lakers keep their pick this year and send the Magic the two second round picks.
Los Angeles has already clinched at least the third best odds for the Lottery. But a late four-game win streak has taken them out of the running for that second best Lottery odds.
Instead of a 55.8 percent chance at getting a top three pick, it appears the Lakers will have a 46.9 percent chance at a top-three pick. That is essentially better than a coin flip the Magic will get this pick from the Lakers in two years.
Los Angeles still plays the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors. Neither team has much to play for with the Pelicans already sitting their main stars for games. The win streak may continue.
The pick swap
The last draft pick that has any intrigue for the Magic and could see some movement entering the final week of the season is between the Toronto Raptors and LA Clippers.
As part of the Serge Ibaka trade, the Raptors sent the Magic the worst of their two first-round picks (their own and the Clippers).
This pick will come in the mid-20s in the first round, but the Raptors and Clippers are engaged in their own playoff battles and need wins. So what pick the Magic receive is still up in the air.
Entering Monday’s games, the Clippers are 49-31 and tied with the Utah Jazz for the 23rd pick. The Raptors are 50-31 and 25th in the Draft. So Orlando will get either the 24th pick or the 25th pick right now, in addition to their own first-round pick.
There is still the chance the Raptors or the Clippers could falter and let the Jazz slip past them. The Raptors and Clippers could fall as low as 27th or as high as 22nd in the Draft. The Magic will be watching how both these teams finish as they get their pick cemented.
The Playoff race
It is hard not to pay attention to the Eastern Conference Playoff race. And the Magic are in the center of it.
Coach Frank Vogel patterned the team’s closing games against the Indiana Pacers (from Saturday) and the Chicago Bulls (on Monday) as the Magic’s Playoffs. He held back some players from Thursday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets but would not do so for these games out of respect to the integrity of the Playoff race. He wants to give the other Playoff teams the benefit of his team’s effort to their Playoff chases.
That is the expectation again Monday when the Magic take on the Bulls. And considering Orlando’s disappointing effort Saturday, the team might be more focused than usual.
The Bulls absolutely need this game.
Chicago is currently in pole position tied with the Miami Heat. The Bulls own the tiebreaker over the Heat. They only need a win and a Heat loss to make the Playoffs.
The schedule seemingly would favor the Bulls too. They play the Magic and Nets at home to end the season. But Chicago lost to Brooklyn on Saturday in another must-win game.
Next: Nikola Vucevic frustrated with season
Orlando will play its part in determining the eighth seed this week.