The Orlando Magic are mostly sitting and waiting on the first night of the NBA Draft.
For the first time since 2011, the Magic do not have a first-round pick in the draft. They traded that to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the Desmond Bane trade.
Orlando fans are mostly satisfied with that decision. Bane delivered a stellar season and elevated the team's offense (even just a little) and proved his worth throughout the season.
The Grizzlies are also mostly satisfied with the deal. They used the first of the four picks they got from the Magic to trade up to pick Cedric Coward, who turned in an All-Rookie season. Their season also turned out in such a way that they landed the third pick in this year's draft, picking Cameron Boozer.
The second of the Magic's four first-round picks heading to Memphis landed in Tuesday's first round.
With the Magic's pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz and then traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, eventually trading the 17th pick to the Detroit Pistons for the 21st pick and a total of five second-round picks.
The Thunder selected Ebuka Okorie for the Pistons. The Pistons selected Mexican forward Karim Lopez for the Grizzlies.
Stirtz certainly would have been someone the Magic would have looked at. He is one of the best shooters in the Draft.
He averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 35.8 percent from three in his lone year at Iowa. He added 4.4 assists per game. Stirtz was a devastating shooter who terrorized Big Ten defenses.
Orlando would have had him on its radar.
The team also would have had the player Memphis initially traded for, Ebuka Okorie of Stanford, on its board, too.
Okorie averaged an ACC-leading 23.2 points per game in his lone year at Stanford. He shot 35.4 percent from three and 83.2 percent from the line on 7.3 free throw attempts per game.
Okorie measured at 6-foot-1.25 without shoes but with a 6-foot-7.75 wingspan. He is considered a special athlete, able to get to the rim and speed by opponents.
Orlando would have clearly gotten someone of value if the team had stayed at this pick. But the Grizzlies and Thunder may have missed on the best - and most Magic-like -- option.
Who the Magic would have picked at No. 16
Both Bennett Stirtz and Ebuka Okorie would have been on the Orlando Magic's draft board.
But knowing the team's penchant for length and size and need for shooting, the Magic pick at No. 16 would have been abundantly obvious:
They would have taken Baylor guard Cameron Carr.
Carr averaged 18.9 points per game last year, making 37.4 percent of his 6.4 3-point attempts per game, 49.4 percent of his shots overall and 80.1 percent from the foul line.
Carr had a true breakout season after averaging only 4.8 points per game at Tennessee as a sophomore. He struggled to come off the bench in Knoxville. Last season at Baylor came out of nowhere it seemed.
But Carr earned it with his athleticism, shooting ability and defense. It is hard to play for Scott Drew's program without solid defense.
Carr also has all the measurables. He measured at the Combine at 6-foot-4.5 with a 7-foot-0.75 wingspan. He also had the second-highest standing vertical leap at 38.0 inches and the second-highest max vertical leap at 42.5 inches.
The Combine measurements seemingly put him on track to climb out of the 20s and potentially into the Lottery.
That was clearly not the case.
While Carr is an impressive athlete, he is still learning to put it all together. He is not someone who changes direction off the dribble, and he is not a playmaker. He will go straight for the basket or hit a spot-up three.
Still, those skills are vital for the Magic. They need some more athleticism and they need more shooting. Carr would have fit the bill.
The other options the Magic missed
There were a few other options worth considering if the Orlando Magic had picked at No. 16.
The biggest one was Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr., who went 18th to the Charlotte Hornets. Anderson is one of the best shooters in the draft, making 41.5 percent from three. He averaged 18.5 points and a Big 12-leading 7.4 assists per game. He is an excellent pick-and-roll point guard.
The Magic need more point guards and ball-handlers and three point guards went with the 16th, 17th and 18th picks in Bennett Stirts, Ebuka Okorie and Christian Anderson Jr.
Guard LaBaron Philon of Alabama would have also been an option. Philon averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 assist sper game while shooting 39.9 percent from three.
He nearly doubled most of his stats last year and improved greatly as a shooter. On top of maintaining a strong defensive reputation -- at 6-foot-2.5 without shoes and a 6-foot-6.25 wingspan. That size might be why Philon is slipping into the 20s in the first round.
Orlando also could have looked at Karim Lopez from Mexico (playing for the New Zealand Breakers), who ended up with the Grizzlies with the 21st pick. What Lopez lacks in shooting at this point, he makes up for with some size. He would compete with Tristan da Silva for a spot in the rotation.
There were options. And there may yet still be some options for the Magic if they want to trade up.
Either way, the Magic are likely happy to end up with Bane nonetheless.
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