The Magic are widely believed to be open to trading the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated relays.
Orlando has two first-round picks, also owning the No. 5 overall selection, though that doesn’t mean a trade will come cheap. The franchise reportedly has a high asking price on the latter selection.
If the Magic stay put at No. 8, they are in a position to take a ” big swing” on talent, Woo argues while slotting Tennessee’s Keon Johnson into that slot.
More NBA Draft Buzz
- If the Warriors keep their No. 7 overall pick, many around the league expect them to take Davion Mitchell or James Bouknight, Woo writes in the same piece. The franchise is expected to “seriously explore” trading the pick. however.
- The Cavaliers may prefer Evan Mobley (over Jalen Green) if he’s available when they pick at No. 3, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com hears. Scouts and executives around the league believe that Cleveland would slot into the power forward position next to center Jarrett Allen.
- Florida State’s Scottie Barnes has been linked to the Raptors at No. 4, according to Matt Moore of The Action Network. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Barnes rumored to be a candidate to be selected in the top-5. Moore also hears that the Magic and Kings have interest in the forward.
- Jalen Johnson isn’t quite a lock for the lottery, though Moore (in the same piece) here’s that the forward’s stock is trending up. The Duke product is No. 12 on ESPN’s Big Board.
