The 2022 Orlando Magic draft will include them selecting No. 1 overall late next month in Brooklyn.
Orlando earned the first pick in the NBA Draft lottery earlier in May, and will have some decisions to make. For head coach Jamahl Mosley and general manager Jeff Weltman, this could be a franchise-altering draft.
Coming off a 60-loss season, there’s a ton of young talent in Orlando. It’s now all about finding the right mix to go with the likes of Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony (maybe) and Wendell Carter Jr. Below, we preview the 2022 Orlando Magic draft with some ideal scenarios to ponder.
But first, let’s check in on what selections they hold for the annual event. At the end, we’ll provide a look at what we expect from the Magic come late June while glimpsing at their recent draft history for reference.
Related: Top-50 prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft
2022 Orlando Magic draft picks
- 1st round, 1st pick
- 2nd round, 32nd pick
- 2nd round, 35th pick (from Indiana)
Orlando Magic draft Chet Holmgren No. 1 overall
This seems to be the ideal scenario for Orlando. Holmgren is seen as a generational prospect and one of the top-three consensus players in the entire draft. The 7-foot big was a second-team All-American as a freshman — averaging 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks on 61/74/39 shooting. He also became the first college basketball player in over a quarter-century to rack up more than 100 blocks and 40 three-pointers in the same season.
This just goes to show us the type of versatile player Holmgren can be at the next level. He will need to gain weight to bang with the big guys inside, but his ability to hit the outside shot while protecting the rim on defense can’t be ignored.
Holmgren would be an ideal fit in the Orlando frontcourt with Wagner and Carter Jr., both of whom stood out for an otherwise bad team in 2021-22. Wagner was a top Rookie of the Year candidate, averaging 15.2 points on 35% shooting from distance. Acquired in the Nikola Vučević trade with the Chicago Bulls during the 2020-21 campaign, Carter Jr. averaged 15.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in his first full season with the Magic. Both are under 24 and have yet to hit their prime.
Related: 2022 NBA mock draft
Orlando Magic trade Cole Anthony during 2022 NBA Draft
While Orlando’s frontcourt situation could be settled by the addition of Holmgren, things are different in the backcourt. The team boasts three starter-caliber guards who stand at under 6-foot-5. After selecting Jalen Suggs No. 5 overall last year, he figures to be part of the team’s rebuild. That leaves either Cole Anthony or Markelle Fultz as being on the chopping block.
We’re going to go against the grain here and suggest that Orlando looks to move Anthony for either a young veteran or a first-round pick. The No. 15 selection back in 2020, the North Carolina product has struggled to an extent in his first two seasons.
- Cole Anthony stats (2020-22): 14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.0 APG, 2.5 TPG, 39% shooting, 34% 3-point
Those shooting splits just aren’t good. With that said, he’s still only 22 years old and could net the Magic a nice package. In turn, Orlando rolls with Fultz as Suggs’ primary backup while attempting to find a traditional two-guard moving forward.
2022 NBA Draft order, team-by-team picks
Orlando Magic draft includes trade of both second-round picks
With two selections early in the second round, some might figure that the Magic would just use these picks to help build up their depth. We’re going in a diffeent direction here. This includes moving off both picks for a single selection in the early 20s.
There promises to be available two-guards in this range, including MarJon Beauchamp from the G-League Ignite. He could sit for a while as the Magic rely on Terrence Ross and R.J. Hampton or finds another veteran to handle the off-ball spot next to Suggs.
Projected Orlando Magic draft picks
- 1st round, 1st pick: Chet Holmgren
- 1st round, 20th pick: MarJon Beauchamp (trade with the San Antonio Spurs
Past 10 Orlando Magic first-round picks
| Year | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 2021 | 5 | Jalen Suggs | Guard | Gonzaga |
| 2021 | 8 | Franz Wagner | Forward | Michigan |
| 2020 | 15 | Cole Anthony | Guard | North Carolina |
| 2019 | 16 | Chuma Okeke | Forward | Auburn |
| 2018 | 6 | Mohamed Bamba | Center | Texas |
| 2017 | 6 | Jonathan Isaac | Forward | Florida State |
| 2015 | 5 | Mario Hezonja | Forward | Croatia |
| 2014 | 4 | Aaron Gordon | Forward | Arizona |
| 2013 | 2 | Victor Oladipo | Guard | Indiana |
| 2012 | 19 | Andrew Nicholson | Forward | St. Bonaventure |