The 5 biggest draft busts in Orlando Magic franchise history
By Elaine Blum
Compared to other NBA teams, the Magic are a rather young franchise. They do not have quite the same history of mistakes and what-ifs to look back on yet. Still, the Magic have had their fair share of bad draft picks. It is almost impossible to avoid that. Sometimes, prospects just do not pan out or turn out to be a bad fit on the team.
Recently, the Magic have made some solid selections with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. Hopefully, this year will be another solid pick, but there is no way of knowing that for sure yet. There is always some risk in selecting a player, especially in the middle of the first round.
So, with the 2024 NBA Draft coming up, let's look back at some of the worst draft busts in Magic history.
5. Fran Vazquez
In 2005, the Orlando Magic selected Spaniard Fran Vazquez with the 11th overall pick. The center was a capable defender and ended up retiring as the Spanish League all-time leader in blocks.
Unfortunately for the Magic, he just never brought that talent to the NBA. After being drafted, Vazquez shocked Orlando and much of the rest of the NBA world when he decided to stay in Spain rather than come to the United States.
In Europe, he had a great career, winning several championships and a Spanish Cup MVP award. None of that helped the Magic out, however. They had hoped to get a frontcourt partner for Dwight Howard but ended up wasting their first-round pick on someone who didn't even want to play in the NBA.