ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Armed with an 8.8% chance of landing the top overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic decided to bring a “Lil” bit of lucky to the league’s lottery unveiling in Chicago on Tuesday Night. Former Magic General Manager brought back “Lil Penny” (former Magic point guard Anfernee Hardaway’s alter-ego, a doll voiced by Chris Rock) to bring some luck to a team that finished with a 25-57 record this past season.
Unfortunately for the Magic, the lottery balls did not fall in their favor and the Magic actually fell one spot and will be picking sixth in the draft. The Magic had a 35.9% chance of picking in this spot and will use the pick to add another piece to the future direction of the franchise.
The Phoenix Suns (25% chance of landing the top overall pick) won the lottery and will pick first, while the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings jumped ahead of their projected slots and ended up with the second and third overall picks respectively. The Memphis Grizzles slide to fourth and the Dallas Mavericks will be picking fifth overall.
Now the Magic will have an interesting mix of players to choose from. Duke’s forwards Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., Oklahoma point guard Trae Young, Texas center Mohammad Bamba, Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr. and Alabama point guard Collin Sexton could possibly be available for the Magic to select in the opening round.
2018 NBA Draft Lottery Results:
- Phoenix Suns
- Atlanta Hawks
- Sacramento Kings
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Dallas Mavericks
- ORLANDO MAGIC
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers (From Brooklyn Nets)
- New York Knicks
- Philadelphia 76ers (From Los Angeles Lakers)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Los Angeles Clippers (From Detroit Pistons)
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Denver Nuggets
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Danny Thompson is a sports contributor for Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com