NBA Trades: Would the Orlando Magic trade the number one pick?

The Orlando Magic are in an enviable position right now, as they have the first overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. While there is no clear-cut favorite on who to select, as there has been in years past, it still gives the organization the chance to pick a player who could go on to become their centerpiece.

Given that the Magic already have Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, and Cole Anthony, they are flying under the radar as a group that could be pretty close to putting together a team that, in the long-term, could compete for a championship.

NBA Trades: Would the Orlando Magic trade the number one pick?

But because there is no obvious choice with that first pick, would the Magic actually be better off trading it in order to get more established help?

In short, no. But it is nowhere near as simple as that. The main reason the franchise should sit tight for the moment is that other teams are going to become more desperate as draft night looms. What is more likely to happen is that another organization comes in with an offer late in the day to try and tempt the Magic.

They should listen, too, because there are several teams in the league that are in a tougher spot than the Magic find themselves in. They are playing with house money right now, having convinced fans that this rebuild is going to be different. And so, they have time on their side to get things right. This is something that they did not do properly the last time they were in this position.

Take a team like the Utah Jazz, for example. Their house is a more panicked one at this moment in time. After years of strong regular seasons and playoff flameouts, it looks like one of Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell may be moved this summer. With head coach Quin Snyder having walked away, perhaps a full-on teardown is about to occur in Salt Lake City.

The Magic wouldn’t have any interest in Gobert. After all, they have Carter Jr., and if DeAndre Ayton ever became available then that would be a better direction to take things. Mitchell, however, may be a different story.

If you consider the top 20 players in the league, would you trade any of them straight up for Mitchell? Even worse, would you trade James Harden (and his potentially expiring contract) or Kawhi Leonard for Mitchell either? Most teams in the league have a dynamic guard that they are happy to build around.

Even most smaller market organizations like the San Antonio Spurs (Dejounte Murray) and Cleveland Cavaliers (Darius Garland) have young guys who have already been named All-Stars. The Magic might be in a better position in terms of their backcourt than in years past, but Mitchell would be a huge upgrade over any of them.

Free agents don’t typically flock to Orlando, either, with the last notable individual to even give the franchise a sit-down conversation in his prime being Paul Millsap. That wasn’t exactly yesterday. So, would getting rid of the potential of a Chet Holmgren (surely the pick if the Magic do keep it?) be worth it to see a legitimate star in Mitchell come to town?

At some point in time, the Magic have to flip the switch and go from rebuilding to competing. The feeling right now is that adding the first overall pick to this group puts them at being a year or two away. In that time, if they are smart, they will be able to add a couple of free agents who will really be able to help the cause.

Obviously, there are more partners to look at in any potential deal than the Jazz. On the other hand, though, the Magic finally got a top pick that didn’t fall outside the perceived “can’t miss” picks, as they had so many times in the past decade, so giving up on such a pick now when it is under their control is incredibly risky.

It also wouldn’t be especially on-brand for the front office to trade away the pick either. They have built this roster slowly, with consideration, and having never taken shortcuts. To throw all of that away now, when they are right on the cusp of creating something special, would be madness.

Nevertheless, stranger things have happened, and in fact, trading away this pick might actually be the right move. Will the Orlando Magic do it?