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2024 Aggregate Mock Draft: Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey rising before combine

HoopsHype’s aggregate 2024 NBA mock draft lists the top prospects in the class, including rising centers Donovan Clingan and Zach Edey.

Following the NCAA Tournament and ahead of the NBA Draft Combine, HoopsHype has updated where the top prospects currently stand for the 2024 NBA Draft by compiling 10 mock drafts from ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, NBA Big Board, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, SB Nation, and USA TODAY’s For The Win.

HoopsHype also spoke with several NBA executives and scouts for their insight on the prospects for the fourth edition of the aggregate mock draft. The consensus from a majority of NBA talent evaluators is this draft class isn’t as top heavy with franchise-altering talent, but is deep with several potential sleepers to be selected.

“When you look at this draft, you have to drag down a lot of these players and think of them as 20-30 types of picks,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “The lottery guys in a normal draft would be 10-30. There are no real top-end lottery guys. If you’re thinking of getting a franchise-altering guy, I’d temper that and try to get a good role player. If you’re drafting at the top of the draft, you should try and get some value for that pick on the trade market.”

An explanation for HoopsHype’s Draft Predictor from colleague Alberto de Roa, who contributed research to this story, can be found here.

NOTE: These rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for the overall consensus, not our own opinion. For example, if a player was the first pick on a publication’s mock draft, he received 60 points. If a player was second, he received 59 points, and so on. We then tabulated the total number of points for each player’s consensus ranking.

Orlando Magic offseason primer: On the way up, with money to spend

In the only seven-game series of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Orlando Magic lost on the road to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-94, ending their season. It was the first postseason appearance for the Magic since the bubble of 2020, and …

In the only seven-game series of the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Orlando Magic lost on the road to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-94, ending their season.

It was the first postseason appearance for the Magic since the bubble of 2020, and their 47-35 regular-season record was their best since the 52-30 mark of 2010-11, all the way back in the Stan Van Gundy/Dwight Howard era. One of the NBA’s worst franchises of the last decade finally found some form, some fun and some success. Now, the question becomes how to build on this going forward.

Because they have been led by young stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, the Magic have been able to do what they have done while keeping costs down. All three are on rookie-scale contracts, and thus the team is in an enviable position of being young, good and at a manageable cost. There therefore exists a window to add more talent before the bigger paydays come due, aided by the expiration of some of their more significant contracts at just the right times.

That said, to have potential flexibility is different to being able to convert that into meaningful additions, and the future big contracts will need budgeting for. It is therefore a balancing add between immediate possibilities and future necessities. With this in mind, here follows a look at the Orlando Magic’s roster and spending heading into the 2024 NBA offseason.

NBA Twitter reacts to Cavaliers eliminating Magic in Game 7: ‘Donovan Mitchell dragging the Cavs to victory like LeBron’

The Cavaliers advanced to the second round after a 106-94 win in Game 7 vs. the Magic. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Caris LeVert added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Paolo Banchero …

The Cavaliers advanced to the second round after a 106-94 win in Game 7 vs. the Magic.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 39 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Caris LeVert added 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Paolo Banchero was again the star in Orlando with 38 points and 16 rebounds.

Here’s how NBA Twitter reacted to the Cavs victory.

Top 50 highest-paid NBA players who never made an All-NBA team

HoopsHype lists the Top 50 NBA players who made the most money and never made an All-NBA team.

Did you know 22 players in NBA history have made over $150 million without earning an All-NBA selection?

HoopsHype ranked the 50 highest-paid players who never made an All-NBA selection, combining to earn over $8 billion, according to our database.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

Is Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell an underrated free agent?

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell free agency preview and why he’s underrated amid a career year from HoopsHype’s NBA Insider Michael Scotto.

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is playing the best basketball of his career in his prime, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

This season, Russell has shot more efficiently than his All-Star campaign in Brooklyn, shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range, which ranks third among players ranked in the NBA’s Top 25 in made threes per game.

Since Russell’s son, Riley, was born on September 24, 2022, Russell has averaged 18.0 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range, 6.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds with a plus-215 rating in 137 games.

According to Russell, the birth of his son helped him know his purpose in every game.

“Everything I do, I’d see his face,” Russell told HoopsHype. “It’s either this or that. What are you going to do? It makes my decision easy when it comes to anything. It does have a change and effect on you. It puts you in this state of mind that it’s mine or I’ll die for it. It’s been good.”

Russell has an upcoming decision on his $18.69 million player option for the 2024-25 season and is considered one of the top free agents on the market should he decline to exercise his player option and become an unrestricted free agent.

“It’s definitely pressure,” Russell told HoopsHype when asked what it’s like playing in a potential contract season. “It’s something that can eat a lot of people up in the league. A lot of people can be too high at times and too low at times, which causes an emotional roller coaster through the ups and downs of the season. For me, I wanted to control that. I wanted to stay sane and stay even-keeled through the ups and the downs.”

While thriving under the pressure of a contract season, Russell could be of interest to several teams looking for point guard help during free agency this summer.

Top 25 NBA players who never won MVP

HoopsHype lists the Top 25 NBA players who never won the MVP award.

Over the past 15 seasons, four players have won a majority of the MVP awards: LeBron James (four), Stephen Curry (twice), Giannis Antetokounmpo (twice), and Nikola Jokic (twice).

Joel Embiid, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose were among the few to crack that list amid the dominance of the big four listed above and win their only MVP award in that span.

So who are some of the NBA’s greatest players of all time who weren’t able to win an MVP and break through their era of dominant players?

HoopsHype examined the Top 25 players to never win MVP from our 77 greatest players ever list to find out.

What’s next for Klay Thompson and Warriors in free agency? “He’s a Warrior for life no matter what”

Previewing 2024 NBA free agency for Klay Thompson and Golden State Warriors, with reporting from HoopsHype Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto.

With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and coach Steve Kerr signed through the 2025-26 season, will Klay Thompson be the next Warriors cornerstone piece to get a new deal in free agency this summer?

Thompson, a five-time All-Star before suffering a torn ACL and Achilles that caused him to miss two and a half seasons, is among the top free agents available this summer.

With that in mind, HoopsHype asked eight NBA executives for their free agent projections for Thompson. Three executives believed Thompson would get $18-20 million annually, and the other five predicted he’d get $20-25 million annually. Four executives believed Golden State would ideally try to align Thompson with his fellow “Splash Brother,” Curry, on a two-year deal. Green, meanwhile, has a player option for the 2026-27 season.

NBA Trade Deadline Rumors: The latest intel on all 30 teams

HoopsHype Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto reports on the latest intel on all 30 NBA teams ahead of the trade deadline.

With hours until the NBA trade deadline, here’s the latest intel on all 30 teams gathered by HoopsHype. This story will be updated with any new intel as the deadline nears.

NBA Trade Deadline Intel: Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Cavs, Mavs, Nets, Pistons, Wizards, Grizzlies, Wolves

NBA trade deadline intel reporting on the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nets, Pistons, Wizards, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves from HoopsHype Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto.

With the start of NBA trade deadline week upon us, here’s the latest intel gathered by HoopsHype on the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Franz Wagner on the Magic’s rise, Paolo Banchero, Jamahl Mosley, Cole Anthony, Germany

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner discussed the team’s hot start and future, Paolo Banchero, Jamahl Mosley, Cole Anthony, Germany, and more with Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto on the latest episode of The HoopsHype Podcast.

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner discussed the team’s hot start and future, Paolo Banchero, Jamahl Mosley, Cole Anthony, Germany, and more with Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto on the latest episode of The HoopsHype Podcast.

For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.