Magic 'Willing to Listen' to Trades For No. 1 Pick?

The No. 1 pick might not be heading to Orlando after all.

Jeremy Brener | May 23, 2022

Magic 'Willing to Listen' to Trades For No. 1 Pick? /

The Orlando Magic are set to pick with the first overall pick in this summer's draft for the first time since 2004 ... but there's a slight chance that might not happen.

Jamahl Mosley

By holding the most prized possession in the draft, Orlando Magic general manager John Hammond is going to be popular over the next few weeks.

In an interview with 96.9 The Game's Brandon Kravitz, Hammond says that he "expects to get calls" for the No. 1 pick.

Considering the Magic had the second-worst record in the league last season (22-60), it would likely take a lot for the team to consider relinquishing the top pick.

In a separate interview with ESPN, Hammond gives more insight into the thought process behind trading the top pick.

"It's hard to move those picks," the Magic general manager said. "But once again, you have to do your due diligence. You have to be willing to listen and see if there's something at least worth discussing."

But it isn't all that taboo to trade the top pick.

In fact, if the Magic were to trade the first overall pick, it wouldn't be the first time it has happened. Back in 1993, the Magic traded the top overall pick to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 3 pick and a future first-round pick. However, the circumstances were extremely different back then.

The Magic had drafted generational big man Shaquille O'Neal with the No. 1 pick the year before and were not fond of pairing him with Michigan forward Chris Webber, who was the consensus top player in the draft. The Magic wanted to draft Memphis State point guard Penny Hardaway and were able to afford trading back to get him.

Chet Holmgren

Paolo Banchero

Jabari Smith

In this draft, the top three players are all in the frontcourt, a position of need for the Magic, so if the team were to trade back, that would not be the reason.

While it seems unlikely for the Magic to trade the top pick, when you have the best card in the deck you want to make sure to listen to every option.

Published May 23, 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.