JULY 17: The draft-pick trade is now official, the Magic announced (via Twitter).
JULY 16: The Magic and Suns have agreed to a draft-pick trade that will send three second-rounders from Orlando to Phoenix in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick swap, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
The Suns have already given the Wizards the right to swap first-round picks in 2026 as part of their Bradley Beal blockbuster, so the Magic will get the opportunity to swap their own 2026 first-rounder for the least favorable of Phoenix’s and Washington’s two picks. The Suns will end up with the worst of the three picks.
The three second-round picks headed to Phoenix in the trade are as follows, per Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link):
- The Nuggets’ 2024 second-rounder.
- The least favorable of the Magic’s, Pistons’, and Bucks’ 2026 second-rounders.
- The Celtics’ 2028 second-rounder (top-45 protected).
It’s a fascinating deal, and the third one of its kind that we’ve seen made this offseason. The Suns and Grizzlies completed a similar trade involving three second-rounders and first-round pick swaps in 2024 and 2030. The Spurs gave up multiple second-rounders in a three-team deal with Dallas and Boston in order to gain the right to swap 2030 first-round picks with the Mavericks.
The Suns are essentially betting on their own continued success in order to replenish their collection of second-round picks, which was depleted in the Beal trade. As long as Phoenix is among the NBA’s best teams, those swaps should’t amount to much, in which case the Suns are essentially adding second-round picks for free.
The Magic, meanwhile, are betting on their own ascent, and gambling against the sustained success of the Suns and the retooling project in Washington. The hope in Orlando is that the Magic will have moved up far enough in the standings by 2026 that they’ll get to take advantage of their swap rights in order to move up at least a few spots in the first round of the draft.
Fascinating? I mean this is something but I certainly wouldn’t classify it as fascinating. When Orlando played Houston this past season & guys like Paolo, Jalen Green, FWagner, KPJ, Markelle, Sengun & co were on the court showing skills & fighting for a W & playing actual basketball, that was fascinating. This trade is, at best noteworthy… link to m.youtube.com
Yeah, I think you put too much value into the use of the word.
Well the 3 second rounders all appear to be bottom 10 picks so whatever but considering Magic don’t even get the best 2026 of the 3 I’m not a fan of this move.
Denver and Phoenix are a notch above the rest of the West, and by default, the NBA right now.
Phoenix really? Lol they haven’t proof anything yet. Denver in the other hand I am 100% agreed with you but Phoenix c’mon…
*proved. And yes, they have proved the last 3 seasons that they are a top Western Conference team.
Orlando still has 12 2nds over the next 7 drafts on top of a roster already heavy with youth. So they were going to have to trim the fat one way or another.
This swap has upside, but unlike others we’ve seen this year, a lower chance of actually conveying. This shows in the fact that Orlando only had to give up the 3 lowest ceiling picks they had.
Phoenix had given away almost all their picks so even this is better than nothing.
KD forcing his way out again would be hilarious at this point. The Suns would be so screwed moving forward with so few assets and the pick swaps they’ve given up.
I doubt it happens, but it’s fun to dream.
These are the kind of fascinating deals just flow naturally from the mind of Isiah Thomas. I’m sure he takes the Stepien Rule as a personal challenge.
Isiah Thomas > Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden
Certainly (as a player). But not as GM.
I suspect those three will never be GMs so that is not saying much and if they ever do I would predict they would be even worse than Isiah and that is saying a lot.
CP3, if he ever did run a team, would never be as reckless as Isiah. He’s too disciplined.
I think Phoenix is pressing the panic button already, they don’t know what they gonna do if this big three experiment doesn’t work. They just trade Cameron Payne the only pure point guard that they have on the team and now are getting a bunch of useless second draft picks I don’t really understand what is going on with the Suns.
I wouldn’t be surprised if those 2nd rounders get re-rerouted to Indiana in a TJ McConnell trade.
I would. They don’t have any matching contracts (beyond their top 4). Unless IND wants to take on Ayton in a much larger deal, or take on 3 minimum guys with player options for next year, I’d say that ship has sailed.