Official 2021 NBA Draft Thread

[VFX]

I am not yet very familiar with next years draft but i heard great things about Chet. Its hard to tell in advance, but this year is dissapointing me.
Drafting high in most cases is a trap for stupid GMs who think that trading all your veterans while overpaying middling young talent who plays only becouse there is no one better on the team is recipe for success.
I am not against losing with talent injured, i am not even against trading Gordon or Fournier if the return is right. I am against stripping the roster of most veterans to draft solid but unspectatular talent in high lottery and giving minutes to undeserving players.

TLDR for pictogram users.

Why? So you can watch Vucevic and Fournier for a complete decade of bad - mediocre basketball?

Or are you saying that Orlando doesn’t need an elite level player at the expense of having a sub .500 record and a few more first round exits? I don’t understand this infatuation with needing to see Vucevic on a successful Magic roster. It’s probably never going to happen.

There is such little trade value on this roster that earning a top 5 pick would be Orlando’s best asset, whether that becomes realized or not. Clifford running vets 35+mpg to squeeze out wins prevents that from happening at the expense of nothing substantial in the slightest.

I agree we need elite ball handler to contend but i cant see him in 2021 draft right now.
Lets say we trade Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier and get number 5 pick which is the most likely outcome. Lets say Green is the next Wiggins and Kuminga is the next Aaron Gordon. How that makes us better in the long run ? Even Suggs and Cunningham are far from sure things and propably a tier 2/3 players.

We can’t really be sure what their ceiling is going to be. Suggs, Cunningham, and to a lesser extent Green could all be that guy to initiate offense.

Bottom line is that the Magic need to rebuild regardless. There is nobody to “build around” on this roster and we wouldn’t even be close to at the top of this draft if it wasn’t for the injuries. I would never argue that every prospect at the top of the draft is a sure thing. However, I see no alternatives to Orlando getting back on track as a serious organization.

[zaymon]

Why? So you can watch Vucevic and Fournier for a complete decade of bad - mediocre basketball?

Or are you saying that Orlando doesn’t need an elite level player at the expense of having a sub .500 record and a few more first round exits? I don’t understand this infatuation with needing to see Vucevic on a successful Magic roster. It’s probably never going to happen.

There is such little trade value on this roster that earning a top 5 pick would be Orlando’s best asset, whether that becomes realized or not. Clifford running vets 35+mpg to squeeze out wins prevents that from happening at the expense of nothing substantial in the slightest.

I agree we need elite ball handler to contend but i cant see him in 2021 draft right now.
Lets say we trade Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier and get number 5 pick which is the most likely outcome. Lets say Green is the next Wiggins and Kuminga is the next Aaron Gordon. How that makes us better in the long run ? Even Suggs and Cunningham are far from sure things and propably a tier 2/3 players.

We can’t really be sure what their ceiling is going to be. Suggs, Cunningham, and to a lesser extent Green could all be that guy to initiate offense.

Bottom line is that the Magic need to rebuild regardless. There is nobody to “build around” on this roster and we wouldn’t even be close to at the top of this draft if it wasn’t for the injuries. I would never argue that every prospect at the top of the draft is a sure thing. However, I see no alternatives to Orlando getting back on track as a serious organization.

I dont think we need to rebuild, we just need to get better. If you like prospects in the draft and our chances at the lottery, sure go for it but i dont.
We just extended JI and Fultz i think its the worst time to rebuild for us.
Do i think we should capitalize on injuries ? Yes i do. Do i think we should use our assets to chase playoffs ? Absolutly not. Am i ok us trading AG or Fournier knowing we will miss the play in if the return is right ? Yes i am.

[RookieStar]

I am not yet very familiar with next years draft but i heard great things about Chet. Its hard to tell in advance, but this year is dissapointing me.
Drafting high in most cases is a trap for stupid GMs who think that trading all your veterans while overpaying middling young talent who plays only becouse there is no one better on the team is recipe for success.
I am not against losing with talent injured, i am not even against trading Gordon or Fournier if the return is right. I am against stripping the roster of most veterans to draft solid but unspectatular talent in high lottery and giving minutes to undeserving players.

TLDR for pictogram users.

Why? So you can watch Vucevic and Fournier for a complete decade of bad - mediocre basketball?

Or are you saying that Orlando doesn’t need an elite level player at the expense of having a sub .500 record and a few more first round exits? I don’t understand this infatuation with needing to see Vucevic on a successful Magic roster. It’s probably never going to happen.

There is such little trade value on this roster that earning a top 5 pick would be Orlando’s best asset, whether that becomes realized or not. Clifford running vets 35+mpg to squeeze out wins prevents that from happening at the expense of nothing substantial in the slightest.

I agree we need elite ball handler to contend but i cant see him in 2021 draft right now.
Lets say we trade Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier and get number 5 pick which is the most likely outcome. Lets say Green is the next Wiggins and Kuminga is the next Aaron Gordon. How that makes us better in the long run ? Even Suggs and Cunningham are far from sure things and propably a tier 2/3 players.

First of, I will be the first to agree that you cannot predict accurately what a player will be after college. Also, heaven forbid, you can't even predict if they will be injured or not. Sure, Green has a 50/50 chance of being the next Wiggins or the next Kobe-wannabe. Kuminga could also be the next AG or the next LBJ-wannabe. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise cuz if someone here says so, then why don't you give us the next winning lotto number. I promise to share with you all my winnings.

However, if you watch a basketball tournament, you will see standout players in a game/s and that's where Green,CAde, etc comes in. Then you dig inj some more and check their history of games if this is consistent or not, their work-ethic and etc etc. Then you compare them all. And based on that, you would know that this year's class especially their abilities would trump that of the past few drafts. Heck, if you put in any ONE of Cade/Suggs/Green in last year's draft I would pick him over Ant,Wiseman , Ball, etc

So yeah, this is the draft to get that elite talent "for free"

[zaymon]

Why? So you can watch Vucevic and Fournier for a complete decade of bad - mediocre basketball?

Or are you saying that Orlando doesn’t need an elite level player at the expense of having a sub .500 record and a few more first round exits? I don’t understand this infatuation with needing to see Vucevic on a successful Magic roster. It’s probably never going to happen.

There is such little trade value on this roster that earning a top 5 pick would be Orlando’s best asset, whether that becomes realized or not. Clifford running vets 35+mpg to squeeze out wins prevents that from happening at the expense of nothing substantial in the slightest.

I agree we need elite ball handler to contend but i cant see him in 2021 draft right now.
Lets say we trade Vucevic, Gordon and Fournier and get number 5 pick which is the most likely outcome. Lets say Green is the next Wiggins and Kuminga is the next Aaron Gordon. How that makes us better in the long run ? Even Suggs and Cunningham are far from sure things and propably a tier 2/3 players.

First of, I will be the first to agree that you cannot predict accurately what a player will be after college. Also, heaven forbid, you can't even predict if they will be injured or not. Sure, Green has a 50/50 chance of being the next Wiggins or the next Kobe-wannabe. Kuminga could also be the next AG or the next LBJ-wannabe. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise cuz if someone here says so, then why don't you give us the next winning lotto number. I promise to share with you all my winnings.

However, if you watch a basketball tournament, you will see standout players in a game/s and that's where Green,CAde, etc comes in. Then you dig inj some more and check their history of games if this is consistent or not, their work-ethic and etc etc. Then you compare them all. And based on that, you would know that this year's class especially their abilities would trump that of the past few drafts. Heck, if you put in any ONE of Cade/Suggs/Green in last year's draft I would pick him over Ant,Wiseman , Ball, etc

So yeah, this is the draft to get that elite talent "for free"

Maybe you are right, i am no scout, but i dont see them as elite prospects. They are good to very good to me but not elite. Everyone should make their own opinion, i have mine even if flawed.

[RookieStar]

^^^ True true.. even pro scouts fail spectacularly. But everyone has their opinion. Im.one of those that thinks this draft's top choices are better than ive seen on others... especially Cade.

[MagicFan101]

We now sit at the #7 spot.

Overall, we are now +/- 1.0 game form the #4 spot and the #12 spot with our next 2 games coming against Detroit.

It’s becoming critical to make a move and allow our aging vets the chance to make something of their career elsewhere while the franchise looks to rebuild.

[Skin]

Really pathetic that we won't be getting a Top 5 pick this year.

[zaymon]

Really pathetic that we won't be getting a Top 5 pick this year.

You think being top 5 worst team is some kind of achievement ? We can bottom anytime without problem.

[Knightro]

Really pathetic that we won't be getting a Top 5 pick this year.

You think being top 5 worst team is some kind of achievement ? We can bottom anytime without problem.

The fact that they could, but they won't ultimately is the biggest problem.

[RookieStar]

Anyone watching NCAA games right now? I figured I need to watch more Zaire, Keon and the like just to soften the blow of disappointment after maybe missing out on Cade and the like.

[DiplomaticMagic]

Unless we trade Vuc, we are picking in the double digits

[BCS]

Unless we trade Vuc, we are picking in the double digits

The way things are going...it feels awful to say and I hate myself for it but I honestly feel our saving grace is Vuc getting injured as it serves multiple purposes. The obvious tank and finally being able to see what Bamba can contribute given consistent minutes.....hopefully, Cliff probably plays Khem about 36 mins a game and maybe gives Mo 12 min anyways.

P.S. I honestly do not want him to get injured, he has been healthy through his career and don't want that to change but this is the stuff our inept front office who refuses to see a bigger picture and is satisfied with mediocrity makes me think as they won't do anything.

[KillMonger]

still waiting for any viable solution from the non-tank posters.....how do we improve the team in our situation? How do we add top talent to this team?

[T-Cat]

He rising up NBA draft boards!

Watch on YouTube

Sounds like he would get along with Jonathan Isaac and bring out the best in Mo Bamba!

Watch on YouTube

[VFX]

He rising up NBA draft boards!

Watch on YouTube

Sounds like he would get along with Jonathan Isaac and bring out the best in Mo Bamba!

Watch on YouTube

Moar bigs.

I want to see an entire lineup of bigs, still have no true SF, and a bottom 5 back court please.

[Skybox]

still waiting for any viable solution from the non-tank posters.....how do we improve the team in our situation? How do we add top talent to this team?

I don't think there is a single person here who says "We're good. No changes. Run it back".

This "I'm anti-tank", "I'm for tanking" is total bulls**t...exactly like recent political climate in America. There are trades to be made, players to be rested, draft picks to aim for...it's not black or white...I guess I'm anti-tank, but if they don't make significant moves, I'm going to be sick to my stomach. I'm supportive of some things blue/some things traditionally red...same with hoops, it should be non-partisan

-After Vuc gets his All-Star nod, rest him every other game or, at least, limit his minutes. Make the focus on "developing Bamba", even if that's a lie. Nobody else needs to sit, the better Evan plays, the higher his price, Ditto AG...if THOSE two take us to the playoffs with our battered roster, we have some surprising decisions to make.
-Trade AG ASAP, he really should hold some value to teams needing D and offensive versatility, he's redundant here
-Trade Evan ASAP if we feel he's going to demand more than he's worth to us or he's bolting anyway or if we feel his game is not conducive to our other personnel (I have mixed feelings on that, 40% shooters don't fall out of the sky-is he a black hole or does he not have confidence in the rest of the team?) I don't know, but I'm leaning towards chasing a young guy who can knock down open 3's for a lot less money, like Aaron Nesmith (who maybe can be gotten in a Gordon trade) or similar prospect. Risky to move known for unproven but that should be where we are.
-Listen for Vuc offers...it should be all-time high, but don't give him away, that's entirely counterproductive. I'd say same for Ross. We don't NEED to dump either of them. Both have games that will transition nicely to an up-tempo Fultz-friendly offense, so why give them away? If it's not a significant return (Beal pkg, Wiseman, high pick(s), etc)-pass. If we're healthy, we're relevant. Assuming any kind of continued growth from Fultz and Isaac, TWO significant rotation rookies in Cole and Okeke, a very high pick, and a couple of trade chips...we could be in a lot worse position.
-Play Bamba, do not trade him for nothing. He may not ever be Gobert but why can't a smart 21 year old get better at defensive positioning? People here often choose sides quickly and then label guys prematurely. "lazy" "doesn't want to play bball"...
-look for financial flexibility...can we get off of Aminu in a package? Can we dig financially?
-I'm seriously ready for a new Coach. Cliff is good and solid but look at what Quin Snyder is doing in Utah. Build a TEAM. We have these longbois, good defense gives you a chance in every game, home or away-so I don't dislike Cliff's emphasis but we need some firepower and ball movement and unpredictability on the other end and perhaps Cliff isn't the guy for that(or he doesn't have the guys?).

The more I look at what Utah is doing and San Antonio used to do, that's something I can get behind...Hoping the next LBJ falls out of the sky is the farthest thing from a plan. It's a "strong draft", but none of them are rock-solid superstars. If we knew it was a Lebron or Tim Duncan or Shaq draft, I might feel differently.

[zaymon]

We need someone like Conley. I truly believe Fournier/Okeke/Isaac could be a top wing/forward rotation in near future. Even if we draft Cunningham/Suggs they wont help us much for the next 4-5 years. Even if we finish 10-12 we will still have decent chance for a top 3 pick, much better than before lottery odds change.

[VFX]

still waiting for any viable solution from the non-tank posters.....how do we improve the team in our situation? How do we add top talent to this team?

The more I look at what Utah is doing and San Antonio used to do, that's something I can get behind...Hoping the next LBJ falls out of the sky is the farthest thing from a plan. It's a "strong draft", but none of them are rock-solid superstars. If we knew it was a Lebron or Tim Duncan or Shaq draft, I might feel differently.

Utah got extremely lucky and drafted a 25ppg guy at #13, have a 2x DPoY C (top 5 in the league), and extremely underrated role players. We’ll see if they get past the second round of the playoffs this season.

San Antonio had arguably the best PF to ever play the game and 2 other HoF players in Parker and Ginobli.

Teams that will trade for Vuc are going to be contenders. They aren’t gifting Orlando prized assets for a third option on offense to push themselves over the top. AG will return far less.

Rebuilding through the draft doesn’t mean “land Lebron”, it means getting away from what hasn’t worked for nearly a decade and trying something different. Anything else at this point makes more sense.

By the way, what “Utah did and San Antonio did” was draft and develop their core players themselves. So inadvertently you are supporting the idea that Orlando should be trying to maximize draft assets at all costs.

[Skybox]

Utah and San Antonio have gotten REALLY lucky, I guess...like for decades

[VFX]

Utah and San Antonio have gotten REALLY lucky, I guess...like for decades

Yes. They utilized the draft and developed players appropriately. Pure luck.

Remember when Orlando selected Dwight #1?
Remember when Orlando selected Shaq #1?

Good times.