Magic Land Top Pick; Mo Bamba Future in Jeopardy?

The 2018 first round pick is a restricted free agent this offseason.

Jeremy Brener | May 17, 2022

Magic Land Top Pick; Mo Bamba Future in Jeopardy? /

With the Orlando Magic landing the first overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the team is likely going to select either Duke's Paolo Banchero, Auburn's Jabari Smith or Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren.

Jamahl Mosley

All three of those players are big men, and with Wendell Carter Jr. recently signing a contract extension, there is now doubt shadowing over Mo Bamba's future with the team.

Bamba, the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has had an up-and-down tenure with the team and faces restricted free agency this offseason.

However, Bamba is coming off a career-best season going into restricted free agency. The Texas product averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 38.1 percent on 3s in 25.7 minutes per game.

He's an intriguing option, but not as much as any of the top three prospects in this year's draft, especially when you consider the fact that the Magic will have close to $29 million in cap space if Bamba isn't handed a $10.1 million qualifying offer.

Mo Bamba

USATSI_18010148 — Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports

Paolo Banchero

Jabari Smith

The Magic will likely have to choose which player it feels is a good match next to Carter, who averaged 15 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his first full season with in Orlando.

Bamba should receive considerable interest from teams looking to add some size in the frontcourt and the Magic should listen to some sign-and-trade scenarios.

When you stack up all the reasons against him, it's very possible that the Magic landing the top overall pick has been the nail in Bamba's coffin in Orlando.

Published May 17, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.