No Pressure: Magic's No. 1 Pick Could Be Franchise Turning Point

Orlando hasn't had the No. 1 overall pick often in team history, and it must take advantage of this year's lottery luck.

Anticipation is building for the Orlando Magic as the NBA Draft, which will get underway on June 23, inches closer. Orlando has a nice young core of players to take them into the immediate future, led by Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and others. However, to take the next step toward relevancy, the Magic can't afford to mess up this year's No. 1 overall pick.

The Magic have only had the No. 1 pick in the draft three times in team history, but the good news for Orlando fans is that those three picks produced two Hall-of-Fame players – although the 1993 pick was traded to the Golden State Warrior – and one who will eventually be in the Hall-of-Fame as well. Here's how those picks played out:

1992: Shaquille O'Neal – three-time champion, three-time MVP, three-time All-Defensive, 14-time All-NBA, 15-time All-Star, Hall-of-Fame

1993: Chris Webber (traded to Warriors) – five-time All-NBA, five-time All-Star, Hall-of-Fame

2004: Dwight Howard – one-time champion, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, five-time All-Defensive, eight-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Star

Although Orlando has never won a championship, two of their three No. 1 overall picks – O'Neal and Howard – were able to lead them to the NBA Finals in 1995 and 2009. That's the kind of player the Magic will be searching for on June 23. Not just a talented player to add to their already-talented pool of young players, but one who is capable of putting Orlando over the top... a true, bonafide superstar.

Is that player Chet Holmgren or Jabari Smith – the two prospects widely predicted to go with the first two picks in the draft? How about Duke's Paolo Bachero or Purdue's Jaden Ivey, who have picked up draft hype as the offseason has progressed? If the Magic believe their guy is one of the latter two, do they attempt to trade down in order to get who they want while also adding another asset or two?

We have a little more than two weeks remaining for the these questions to get answered. For now, all we know is that the Magic can't mess this up. This opportunity doesn't come around very often.