The Orlando Magic are in their bunker with one week to go before the NBA Draft. There is plenty of speculation about where the Magic will go. We add ours.
The NBA season is officially over and the league has turned its attention to the NBA Draft. With just one week to go, teams will be finalizing their draft strategies, getting the last prospects in before making that final decision.
Things will pick up quickly for the teams around the NBA as the offseason begins.
For the Orlando Magic, it could not come soon enough. The Playoffs were interminable it seemed as the team had to reshape its front office and prepare for an important summer. Everyone is a bit antsy to get something done.
Everyone is, frankly, a bit antsy for information and to break down what this roster will look like. No one knows what direction Jeff Weltman wants to take this team. He said at his introductory press conference, he would need to do some listening to begin with and learn about his roster. Things have gone silent since then. No one is quite sure what direction the Magic intend to go.
Everything at this point is an educated guess. There are mock drafts (do not worry, we will have one soon) pointing us in a direction the Magic may go. But the Draft is always unpredictable. Things are very fluid and change seemingly hourly. Especially as we get closer and closer to Draft day.
In a week, it will all be over and the team’s direction will be set it would seem.
That certainly will allow us plenty of time to speculate and guess which direction we think the team should go. The Magic have a lot of options available to them at the No. 6 pick and a lot of needs to fill. The Magic will also have their picks at No. 25, 33 and 35 to fill out the roster. These are high-value picks where the team can get quality players to improve this team.
The Draft next Thursday provides plenty of opportunities to improve and help the franchise take its next steps forward.
For now, we only have our thoughts to gather as we prepare for the Draft. And that is where we come in with our regular Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable.
With about a week to go before the NBA Draft, who is your favorite prospect for the Magic to take at No. 6?
Patrick Flynn (@pflynn33): Jayson Tatum. In my dream scenario, he somehow slips to No. 6. The Magic do not have a go-to scorer right now and Tatum, in my eyes, will have the most immediate impact.
Ricky Scricca (@scricca1): Best available, so if Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson somehow miraculously fall to No. 6, that should be a no-brainer. If not one of those three, I think Dennis Smith Jr. can be a very good NBA player. Even if he does not reach his ceiling, I still think he would be a great fit for the Magic. Same with Malik Monk.
Bill Johnson (@BillJohnsonTRA): The Magic need to take the best available player, but based on projections, Dennis Smith Jr. is my favorite choice at No. 6. The game now requires an offensively dominant guard, and Smith Jr. fits that bill. His ability to get to the rim and finish would potentially help everyone else reach their potential as the Magic do not currently have a player that can create their own shot.
Sam Skubala (@SkubiSports): In truth, the Magic should grab the best player available. At this stage, that looks like it is going to be Dennis Smith Jr., who would bring an offensive presence the Magic have been lacking in the backcourt.
Philip Rossman-Reich (@omagicdaily): As everyone else here said, the Magic should take the best player available, whoever that is on their board. I am firmly on the Dennis Smith train for the pick. Except for Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, I think I would take Smith over just about everyone. I think his game fits the Magic’s needs for both a potential star and a strong point guard who can distribute. I suspect he is a better shooter than his percentages suggest too since he had to be on the ball so much for the NC State Wolfpack last year. I am really high on Smith and think he should be the pick.
Zach Palmer (@FmrTankCommandr): I find myself thinking the Magic need to take Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 6. The Magic desperately need to take the primary offensive creation keys out of Evan Fournier‘s hands and turn it over to somebody else and Smith Jr. could be that guy. In addition to Smith Jr. being able to be the go-to offensive player, his shooting from the point guard spot should open up the floor for Orlando’s other players. If he is there at number six it would be incredibly foolish to pass on what may be the best player and fit combination available.
What is the most pressing need for the Magic to fill with their three other draft picks? Do the Magic have a specific need to grab in this Draft?
Scricca: Adding shooting, cutting, and playmaking — from any position — should be the Magic’s main goal. With no players currently on the roster who are 100 percent certain to be around in three or four years, they just need to get the best players they can find and figure the rest out later.
Johnson: The most pressing need for the Magic is shooting. It is a make-or-miss league so the Magic need more players who can consistently put the ball in the basket at every position. The Magic should be looking for value in the NBA Draft. If a player slips, they should take advantage no matter the position. They need difference makers at every position.
Skubala: It is key the Magic add shooting, although in truth they need a bit of everything. Scratch that — a lot of everything. At this stage, the focus should probably be on talent collection, although the mistakes of the Rob Hennigan regime — building a team without a key focus on identity — must be avoided.
Rossman-Reich: I think the Magic’s most pressing need is talent. They need to increase their talent and depth. So I think it is most important for the Magic to ensure they get players who are ready to make some contribution to the team next year (also, make sure there is room for them to get playing time next year). So I would not say there is a specific positional need. Maybe the team could use a true stretch-4 off the bench or for mix-and-match lineups with the starting group. Orlando could certainly use more 3-point shooting, and I think that should be a target as they look for role players. And more length and versatility are good too. So, yeah, the Magic need more talent they can use.
Palmer: The most pressing need for the Magic with those picks is just to hit on them. The Magic have four premium picks in this draft, these picks all need to become contributors to Orlando’s future. So the smart thing to do with the three late picks would be to draft guys who have high floors. Drafting one All-Star at 6 and three role players late is a heck of a draft. Especially if you compare it to on All-Star and three guys who could be out of the league in four years.
Should the Magic package their picks to move up? Who would you target if the Magic were to get a second Lottery pick or mid-first round pick?
Scricca: Absolutely not. I think having four picks is perfect for a team trying to build a new young core. It also gives the Magic more security — if their top pick does not pan out for whatever reason, they still have three other players that can develop. The Magic just need players right now, not necessarily a superstar, so there is no reason to take that kind of a gamble. But if it happened, a Smith-Monk combo could be dynamite
Johnson: It makes sense for the Magic to try to trade picks to move up, but it takes two to tango. A trade sounds good in theory, but do the Magic really have the ammunition to make such a move? If there was a way that they could end up with Jayson Tatum and Dennis Smith Jr., that would be a major coup.
Rossman-Reich: The Magic should certainly explore it. But, I actually think the players available in the second round might be better than some of the players available in the late lottery and the end of the first round. At least if I am trying to maximize my picks, I might even think about moving out of pick No. 25 to get a third second round pick and try to add a low-salary veteran. But Orlando should certainly explore moving up. I think a player like Terrance Ferguson or Semi Ojeleye are really intriguing players the Magic should think about moving up for. They need some athleticism on the wings and both have that in spades. And I think athletic wing players are really lacking at No. 25. They might be worth moving up for.
Palmer: It depends on who they are moving up for and how much they would be giving up. This draft after the top 10-12 players really falls off in talent. So if the Magic gave up something like Terrence Ross, 25, 33, 35 to move back into position to take Jayson Tatum to go with Dennis Smith, I would love it. If you are trading that same package to go get John Collins, it would be a poor decision.
What do you think of the Magic’s front office hires? Should fans be excited about these hires or is it much ado about nothing?
Scricca: I think so. It is hard to tell exactly who was involved with what and to what degree when it comes to evaluating front office guys. But there is a lot of NBA experience in the Magic’s new front office. Jeff Weltman was part of a great run with the Toronto Raptors with Masai Ujiri, and if that can in any way be replicated in Orlando, these hires can be considered a success. John Hammond helped set the Milwaukee Bucks up with one of the best young cores in the entire league by drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker. Neither of their records is unblemished, but I believe putting those two minds together is a recipe for success.
Johnson: Fans should be excited about the new hires because the front office sets the tone for the franchise. The organization is assembling an All-Star cast for the front office. The only question with assembling so many former general managers is whether they are going to be able to coexist.
Orlando Magic
Rossman-Reich: It is always hard to get a good sense of what a front office executive will do. We only have their previous work experience to go on and even then a lot of it is situation-dependent. But I think the Magic have hired an impressive group to run the franchise. Coming off Rob Hennigan — a 30-year-old whiz kid with very little experience in the NBA, just on age alone — to going to Jeff Weltman, John Hammond and Pete D’Alessandro is very very impressive. Consider this: The Magic went from someone who had never been in the lead chair with a staff with experience but no lead chair experience to three guys who have made high-level decisions for their team as general managers. That is a huge, huge step up. Of course, the proof will be in the pudding. Ultimately results matter. And Hammond’s record has some spots to it. And D’Alessandro was not exactly a smash success with the Sacramento Kings. This is all to say, experience is not everything. But it is a good start and should set expectations high.
Palmer: I do not know if they should be excited, but they should at least be interested. During this remodel of the front office, the Magic went the complete opposite direction they did when they were under Hennigan. The Magic added an unbelievable amount of experience and with it a lot of contacts around the league. If there is one thing to be excited about, I would think it would have to be the possibility of trades. There are not usually quick fixes in the NBA but if there is one to be found for the Magic it is through multiple trades that restructure the team.
What are your overall impressions of the NBA Finals? What does this series mean for the NBA?
Scricca: The unprecedented dominance of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers (and I mean unprecedented — this was the first “threematch” in league history) has to have a lot of teams thinking they should wait a few years until they take an earnest shot at the title. Teams on the precipice of championship contention might hesitate to spend if they do not think it will make them better than the Warriors or Cavs, which is borderline impossible. Others could see it is a perfect tanking window, to accumulate assets for a few years so when the Cavs or Warriors fall off they will be poised to strike. Of course, some will still take their shots anyways. Overall, I see the league’s parity issues growing before new superteams start to emerge and look to become the league’s next dynasties. In the meantime let’s just enjoy how incredible these two teams are.
Johnson: The NBA Finals has everyone re-evaluating. The talk all season was about the collision course between Cleveland and Golden State. But after the Finals, Cleveland is in the same boat as the rest of the NBA, trying to catch up. That is going to make for an interesting offseason. Will Chris Paul sign with the San Antonio Spurs? What will happen with Carmelo Anthony? What move will Cleveland make? Players will have to decide between winning and money because if Golden State keeps their team intact, no one is good enough to beat them.
Rossman-Reich: The big takeaway from the NBA Finals is that there is a wide gap between the Warriors and everyone else. It may be a while before any one team catches up. Everyone will be chasing the champs again. To see the Warriors dominate the best player in the NBA, LeBron James, playing at his absolute best was somewhat harrowing. The league does not have a problem, its rules limiting player movement helped create this monster. But the Warriors have no sign of slowing down. And they play such a beautiful brand of basketball, I do not mind seeing this dominance one more time.
Next: Relationship between Jeff Weltman, Alex Martins is key
Palmer: While the Finals were boring to me and a lot of invested NBA fans, it seemed to appeal to the casual NBA audience. I believe it was the most watched NBA Finals ever (eds. note: it was the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998) even though it only went five games. As far as what it means for the game itself, I am not sure. What the Warriors have done is impossible to replicate. It took a perfect storm of cap hikes and bargain contracts for the Warriors to get to where they are. On top of all that, unless the Warriors players take huge pay cuts then they cannot keep that entire core together. There is no chance Warriors owner Joe Lacob is willing to pay nearly $1 billion per year in luxury tax. So while the Warriors may dominate for the next year or two the playing field will level out soon enough.