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Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag Volume 24: One Draft to rule them all

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Aaron Gordon (Arizona) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Aaron Gordon (Arizona) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tyler Lydon, Syracuse Orange, North Florida Ospreys
Dec 3, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) puts up a shot over North Florida Ospreys forward Wajid Aminu (2) during the first half of a game at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won the game 77-71. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

From Lee Golden Wells, via comments

"Do we look to address the backup 4 spot in the draft, free agency, or take a risk and keep playing Hezonja there? If in the draft, looking at our later picks, who’s a better fit…Swanigan, Motley, or someone else?"

I think the Orlando Magic will look to address most of their positional needs in the Draft. They have four picks and those three later picks especially will be critical picks to add depth to the team. I believe Orlando wants to get players they think can contribute in some role next year. One of those picks will likely be a long-term development piece, but the others will be guys who can step in and play quickly.

I anticipate the Magic will address their backup power forward needs with one of these three picks. But I do not think they will go in the Caleb Swanigan or Johnathan Motley direction.

Swanigan and Motley are more traditional power forwards. And I think there is some value in those players. But I think it is with these picks the Magic will really look to value versatility. They need a stretch-4 too and some athleticism.

So I would look at the Magic to target D.J. Wilson with the 25th pick. If he is off the board, they will probably take a heavy look at T.J. Leaf and Tyler Lydon. I am not as high on those two because their skills are somewhat limited. And Wilson, actually, has a lot of questions about how he fits into an offense after a breakout year last year. But Wilson can at least defend.

The Magic need a little bit of everything, so I do not think they will target a power forward specifically at No. 25, but they certainly could use one somewhere down the road.

The 25th pick seems like the place to strike. There are a lot of traditional centers available with that pick (at least according to mock drafts). Guys like Ike Anigbogu, Bam Adebayo and Ivan Rabb. The Magic could go that way if they have a plan to clear up their center logjam.

But I would focus more on the versatile players with this pick for the Magic. I think they can address some of their needs on the wing with their two second round picks.

Knowing the Magic’s cap situation is tight, I think it is hard to see them focusing on power forward with their free agency. In their price range this year at power forward there are players like Patrick Patterson and Nikola Mirotic. The options there are limited.

So the short answer of it all is I expect the Magic to look for a stretch-4 in the Draft to fit this need.