Orlando Magic should trade out of the second round

The NBA Draft is here, and the Orlando Magic have decisions to make.

The Magic have the No. 1 pick in the draft. That decision is important. Perhaps the most important decision the team faces in this draft. That player will be the most consequential player the team adds to the team moving forward.

But there are still other choices that have to be made after the number one pick. The night is not over after the Magic go off the clock to start the Draft.

Orlando also holds picks 32 and 35 in the second round. And Orlando needs to decide how the team will handle those selections.

As much as it will kill some fans eager to see the team use these draft assets, the Magic still need to be careful.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has admitted that the team needs to be careful. They need to make sure there is a good balance on their roster between young players and veteran players. They need to make sure they give those young players they do have an ability to play.

And that means the inevitable is going to come. And it is probably the right decision.

The Magic need to be willing and look for ways to move out of the second round and try to spin those assets forward.

The Orlando Magic have two high-value second-round picks. But with a full roster and little runway to give them playing time, the Magic are likely moving out of the second round… again.

In recent years, one of the few knocks on Weltman has been the misuse of second-round picks.

Giving away players such as Talen Horton-Tucker, the Magic have continuously traded away their second-round picks away and struggled to make the most of their second-rounders. This year second-rounders present another opportunity for Orlando to make use of its picks.

There are different avenues the Magic could take with their second-rounders.

The Magic could very well make two selections in the draft or trade the picks to move in the latter part of the first round of the draft. But while those are directions the Magic can take, the Magic’s current roster should take the Magic in another direction.

Weltman has always stated Orlando is going to build the team the right way. Different aspects go into building the right way based on having a strong mix of young players and veterans but also having the space for those young players the opportunity to grow.

Currently, the Magic have 13 players who are 25 years old or younger. This Magic team is extremely young with the first pick in the draft before the Magic begin to think about their two second-round picks.

It is impossible to ensure all these young players play. And the Magic will have free agents to add too.

The Magic should look to trade away their two second-round picks for the future. Pick 32 and pick 35 are high in the second round and valuable around the league. There are going to be opportunities to trade both of their second-rounders.

Whether it be attaching the pick to a veteran like Terrence Ross or trading the two picks together for future drafts, Orlando can not make these selections in the second round.

Orlando will find itself having to make decisions on Thursday night. Not only the first pick in the draft but the other two second-rounders in the team’s control.

The Magic are a young team with a full roster, and adding two other young players will make keeping a balance of young players and veterans almost impossible. If the Magic are to remain true to building the team the right way, then Orlando needs to trade away their second-rounders.