{"id":4996,"date":"2026-06-22T19:04:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4996"},"modified":"2026-06-22T19:04:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:04:18","slug":"nba-draft-preview-magic-enter-with-lone-2nd-rounder-but-bullish-on-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4996","title":{"rendered":"NBA draft preview: Magic enter with lone 2nd-rounder but \u2018bullish\u2019 on team"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The NBA draft begins Tuesday night, and the Magic don\u2019t hold a first-round pick.<\/p>\n

Orlando enters this week\u2019s draft with only the No. 46 pick in the second round, which takes place on Wednesday night. Both rounds begin at 8 p.m. and will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on ESPN.<\/p>\n

Read more Alligator attacks, injures Rainbow River snorkeler<\/a><\/p>\n

If the Magic don\u2019t acquire a first-round pick, it\u2019ll mark the first time since 2011 that the franchise doesn\u2019t pick in the opening round. As of Monday, five other didn\u2019t hold a pick in the first round beyond the Magic: the Rockets, Pacers, Pelicans, Suns and Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n

So are the Magic content with staying in the second round?<\/p>\n

That was the question posed to team president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman last Thursday after new head coach Sean Sweeney was formally introduced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to say we\u2019re content ever,\u201d Weltman said inside the AdventHealth Training Center last week. \u201cI don\u2019t want to use that word. We have the 46th pick, and we like our team a lot. So, I don\u2019t know what that\u2019s going to be mean. We\u2019re having a lot of conversations with teams. This is our job: we have to explore opportunities (and) figure out where we can get better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spoken often about the financial compression that we\u2019re facing,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are kind of working on margins here in ways to improve the team, but we\u2019re having a lot of discussions at different levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the reasons the Magic are expected to pay luxury tax this season is the same reason why they don\u2019t have a first-round pick this week: Last summer\u2019s blockbuster deal to acquire Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As part of the trade, Orlando sent Memphis a first-round draft pick in 2026, which included swap rights from Phoenix. As the result of league tie breakers and a complicated picks swap that included Orlando, Phoenix, Memphis and Charlotte \u2014 following an additional trade between the Suns and Hornets in February \u2014 the Magic\u2019s first-round pick ultimately ended up with Charlotte at No. 18.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Bane came to the Magic with four years remaining on his rookie extension he originally signed with Memphis. The extension still has three years and a total of $126.5 million left on it.<\/p>\n

The combination of Bane\u2019s contract and rookie extensions given to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs by the Magic in recent years leaves Orlando in a tight financial situation moving forward.<\/p>\n

Read more Good news, cyclists: Seminole opens new extension of Lake Monroe Loop<\/a><\/p>\n

Tack on the $18.1 million owed to center Wendell Carter Jr., the $10.1 million for guard Anthony Black, the $7.6 million for backup center Goga Bitadze, the $3.9 million for forward Tristan da Silva and the roughly $5.2 million combined for rookies Jase Richardson ($3.1 million) and Noah Penda ($2.1 million), and the Magic are already facing a total salary that\u2019s just south of $200 million \u2014 or right below the league\u2019s projected luxury tax line for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That reality, however, doesn\u2019t impact the pre-draft process for Orlando\u2019s front office.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been quite busy, and these days, it\u2019s not really just the draft,\u201d Weltman said. \u201cIt is free agency as well. So, we\u2019ve been plotting and ranking and trying to figure out \u2018if this, then that,\u2019 scenarios.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt truly doesn\u2019t change the work at all,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s proof of that work as well.<\/p>\n

The Magic, according to sources and reporting done by USA Today\u2019s Rookie Wire, have held pre-draft workouts with several prospects who are projected to be selected in the second round. That list includes Tennessee center Felix Okpara, Duke forward Maliq Brown, Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, Miami guard Tre Donaldson and Virginia guard Dallin Hall, among others.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to remember that just because a prospect works out with a team doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll draft them and vice versa.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s value to be found in the second round as well. Recent second-rounders to stick with Orlando past the draft include Penda (No. 32, 2025), Caleb Houstan (No. 32, 2022) and Melvin Frazier Jr. (No. 35, 2018).<\/p>\n

Whichever way the Magic decide to go \u2014 trade into the first-round, only select in the second round or trade out of the draft completely \u2014 Weltman feels confident about the direction of the organization after hiring Sweeney and entering free agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we are bullish on this group,\u201d Weltman said. \u201cWe like the team. We\u2019re eager to see how they look as coached by Sean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Lake County church leader arrested for video voyeurism, sheriff says<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last time the Magic didn’t have a first-round draft pick was 2011. Orlando enters this week’s NBA draft with only the No. 46 pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-orlando-magic","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA draft preview: Magic enter with lone 2nd-rounder but \u2018bullish\u2019 on team - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4996\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA draft preview: Magic enter with lone 2nd-rounder but \u2018bullish\u2019 on team - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The last time the Magic didn't have a first-round draft pick was 2011. 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