The Orlando Magic had dreams of landing a top 3 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Instead, they ended up at No. 5. It's not the worst case scenario, but for a team that had a 14% chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick (tied for the best odds), it's not too flashy either.
Orlando also has the No. 8 overall pick, via their trade at the deadline with the Chicago Bulls that landed Nikola Vucevic in Chicago.
For this piece, we focus in on that ever important No. 5 overall pick for the Magic. They sold at the deadline big time, parting ways with Vucevic, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon. Now, they go into rebuild mode and try to put pieces around Cole Anthony, Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Issac.
Here are the three best options for the Magic at No. 5 in the 2021 NBA Draft, ranked.
3.) Scottie Barnes – Florida State
All of these options for the Magic are made under the assumption that Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green are off the board. That needs to be stated out front. If any of those four were to slip to No. 5 overall, the Magic should pounce on the opportunity.
Yes Suggs is a point guard and Orlando has Fultz, Anthony and R.J. Hampton. That doesn't matter. Suggs projects to be better than all of them.
Anyways, back to reality.
Scottie Barnes checks the boxes for his fit at the forward spot, checking in at 6-foot-7, 225 pounds. He can guard multiple positions, including any guard spot. He's a constant positive presence on the floor and while the shooting leaves a lot to be desired at times, it's not out of the realm of possibilities whatsoever that he develops a far more consistent shot at the next level with work.
Barnes has great ball handling skills for someone his size and is good at setting teammates up. He figures to be an instant impact player right from the jump on the defensive end of the court.
2.) Trade the pick to move up
While teams area constantly shuffling around the NBA Draft order once it gets underway, it's always hard to predict where the movement will come from first.
Perhaps the Magic view either Suggs, Green or Mobley as a can't miss talent and they trade up to acquire one of the three. Cunningham is left out of this discussion because it's impossible to imagine the Pistons moving from the No. 1 slot and passing on the Oklahoma State product.
But a team like the Raptors at No. 4 or the Cavaliers at No. 3, both of whom moved up with the lottery, may be enticed to move back.
If the Magic packaged the No. 5 pick and a young player with upside, it could be enough to move up and snag their choice of Mobley, Suggs, or Green.
Moving up into the top three or four of the NBA Draft can be tricky at times and often the price is too steep. Although the Magic sent off Gordon, Vucevic and Fournier at the deadline they still have a lot of young talent that other teams would covet and, don't forget about that No. 8 overall pick either.
1.) Jonathan Kuminga – G-League Ignite
While there appears to be a clear top tier of four players, some scouts have argued it should be stretched out into a top five that includes Jonathan Kuminga.
It's been noted that the Magic have a lot of promising young guards and going the route of Kuminga would give them a promising young forward.
Kuminga has great size at 6-foot-8 and he has a high ceiling from a shot-creation standpoint.
Playing on this Magic team could offer Kuminga plenty of opportunities early to get live reps and develop and grow his perimeter game. The Magic need scorers and Kuminga certainly brings that to the table.
While he's still somewhat of a raw talent, the Magic aren't in a spot where they are looking for completed projects at the moment. They will have the luxury of exhausting patience with their young picks and younger players, taking away any immediate pressure that Kuminga might feel.
Out of all the likely options for the Magic at No. 5, Kuminga seems to be the most in-play route to go if they stand firm and hang onto that No. 5 overall pick.
The Magic will play a big role in how the top 10 of the NBA Draft takes shape. Having two of the top 8 picks gives them the ability to mold how things will play out. With roster needs across the board, they could go many directions but perhaps what might be best is sticking to what seems obvious, selecting Jonathan Kuminga.
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