Magic president Jeff Weltman is still weighing whom his team will take with the No. 1 overall pick.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — College basketball season ended almost three months ago, the NBA draft lottery was more than a month ago and the draft itself is later this week.
Seems like the process should be winding down.
Orlando Magic President Jeff Weltman sees it differently.
“I tell you, it’s still early in the process,” Weltman said Monday.
Translated: The Magic haven’t decided yet what they’ll do on Thursday night, when the draft rolls around and they have the No. 1 pick. Other teams have called to gauge what the asking price would be if they want to trade for that selection, and the Magic have evaluated all the top candidates.
But Weltman sees no reason to decide anything before it’s absolutely necessary, especially given the opportunity that Orlando has by holding this No. 1 pick.
“Dialogue is always ongoing,” Weltman said. “But, most importantly, we get to do what we want. That’s the real benefit of having the No. 1 pick.”
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The top candidates for the pick are well-known: Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. worked out for Orlando earlier this month, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren met with the Magic for multiple days last week and Duke’s Paolo Banchero has been working out with former Magic guard Mike Miller.