Magic take point guard Jalen Suggs at No. 5, forward Franz Wagner at No. 8
The Orlando Magic began their latest rebuilding phase Thursday night with Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs falling into their laps at No. 5 in the NBA Draft. They then turned around and snagged Michigan forward/center Franz Wagner at No. 8.
For the Magic’s final selection of the draft, they picked Boone High alum Jason Preston from Ohio University at No. 33, then sent him to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2026 second round draft pick
Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman spoke about Suggs and Wagner after their selections.
“When you have skill and IQ and team orientation and versatility, you can be comfortable putting a lot of combinations on the court and that’s what we’re trying to provide Jamahl with,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said about new coach Jamahl Mosley.
With their first pick, the Magic found Suggs (6-foot-4, 198 pounds) still on the board when they were on the clock to make their No. 5 selection. Sticking with their intention to take the best available players, Orlando drafted the star guard.
Mosley was excited about being able to draft Suggs, who in his only season in college averaged 14 points, 5.3 and 4.5 rebounds a game at Gonzaga.
“He is a special talent, special kid and we talk about those qualities he has ... toughness, grit, defensive-minded and just not afraid of the moment,” Mosley said. “And I think, with these young NBA players, you’re looking for them to have that.”
Suggs is also an accurate shooter who hit 50 percent of his floor shots, going 155-of-308, and he also hit 34% of his 3-pointers (35-of-104).
“I know the expectations I set on myself and those are always the highest. So going in there and achieving what I set out for myself, I know if I do that it’ll meet their standards as well,” Suggs said of the Magic. “I’m super excited to be going to work with a great group of guards in Cole [Anthony] and R.J. [Hampton] and a great group of people. Just so excited. I can’t wait to get there with the group.”
Suggs was Gonzaga’s go-to player when the Zags needed a bucket during a season that saw them lose just one game, the NCAA championship game to Baylor. His buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the national semifinals sent UCLA packing.
The Magic looked to possibly have been thrown a curve ball when FSU and Montverde Academy product Scottie Barnes was selected at No. 4 by the Toronto Raptors. The Magic were supposedly targeting Barnes, but the selection of Suggs was a big hit with most draft experts.
Montverde had four alums picks in the first round with Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) going No. 1 to Detroit and then Barnes to Toronto. Moses Moody (Arkansas) went No. 14 to Golden State and Day’Ron Sharpe (North Carolina) went No. 29 to Phoenix. The rights to Sharpe were then traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
Montverde also had a second-round pick in Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia at No. 50.
Florida guard Tre Mann was selected No. 18 by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Former Orlando Christian Prep forward Kai Jones of Texas was the 19th pick by the New York Knicks, who then sent him to the Charlotte Hornets. Jones won the Big 12′s Sixth Man award.
As for the German-born Wagner, in 55 career games at Michigan, he averaged 12 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He also made 46.5 percent of his field goals.
The 6-foot-9, 195-pound Wagner spoke after his selection about what he brings to the Magic.
“A lot of versatility, someone that always wants to learn, always wants to get better, is never satisfied,” Wagner said. “I’m going to work my butt off in Orlando to become the best basketball player I can be and impact the team’s game as much as possible.”
Orlando currently has Wagner’s brother, Mo Wagner, on its roster but he is a free agent this summer, so it remains to be seen if the two will actually play together in Orlando.
“I mean, I don’t know because he’s a free agent after this, so technically it’s not 100 percent yet. But we talked on the phone right after I got drafted,” Wagner said of his brother, who is at the Olympics with Team Germany. “I couldn’t really hear him, but he was super excited for me. I’m really excited, too.”
Mosley was pleased with both early selections, and he said both players go right along with his philosophy of playing with tempo, spacing the floor and more passing.
“Their decision-making, their versatility ... I think that fits right in with us being able to play a faster game,” Mosley said. “They’re able to make decisions to make others around them better.”
Before playing at Ohio, Preston — who had no college offers out of high school — planned to take classes at UCF. He gained notice on the AAU circuit and wound up enrolling at a prep school. From that he gained a scholarship to Ohio, where he averaged 12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and six assists per game in 82 career games. He made 50% of his floor shots and 36% of his 3-pointers. He will now try to make the Clippers roster