Tag: Orlando Magic

Former Duke basketball star Paolo Banchero reminisces on getting drafted first overall

The Orlando Magic released a video of former Duke basketball star Paolo Banchero looking back on his special night at the 2022 NBA draft.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] got all the Duke headlines at the NBA draft in 2024, but two years before, all the news in Durham revolved around [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag].

The Orlando Magic picked Banchero with the first overall pick in 2022, the fifth Blue Devil taken with the opening pick in the NBA draft. On Wednesday, with all eyes on the draft stage again, the Magic shared a video of Banchero remembering the night he owned the basketball world.

“Just thinking back to the emotions from that night, just how happy I was, how happy my family was, seeing us all at the table, brings back good memories.”

Banchero said he watched the clip of his name getting announced almost every day for his first couple of months in the league.

“To rewatch it again, it never feels any more dull,” Banchero said. “It’s always, you know, a great feeling when I watch it.”

Banchero led the Magic to the NBA playoffs last season as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

No other school can match the Blue Devils’ five No. 1 picks in NBA draft history. Check out every top-10 pick from Duke here.

Most recent Notre Dame players to be NBA draft selections

All of these players did the Irish proud before making the jump.

Nobody on Notre Dame’s veteran-laden team from this past season will be selected in Thursday’s NBA draft. In fact, given the inexperience across the board on the upcoming season’s roster and under a new coach no less, it could be quite a while before we see another Notre Dame player drafted. On the bright side, that means no early departures except via the transfer portal. Then again, it sure would be nice to have NBA-ready talent in South Bend.

The only way to deal with a challenging present and short-term future is to look to the past. In this case, the way to go about that is to look at former players who heard their names called on draft night over the past several years. Of the 62 former Notre Dame players who have suited up in the NBA or ABA, 41 have entered professional basketball via the draft. Here are the most recent ones:

Fischer: Orlando won’t pay D’Angelo Russell more money than the Lakers

Would it make sense for D’Angelo Russell to leave the Lakers if the market for him won’t be great?

A lot of the Los Angeles Lakers’ attention so far this offseason has centered on their head coaching search and their upcoming attempt to keep LeBron James in the fold.

But there is another very important player who can opt out of his player option for next season and become a free agent this summer.

Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell was a breath of fresh air for Los Angeles when he essentially replaced Russell Westbrook last February. But his repeated poor performances in the playoffs have caused fans to sour on him a bit.

Russell has been linked to the Orlando Magic, but according to Jake Fischer on the “No Cap Room” podcast, he may not end up making more money there than he would with the Lakers (h/t Lakers Nation).

“I haven’t talked to anyone in Orlando. I will admit publicly about D’Angelo Russell being on their radar but I can guarantee you he is not on the Orlando Magic radar for more money than what he is potentially on the books for in LA.”

If Russell opts in and stays with the Lakers, he will make nearly $18.7 million next season. It is hard to imagine another team offering him significantly more than that on the open market given his playoff struggles year after year, although it is certainly possible.

He also has the option of opting out and then signing a new deal with the Lakers. That is reportedly their preferred outcome, as they could then use him as trade bait to upgrade their roster.

SB Nation assigns Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski to ‘perfect’ fits in new mock draft

See which squads took Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski in the new SB Nation mock draft, detailing the ‘perfect’ prospects for each team, here.

SB Nation released a new mock draft on Monday with writer Ricky O’Donnell taking a slightly different approach. Instead of detailing which picks he thinks each NBA team will make, O’Donnell said he went for which player he would take in each position.

The Duke basketball team has two players in the draft pool this year, and both went in the top 21 selections of O’Donnell’s ideal draft.

[autotag]Jared McCain[/autotag] went 18th overall to the Orlando Magic. The No. 5 seed in last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs is led by another former Duke basketball player in [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], and McCain’s 41% 3-point shooting clip can help space the floor.

“While he’s not a natural shot creator off the dribble, he could play well off Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and provide them with floor spacing,” O’Donnell wrote.

[autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag] went three picks later to the New Orleans Pelicans led by former Duke basketball players [autotag]Brandon Ingram[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag].

O’Donnell even said Filipowski might go higher than 21st due to his combination of height (7 feet tall) and ball-handling (2.8 assists per game last season).

“Duke’s sophomore center is one of the most skilled big men in the class: a great decision-maker as a passer, a capable three-point shooter, and a tough interior scorer,” the SB Nation writer said.

The NBA draft kicks off on Wednesday, June 26.

Potential second-round pick Harrison Ingram suffered injury in recent draft workout

Ingram sustained an injury in a predraft workout with the Magic that will sideline him for a few days.

Former North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram said he sustained an injury in a predraft workout with the Orlando Magic on Sunday and will be sidelined for the next 3-5 days.

Ingram took an inadvertent elbow to the face in that group workout, which also featured Bradley forward Malevy Leons and Houston guard Jamal Shead, among others. He received stitches and will miss a few days out of precaution.

The injury prevented Ingram from working out with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. He could still watch the session and meet with team executives afterward.

“It was my first time to not be in the workout,” Ingram said. “It was fun seeing some of my friends, like Reece (Beekman), play well and everybody competing. It is fun to be here. This is our dream and we’re traveling around for a month city to city playing basketball. I mean, what else would I want to do?”

Ingram transferred to North Carolina last year after playing the first two years of his career at Stanford. He was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2022 and had a productive run with the Cardinal, averaging 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 65 games.

He was named to the All-ACC third team after averaging 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals. He ranked third in the conference in total rebounds (327) and registered five 20-point games, including 21 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Duke on Feb. 3.

The 6-foot-6 forward is a potential second-round pick this year, given his overall ability and versatility on defense with his size at 233 pounds and 7-foot, 1/4-inch wingspan. He also improved as a 3-point shooter, raising his percentage from 31.9 to 38.5 on 4.6 attempts per game.

Ingram has also completed workouts with the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers and will have additional visits ahead of the draft on June 26-27. He is working most to show teams his competitive and athleticism in workouts.

“I feel like I wasn’t able to show as much athleticism this year,” Ingram said. “In the college game, there isn’t as much space but I feel like with the NBA spacing, cutting backdoor (and) beating guys off the dribble, I feel like I have a lot more pop than people know and a lot more competitiveness than people know.”

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Could the Chicago Bulls be getting ready to trade guard Zach LaVine to the Orlando Magic?

Such a trade could actually be for the better on both sides of a hypothetical LaVine exchange, pending the return and cost.

Could the Chicago Bulls be getting ready to trade guard Zach LaVine to the Orlando Magic? With the necessary caveat that the Bulls are currently neck deep in what we call Silly Season (that time of year all trade rumors ought to be taken with a hefty grain of salt), we are indeed hearing rumbles such a deal might be on the table.

And while not everyone is happy with such a potential swap, there is at least a case to be made that such a trade could actually be for the better on both sides of a hypothetical LaVine exchange, pending the return and cost.

The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat the Designer, spent some time on a recent episode to break down the context surrounding the rumor and their feelings about it.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their takes.

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Magic floated as potential Zach LaVine trade destination for Bulls

The Orlando Magic could make a solid Zach LaVine trade partner for the Chicago Bulls.

As the Chicago Bulls get set to enter the offseason, trading Zach LaVine has to be pretty high on their priorities list. They tried to move him earlier this year, but things didn’t work out. Paul Connor of Sports Grid suggested the Orlando Magic as a potential landing spot for a trade this summer.

“The Magic surprised many this season,” Connor wrote. “Their 47 wins were the franchise’s most since 2010-11. Orlando was bolstered by its top-five defense but ranked 24th in offense, including last in three-pointers made per game. While the team could opt to bank on further development from youngsters Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, LaVine’s scoring prowess would immediately improve the overall balance of the roster.”

For the Magic, adding LaVine’s shot creation could help take them to the next level, as their offense fizzled out in the postseason.

And for the Bulls, adding some picks or young pieces in exchange for LaVine would be ideal.

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Paolo Banchero had a classy response about Caitlin Clark receiving more ESPN coverage than the Magic

This was such a great reaction from Paolo Banchero about Caitlin Clark.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark had to help rebuild the basketball teams that selected them at No. 1 overall.

Banchero has already won the NBA’s 2023 Rookie of the Year and was named an NBA All-Star in 2024. He also helped lead Orlando back to the postseason in just his second professional season.

Despite the success, however, the foward played exactly zero games on ESPN for the Magic during the regular season. They then had two games broadcast on ESPN during the postseason.

It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but a fan noticed that Clark’s Fever already have five games scheduled on ESPN (with another on ESPN2) during the regular season.

This doesn’t bother Banchero, though. He tweeted that Clark “rightfully” deserved the airtime and that his time was coming eventually.

Clark, of course, has done wonders for ratings when playing on national TV. As such, it wasn’t exactly shocking when the Fever were scheduled for a ton of games on a national broadcast, even beyond ESPN.

Here is more from Meghan L. Hall:

“They released their television broadcast schedule for the upcoming season, which will have several games shown on networks like ESPN, ABC and CBS but will also spotlight the Indiana Fever with 36 nationally televised games. That’s more than the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (35 games) and the runner-up New York Liberty (31 games). That’s also a 35 percent increase from the 2023 season when the Fever had 22 games on national television.”

Clark is on national TV a lot but if the Magic keep winning, Banchero will have that opportunity soon as well.

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Klay Thompson is flirting with the Magic, which might officially start the end of the Warriors

Klay will draw at some interest around the league, including from the Magic and the Mavericks. 

The Golden State Warriors did not advance in the NBA’s play-in tournament and now face a potentially tumultuous offseason.

At the center of the conversation is Klay Thompson, who played an integral role in helping the franchise win four championships during his tenure. But after an especially brutal showing in an elimination game, the reality that it may have been Thompson’s last time playing for Golden State became more likely.

Even though Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has indicated that the franchise needs Thompson back, he is in the final year of his contract and could test out the waters as a free agent.

RELATED: Steve Kerr thinks the Warriors ‘need’ Klay Thompson back but the decision isn’t so simple

There is reportedly at least one team, the Orlando Magic, with registered interest in Thompson. Here is more from Charania:

“The Magic can open up an excess of $60 million in cap space this offseason … One name to keep an eye on: Klay Thompson. I’m told there is mutual interest between the Magic and Klay Thompson.”

According to Charania, the five-time NBA All-Star is one of several veterans around the league looking at the Magic as a team that could potentially make a “real jump” next season.

Orlando was recently able to take the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs before they eventually got eliminated.

Even though Thompson isn’t the player that he once was during his peak, his experience and leadership could provide tremendous value to a team like the Magic. Thompson is expected to weigh all of his options (via The Athletic):

“There’s a sense that Thompson is really taking these extra couple months to assess his future and decide whether he wants to continue with the Warriors, regardless of contract offer. What else is out there from a money, role and lifestyle standpoint? How much of a priority do the Warriors make him in the lead up? What is their final offer and how does it compare?”

Thompson will likely draw at least some interest around the league, including from the Magic and the Mavericks.

Whether or not these organizations will offer a contract enticing enough for Thompson to change teams for the first time in his career is to be determined.

But the ball is effectively in Golden State’s court when it comes to how they will approach the notion of bringing Thompson back this summer.

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Orlando Magic listed as ‘best fit’ for potential Zach LaVine trade

Could the Orlando Magic be a potential Chicago Bulls trade partner for Zach LaVine?

The Chicago Bulls are supposedly focused on finding a trade for Zach LaVine this summer. It’s their top priority. While exploring potential moves for LaVine, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed the Orlando Magic as the “best fit” for LaVine in a trade this offseason.

“With a lengthy (and growing) injury history, a colossal contract and very little team success to show for a decade in the league, LaVine is the trickiest of trade candidates,” Buckley wrote. “Teams must be pretty desperate for buckets to seriously consider bringing him onboard. Orlando might feel such desperation. The Magic made real strides this season, but their growth is capped by their 22nd-ranked offense. Beyond bullying their way to the foul line, there is very little this offense does at even a league-average level. Orlando has standing needs for scoring, spacing and shot-creation, and LaVine, if healthy, is capable of scratching all three itches. The Magic also happen to have the kind of lanky, versatile athletic defenders capable of covering for LaVine’s limitations on the defensive end.

“Plus, they have some wiggle room before the second contracts of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner kick in, so LaVine’s bloated salary may not be the obstacle for them than it is for most. And if it helps keep his trade cost down—and it absolutely should—Orlando could snag a potential problem-solver without doing much damage to its asset collection.”

Adding LaVine’s shot creation could be a huge boost for a Magic team that desperately needs help generating consistent points.

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