Originalticketholder

If I count correctly, after all the FA signings we have 15 players under contract. Isn't that the max? That only leaves two two way contracts. Caleb Houston remains unsigned? I know the chatter was he would be a developmental player but his 3 point shooting would be what we need. Is he relegated to a 2 way contract?

And now the real experiment can begin. Are we the only team in the league with 6 players of 6'10 or better? What would your 6"10" (give or take an inch) lineup look like? Here is mine: PG Franz Wagner SG Jonathon Isaac SF Mo Bamba/Bol Bol PF Paola Banchero C Wendell Carter Jr./Bol Bol

Looking at the DOB's we have achieved Weltman's goal of veteran players and avoided him making a comment on "being too young". His medication for "youngitis" must be working.

Suggs has not been approved medically to play in the summer league so he is still recovering and should be recovered in time for the season at the last update. I am kind of surprised Wagner is not on the list.

Certainly not from a winning perspective yet but their national image is not a negative, a nothing and an HOF'er can easily respond.."you do not know the game, I played it". Just read an article yesterday (and yes, it was just an idiot's opinion) on how we were losers (OKC, Detroit, and Rockets winners) in the draft last week, that we are a bad fit for Banchero and his development because everybody fails here or thye leave to be successful. That we are a black hole for players and success. I am not sure Shaq is the answer, obviously winning is, but we need an image change to gain respect and he can do it faster than our current owners and FO.

Exact kind of thinking/questioning that, as good as our future looks, it would look that much better if DeVos's sell the Magic to Shaq with DS running the show. Can't believe Isaac not mentioned. Anybody think Isaac, if healthy, will just roll over and hand the first team position to Banchero. I hope it is a war. Weltman and Hammond being the face of the franchise just not cutting it. I apppreciate what the DeVos's did in 1989 and now they can net about $1.5 Billion. Even getting Banchero did not move the meter much with how we are viewed. As a franchise we are just an afterthought. The persona/charisma of Shaq as owner cannot be duplicated and could jumpt start the PR of the MAGIC. And could be a conduit for helping to attract free agents. You think a FA would be more impressed talking to Shaq or to Weltman/Hammond? Hoping the DeVos's see this as a positive for the MAGIC franchise.

This guy is a franchise type player. No debate on #1 next year. I can see why Power Ranking has us at #27 but IF we are healthy they are "brain dead" with that ranking. I still remember the 2020 Covid playoffs at Disney. We were NO #27 then. Anybody else remember how impressive/dominant we were before Isaac's injury. Fultz and Isaac were magical. OK so we lose Vucevic and Fournier and add Suggs, Wagner, Carter, Anthony, Okeke and now Banchero so which team is better if Fultz and Isaac are healthy? If Fultz and Isaac are magical again, Fultz and Banchero can be lethal. I know it may take awhile but this has the potential to be a nightmare for other teams. I read Banchero might be able to play some 5. Isaac, Banchero, Wagner and Fultz at the same time....Good luck NBA. If by some streak of incredible luck (unlikely since I think we are playoff bound) we get pick #1 we will win an NBA title or two or three.

Thank you for that last sentence. I, like so many of us, were duped by the media and even the Magic, that Smith was the best fit for the Magic (best three point shooter (which we sorely need) and best defensive player) so Banchero came as a surprise. As Bilas said draft night there were 3 #1 picks. So we got one of them and a very good one. We are now a better team after Thursday night. How good we will be is up to Moseley and our management development team. In fact we are a team with one of the best rosters (potentially) in the NBA. A team with 2 #1 picks, 1 #5 pick, 2 #6 picks, 1 #7pick and 1 #8 pick. Add Okeke and Anthony along with RJ and we have a very good roster of 10 young players. (not even counting Ross who could be really good with the rest of these guys around him--glad he was not traded). Chemistry and development/improvement will have to now be the primary focus. And we have two first round picks next year. But this front office always leaves us head scratching. We did get a great pick but did not, for all our posturing, turn that into anything but a great pick. Trading that second round pick for one "6", yes "six" years later (plus cash--hope it was a boatload) for a pick that has to be in the top 5 to match what we had, and I do not cuss much, is a "WTF". Laker front office probably was saying "Hey, watch what we do to the Magic?" and did it!!! Not sure if Weltman's infection disease of "youngitis" requires treatment at this point. Perhaps the good point is that if we kept pick 35 we would all be debating "what were you thinking taking that guy at pick "35" so we were spared. Even yesterday and today as other teams are signing players to two way contracts and summer league rosters we are twiddling our thumbs. (i.e. a poor man's Jabari Smith Jr was Dom Barlow (who we worked out I think), a SF was signed by the Spurs). Too young?????? Bad scouting?? Other teams are aggressive and manage to do these things. Not us???? Having said all that we have a good roster despite not being aggressive (do not bring up the Chicago trade because that fell in our lap not anything we inititated) this is not just nit picking. On draft night announcers praised the Warriors on how they draft and manage their roster. Other teams entered into their dialogue at other times but not us.. We never do. And what are we going to do with our FA money (only one of five teams that have money to spend and we have the most--+ $27,000,000). Will we do anything? Even if we do not want to get a player then taking on bad contracts can net a team more assets (Memphis and New Orleans pre-draft rade last year.). I would guess we do nothing which is what is so frustrating to me. I just do not see this FO as being elite.

Biggest question for me What does this mean for Isaac, all pro-defensive selection?

We were in a win/win situation. But thanks to Toronto we won overall. It ia always hard to measure intangibles vs skillset. Suggs has won everywhere he has gone. He has a winner mentality. Not many rookies say that the will make those teams "pay" who do not draft them. He has that inner confidence that stars have. No veteran can teach him that. Just like Ja Morant and Trae Young excelled early I think Suggs can too. Doncic was pick 5 so perhaps Suggs at pick 5 will be our star.

As Jalen said, He would make those teams who did not draft him "pay" for their mistake. This guy has attitide and just a 2-3 months ago was listed as the #2 player in this draft. When we ended up at 5 I thought no way we could get this guy. He is a winner. Thank you Toronto and Cleveland. We have a star.

We are definitely getting some good players tonight!!! May not even all be the ones I personally want but there are really good players pretty deep into this first round. I hope it is three first rounders. I am excited for tonight and for the future of this team. Go Magic.

Absolutely love the pick at #33 (including the nickname). This may be one year we get a solid contributor with our second round pick. Above a good draft but probably means Carter or Bamba are on the way out.

To me the only way to determine who is better and who is worse is on the court itself, giving meaningful minutes for development and evaluating based on performance. I do not think this was Cliffords strength. It appears this is one of Moseley's strengths and I hope it is. I really like the makeup and potential on this roster and think we should use this year to see what we have. Having said that if we are overvaluing anyone my first pick would be Bamba but I would make this year his make or break year.

But an even bigger recipe for disaster is keeping players/getting players who are worse than the ones you trade away. As far as this roster is concerned can anyway say, with certainty, what we have? I do not think it is unreasonable to give this team a year to determine who plays better with who, what chemistry works better. I would like to see these guys play together, we may have a dynamite roster already. I see an incredible 2nd team in the making. It will not be done overnight but the talent on this roster (after the draft) is pretty darn impressive. If we find that "superstar", that guy that will score when needed there are lots of good players we already have around them. We can and always should consider offers but not one sided offers (unless we are that one side).

At rhe start of this discussion my point was that picks 1, 2, and 3 lead to more championships than all other picks in the history of the NBA. True To further prove that statement and negate your final statement in the last 41 years of the NBA, the NBA champion in those years had a pick 1, 2, or 3 on their roster and, in fact, in every one of those 30 years it was that teams original pick (all different teams and no duplicates), So in approximately 75% of the NBA champs that team had a pick 1, 2 or 3 pick that THEY picked. And free agency started in 1976. When teams treat their players well, those players tend to stay. On the Kyrie scenario I could ask the same questions. What did LeBron do before Kyrie--Nothing until he moved to Miami to be with two other superstars. LeBron does not win the 2016 tit;le without Kyrie as much as Kyrie does win that title without LeBron so tanking in 2010 to get Kyrie did work. Not Rocket Science to figure that one out. I do not like tanking but if I were an NBA owner and having a bad season/injury season and I was a middle of the road team and knowing picks 1, 2 and 3 would help my team become better I would not focus on how many wins I chalk up. I would put a plan in place to help my team for the future. I think that is what Weltham/Hammond did this year and hopefully will result in a fantastic Magic future. Too bad we did not get pick 1, 2 or 3 but 5 and 8 (get them right) might be just as good.

100% Agree on keeping Chuma and what he brings. I hope we give him a chance. Same for Hampton especially if he is 6'7". Same for Anthony. I hope we give all our players the opportunity to improve under Moseley. How many times have we traded away players who got better elsewhere. Clifford was not going to develop our young guys. God knows who are the best two at 5 and 8, I just hope we get it right. I have been a fan of Barnes over Kuminga at 5 but he will probably not be there. We need shooters and 8 is too high for Kispert but not Bouknight (two best shooters it seems but I heard he is now rising. If we stay at 5 and 8 Barnes and Bouknight would be my picks. I love Ross and his game but if we pick at 5 and 8 I am talking to all teams after 8 about him. I am talking to the Warriors if they do not make a big trade (7 and 14 and Wiseman for a "star" type player) for what it would take to get #7. (We probably do not have the assets. I love the depth of our roster of young players. They will all have value after this next season for future trades if they do not fit. I am even llokng forward to pick 33 where we may pick up a contributor with the right pick. If we keep Ross I like our second team.

You missed the point, especially the 2nd sentence. It is pick 1, 2, and 3 that are important since that leads to more NBA titles (superstars if you wish) than any other combination. It may not be their origninal team but it is their original draft position. Before FA, this was the norm on how to grow a team and it has not changed much, So you want to have picks 1, 2, and 3 in your down years. Our greatest years were not McGrady years but were Dwight Howard (#1 pick) years when we finally put other star players around him. BTW we would probably be tied on teams who won with 0 superstars vs teams that won tanking. I go all the way back to the 1978-1979 NBA champs Seattle Supersonics for the last team with 0 superstars and the 2011 Cleveland (tanking) Cavs (getting Kyrie Irving) and winning a championship (after LeBron comes home before leaving again) in 2016 as a 1-1 tie. Other than that give me my superstars to win titles. My statements are never absolutes but are borne out by the facts. I am not a fan of tanking but Silver's clown show lottery (for what appears to be PR and self esteem certainly not h fairness) does not deter it, in fact may encourage it worse. Tanking did in fact work for Cleveland in 2011 (26 losses in a row) helped them get Kyrie Irving and when combined back with LeBron got them a title. I learned a long time ago never to use the words "No example", 0% success", or "does not work" since all it takes is one example and your argument is shot.

You missed a lot of exceptions. Granted these picks may not have won a title with their original team, and yes you cannot win with only one superstar, you definitely need 2 or more, but that does not diminish the value of pick 1, 2 and 3 . Allen Iverson, Anthony Davis, Shaq, Magic (a little over 40 years but worthy to be included), James Worthy, Deandre Ayton (probably this year)--Phoenix was a tanker, Ralph Sampson, Mark Aquirre, and Patrick Ewing (1st round picks). Let's put Markelle Fultz in there (just hoping). #2 picks have not been as lucrative unless you got Kevin Durant (multiple titles), Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning, and Gary Payton. #3 pick really good obviously due to the GOAT Michael Jordan, Pau Gasol, Al Horford, Grant Hill, Kevin Mchale and a slew of other good players. So #1, 2, and 3 picks set up that first superstar way more than any others do. Tanking teams in the playoffs this year--Philly, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, NY Knicks, Memphis, and Wizards (Beal/Wall years). And Cleveland's tanking definitely got them titles. In the old days you drafted to your success and titles, Now with the "game of chance" draft (if the opportunity presents itself) you tank yourself (and hope you get lucky) to success. (where would Dallas be without Doncic) Tanking worked for Houston and Detroit (big time) this year and did not favor us (even though 5 and 8 will be good players but just think if our tanking got us Green at 3--how happy wpuld we be) or OKC (even OKC's tanking is isn the future--16 or 17 first round picks in the next 6 or so years). So, yeah tanking works, just not in every case.

Tanking will always be apart of the game but it is just different now. Now you just trade away all your good players or sit your veterans (due to injury--wink..wink) and lose. Every team knows that pick 1, 2 and 3 increases your odds at getting a star player to get you out of the lottery faster than any other way. Detroit and Houston are not apologizing for losing all those games. It does not always work out but percentage wise it is the best move. It worked for Houston and Detroit this year but not for us and OKC. Even the intro of the Draft lottery called the lottery what it is....."a game of chance." In a game of chance you do what you have to do to increase your odds of winning. So, yes, tanking does work just not for every team but only those that that get lucky.

If we get to pick 5 and are not sold on Kuminga and Barnes ( I see a case for both but after reading 3-4 different analysis's I am trending to Barnes as the one with a higher ceiling) how is this for wheeling and dealing in a deep draft. Send pick 5 to OKC for picks 6 and 16 and then send pick 6 to the Warriors for 7 and 14 so we end up with 7, 8, 14, and 16 (two guards at 7 and 8 (two of Mitchell/Moody/Bouknight/Johnson) and BPA at 14 and 16. Even if we end up in the lottery next year we are now set at guard and next year's lottery is a heavy forward, light guard draft. Would take a lot of bluffing and poker face mentality and knowing/speculating OKC's mindset but I see Warriors as the easier sell.

Or if Cavs like Kuminga we pull a Dallas and give them #5 for # 3 and next year's top 4 protected first round pick.

Good he should be. Does no good if owners do not voice their complaint over this screwed up system.

Three years of this new system and three years two or more teams who were in the top 4 get picks in the top 4. Does not take a rocket scientist to realize you have a broken system. Silver (Aka Pennywise) the clown will not fix it though since he desires entertainment not fairness. Having said that there are 2-3 guys in pick 5-10 who will make a difference in this league. We just have to get two of them. I was hoping for a great shooter with the first pick and at #8 best player available. I still keep both picks and do my research. Kuminga/Barnes/Mitchell/K.Johnson/Moody/Bouknight/Wagner. Tankathon has us taking Kuminga, Wagner and Boston at pick 33. It may not be exciting but we will be adding more talent. Even though we got screwed biggers loser to me are Chicago and OKC.. We can hope LaVine does not resign helping that pick in 2023 be a lottery pick.

Hoping for the best tonight. I did a little research on the last two drafts (with the new system) and hope the odds work in our favor. Both position 7 and 8 moved up in the previous two drafts. NO threepeat tonight I hope so odds favor us to Chicago's pick. 3 went to 1 last year so we need a REPEAT. (do not like those odds). Three teams outside of the top 4 moved into top 4 Year 1 and in year 2 two teams out of the top 4 moved into the top 4. Hoping for that trend to continue and only one team out ot the top 4 moves into the top 4 tonight. In looking at the last two years and trends, it is pure luck. So far above results show Silver has created an entertainment lottery not a fair draft lottery. It has not stopped tanking (OKC this year, maybe even us) and it has not rewarded bad teams with the best chance to rebuild. If we drop tonight (50/50 chance) I hope the owners initiate talks to tweak this thing.