The Orlando Magic have made it clear they are going to make some major upgrades this offseason.
After a second straight first-round exit, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said the team would make moves with a "win-now" lens. It indeed feels like the Magic are entering a new phase of their development and rebuild.
That might mean a de-emphasis on the Draft.
Indeed, Orlando seems like the team needs some infusion into its starting lineup. The Magic are expected to make at least one move to improve their offense in a significant way. With a full roster and two draft picks, it seems unlikely the Magic will spend both of their picks.
Still, young players are valuable. Players on their rookie contracts are even more valuable. And the Magic can still get players who can fill their needs from this draft.
Those needs are painfully obvious -- playmaking, shooting and a true point guard. Even if the Magic may seek more veteran and experienced help to check those boxes, they can find those needs in the Draft.
And they may not have to wait for them.
This year's draft is full of point guards and lead ball-handlers, the exact players the Magic would seemingly need. And while there are several options the team could trade up for -- such as Rutgers guard and expected No. 2 pick Dylan Harper -- the reality may be that Orlando could have the right point guard fall to them at No. 16.
That is what The Athletic's Sam Vecenie believes. He writes that not many teams in the later Lottery need point guards or lead ball-handlers and could look elsewhere on draft night. So if a point guard is not taken before the eighth pick (Brooklyn Nets), it could be a long fall for them, perhaps right to No. 16 where the Magic are picking.
The target, in this instance, would likely be Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears.
Fears averaged 17.1 points per game and 4.1 assists per game as a freshman last year. He shot 28.4 percent from three and 85.1 percent from the foul line. He went 22 for 52 (42.3 percent) in the shooting drills at the Combine.
The poor 3-point shooting may not make him one of the Magic's preferred targets. Still, it is hard to ignore the creation potential and driving ability from such a young player. That may not satisfy the Magic's needs for a starting-level player, but it would fill a need for Orlando.
Fears would undoubtedly be a bargain if he fell to No. 16. In current mock drafts, ESPN has him going No. 5 to the Utah Jazz, The Athletic has him going No. 11 to the Dallas Mavericks and The Ringer has him going No. 7 to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Fears should be gone. But even the Mavericks (No. 11) would have to consider what kind of point guard they need to remain competitive with Kyrie Irving likely out for the season with a torn ACL and to help Cooper Flagg grow.
The other prize might be French guard Nolan Traore. He was considered a top-10 prospect but struggled with his shot throughout the season. He has had a strong late-season push and could end up in the back end of the Lottery.
But even to that point, if no team in that range wants to risk a still-developing guard, the Magic could use him as a backup point guard to develop off the bench.
Michigan State guard Jase Richardson could also be an option. The athletic guard was deadly efficient from the mid-range and from deep last year. But his poor measurements at the Combine may scare some teams off, including the Magic, after he came in at 6-foot-0.5 without shoes (he is listed at 6-foot-2).
Orlando fans themselves have been obsessed with Walter Clayton, the scoring dynamo guard out of Florida. He is not projected to go before the Magic pick at No. 16.
There is a healthy crop of point guards available in this draft -- Egor Demin, Ben Saraf and Labaron Philon are all worthy of consideration for one of the Magic's picks. But there still seems at least this possibility that Orlando would not have to move up to get their preferred option.
That leads to the inevitable next question: What need are the Magic looking to fill with the Draft?
The issue with many of these point guard options (outside of Clayton and Richardson) is their poor shooting. That would not check off a critical box for the Magic.
They also have Anthony Black still on the roster. He will need time to continue developing and improving. That could be difficult with a rookie next to him who struggles to score.
Orlando needs to carefully fit their draft selection -- or whatever they do with the draft picks -- with the rest of its offseason and the other plans it has.
The Magic likely are aiming for a more veteran point guard and discussions of trading up for a lead guard might be moot. Waiting for that guard to fall to them might be moot too.
Still, Orlando needs more players who can attack off the dribble and create its own shot. So if a talented player comes to the Magic without a trade, that could be even more valuable.
The bigger point might be that no matter who the Magic want, they should be able to get a quality player without trading up. Still, the Magic should be aggressively pursuing the players they want -- whether that is in the draft or the trade market.