Ping-Pong Magic: Orlando Magic Receives No. 1 Pick in NBA Draft Lottery

Number one pick!

Although the NBA Draft doesn’t get underway until June 23, the lottery commenced on Tuesday night to let all non-playoff participants know where they’ll be picking in the draft order a little more than a month from now.

Jeff Weltman

Reinhold Matay/USA Today Sports

Jeff Weltman

Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports

Paolo Banchero

The Orlando Magic were tied with the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons for having the best odds (14% each) to receive the No. 1 overall pick.

After the ping-pong dust settled, the Magic ended up with the No. 1 pick for the 3rd time in franchise history. Here’s is the list of players Orlando has selected with the No. 1 pick in the past:

Shaquille O'Neal

Chris Webber

Dwight Howard

The Magic now have the opportunity to add a franchise cornerstone and use this pick to help get them back to the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Given how a number of mock drafts have looked in recent weeks, there’s a very good chance the Magic could end up selecting one of the top three bigs (Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith) with the No. 1 pick.

A.J. Griffin

Jabari Smith

Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

Paolo Banchero

The draft is just one area the Magic will be focused on this offseason as they look to improve on their 22-60 campaign in 2021-22. What will the team decide to do with talented-but-often-injured forward Jonathan Isaac? Will they let big man Mo Bamba walk in restricted free agency?

Stay tuned for the draft on June 23, because whichever prospect Orlando ends up with could potentially shape what it does throughout the rest of the offseason.