You could visibly feel the collective eyes rolling as the news came down Sunday morning.
The Orlando Magic were shuttling off more second-round picks for an undefined asset. The Magic spinning second-round picks to the future has become as much of a draft night trope as taking the player with the longest wingspan.
The latest move at least was a little bit more creative.
Sunday, the Orlando Magic reportedly traded three future second-round picks — all coming from currently contending teams and likely to fall in the final 10 picks of the draft — for the right to swap first-round picks with the Phoenix Suns in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Even with all the likely protections — the three second-round picks the Orlando Magic gave up were a 2024 Denver Nuggets second-round pick; the least favorable of 2026 second-round picks from the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks; and a top-45 protected 2028 Boston Celtics second-round pick — the Magic are very likely to have given up three second-round picks for nothing in the end.
The Orlando Magic have had a habit of spinning forward and punting on their second-round selections under Jeff Weltman. Often it is for good reason but opportunities have been missed.
Sure, the Magic could end up better than the Suns in two seasons — a lot can happen in two seasons. Just as it is likely the Suns bottom out or have a catastrophic failure with their current championship roster. From Phoenix’s perspective, this deal is a bet on themselves while they restock their cupboard with second-round picks to use.
For the Magic, this is a low-risk gamble to move up in the first round in 2026 with assets the team is not likely going to use.
That perception the Magic trade all of their second-round picks is completely true. Orlando has not used many of its second-round picks. It is a small thing but it is a missed opportunity to add talent to the roster.
And miffed fans are right to be frustrated that a rebuilding team let those opportunities go. Even without considering who else the Magic might have drafted, the Magic have traded away some decent players.
This is essentially a low-risk pitch the Magic have repeatedly taken or punted to future years.
In seven years with the Magic, Jeff Weltman and his staff have taken only four of the 14 second-round picks they have had available to them. Only three of those players — Wesley Iwundu, Melvin Frazier and Caleb Houstan — actually saw time with the main roster.
That should highlight two things: First, how easily the Magic spun out second-round picks often for future picks, punting their choices down the road. And second, how rare it is for players to make it from the second round.
At the end of the day, this complaint may be small potatoes and the Magic’s calculus in trading three low-value picks (they are still stocked with nine future second-round picks, Weltman is not crying poor) might make it worth for the chance at this pick swap.
Let’s take a look at each draft in turn then:
Orlando Magic’s 2nd round pick history
2017 Draft
In Jeff Weltman’s first season with the Orlando Magic, he actually used one of his second-round picks, taking Wesley Iwundu with the 33rd pick. Iwundu spent three seasons with the Magic, playing in 182 games to average 4.8 points per game. Iwundu struggled to make his mark in the league.
The Magic also took Ivan Rabb with the 35th pick before trading him for a 2019 second-round pick (a pick that was later traded). Rabb played in only 85 games across two seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Who did the Magic miss on here? Thomas Bryant (No. 42), Isaiah Hartenstein (No. 43) and Dillon Brooks (No. 45) and Monte Morris (No. 51) were the most notable players selected in that second round.
But there were not any egregious misses. Especially for a team that was still figuring out what it wanted to be shortly after hiring Steve Clifford.
2018 Draft
The Orlando Magic took another second-round pick in Jeff Weltman’s second year, selecting Melvin Frazier with the 35th pick. He played two seasons and 29 games for the Magic before they moved on from the experiment with their second straight defensive-minded, shooting-challenged wing.
Orlando also selected and traded Jarred Vanderbilt with the 41st pick. Vanderbilt has played five seasons, averaging 6.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, carving himself a solid role with several teams. He played 15 games, starting 13, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ surprise run to the Western Conference Finals.
Orlando passed over Mitchell Robinson (No. 36), Gary Trent Jr. (No. 37), Bruce Brown (No. 42), De’Anthony Melton (No. 46) and Keita Bates-Diop (No. 48). Brown obviously played a huge role in the Denver Nuggets’ championship run.
The pattern that should emerge is that what is important in second-round picks is finding players who will fill a particular role. Robinson is a great shot blocker. Trent Jr., Brown and Melton are great shooters.
Perhaps it takes players some time. But in the 2018-19 season, the Magic should have had time to develop players. Even if they were not looking to make an immediate push.
That is what made not spending second-round picks to supplement the roster with more veteran skill players more egregious to sustain the team’s playoff opportunities.
Orlando Magic’s 2nd round pick history
2019 Draft
But the Orlando Magic traded all of their second-round opportunities after making the Playoffs in 2019.
They traded one second-round pick (Carsen Edwards was later selected) as part of the Markelle Fultz trade. Good idea.
They selected Talen Horton-Tucker with the 46th pick and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for a 2020 second-round pick (also later traded). Horton-Tucker has played four seasons averaging 9.8 points per game for his career.
Other players selected in the second round include Daniel Gafford, Eric Paschall and Bol Bol. So maybe that opportunity was not missed on and this was a good draft to trade out of.
2020 Draft
So in 2020, coming off a second straight playoff appearance. The Magic again punted on using their second-round picks.
They traded one 2020 second-round pick that became Paul Reed (a Wekiva High School alum) to the Philadelphia 76ers and another pick that became Jordan Nwora to the Bucks for two future picks (one of which was included in Sunday’s trade).
In making these two trades, the Magic passed up on opportunities to add Isaiah Joe and Kenyon Martin Jr. Not exactly star players or even consistent rotation players, but still players who could have helped the team in some respects.
This should make it clear that the second round is not easily mined. And while the Magic certainly could have used an influx of cheap talent during this stretch when the team was cash-strapped and sitting near the salary cap.
But there were not many players to pick from that ended up making it from the middle of the second round. The pickings certainly typically become slimmer the deeper you get into the draft. And that might be why Orlando felt comfortable sending away the picks they did in the present.
Orlando Magic’s 2nd round pick history
2021 Draft
With the Orlando Magic well-stocked with young players, they started to rebuild during the 2021 Draft. They had their two rookies they brought in with Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner. They alone made it a successful draft.
But the team surprisingly again punted on a high-value second-round pick.
They selected Boone High School alum Jason Preston and promptly traded him to the LA Clippers.
Preston has not done much in the NBA to this point, playing just 14 games last season. But he looked solid in the Clippers’ Summer League run. So there is at least some promise.
But the Magic missed out on adding another defensive-minded forward in Herbert Jones who went 35th in the draft. Again, this just seemed to be missing out on an upperclassmen specialist. that could have been useful even though Orlando is still well-stocked with forwards. And would continue to do so.
2022 Draft
The Orlando Magic finally made a second-round selection, taking Caleb Houstan with the 32nd pick.Houstan played sporadically in his rookie year, averaging 3.8 points per game in 51 appearances. Houstan had a nice showing in Summer League and was the youngest player in his draft class. Orlando still seems invested in him.
A lot of the reasons Jeff Weltman has given for trading these picks have been that there is not a clear path for many of these players to get playing time and get the experience they need to succeed. With a full roster and a lot of young players to grow, the team did not have the time to give to more players.
So they again traded their second-round pick in 2022, trading their second-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers. They used it on Max Christie who played in 41 games last season as a rookie.
There were not any notable players taken after Christie in that draft.
2023 Draft
The Orlando Magic with two first-round picks added earlier in the draft, traded the 36th pick in Andre Jackson to the Milwaukee Bucks for another future second-round pick. It was yet another example of the team punting their draft picks and trying to spin them forward, even if they may end up being lower-value picks in the future.
Clearly, Orlando found at least some way to try to net a positive asset out of it.
Orlando Magic’s 2nd round pick history
Conclusion
Looking back at the Orlando Magic’s second-round selections and opportunities, the team has missed some opportunities for sure. And perhaps the players the Magic have selected have not lived up to the billing or lived up to what the magic needed at the moment.
Every team in every draft can point to opportunities missed or players they missed. That is part and parcel to the draft process. Everyone misses and players step up in unexpected ways.
But they cannot do that if they do not have the opportunity to do so. And that has been the element that is often missing from this roster. They are just too full all the time. And this is a team that often struggles to add multiple rookies.
It is one thing then to add multiple first-round picks to a team like the Magic did this past draft. It is another thing to add and support three or four rookies as the Magic might have to do.
Orlando has missed chances to add talented players. But that might not be the situation the team is in today. The team is not in a position to stay perpetually young and there are only so many developmental slots the team can fill.
So trying to spin those picks forward or kick them down the road became a better option than simply giving them away.
On top of this, the Magic currently have two two-way contract spots to fill. They could have found a second-round pick to try to fill this role. And that may end up being a player the Magic could need if injuries hit the wrong spot of the roster.
These are simply opportunities lost.
The Orlando Magic still have all of their own picks plus a 2025 first-round pick from the Denver Nuggets (top-five protected). They still have at least eight future second-round picks. There is still no way the team is going to use them all.
So by spinning three of the lower-value second-round picks they have in their cache for the potential to improve their first-round draft standing in 2026. It is, in the end, a creative way of using second-round picks the Magic do not seem so interested in spending on players.
Still, second-round drafting has definitely been a weak spot in the Magic’s overall drafting strategy and a definite missed opportunity. It may not be the biggest miss and the Magic are not in a position to spend all these picks they have accumulated.
Yet, the Magic still find themselves in a good spot overall as they continue to develop.