For Magic, Draft picks from Dwight Howard trade a long way off

The Draft picks the Orlando Magic received from the Los Angeles Lakers in August's trade involving Dwight Howard were afterthoughts to most fans. Orlando's haul included Arron Afflalo, a starting-caliber shooting guard in his prime; Nikola Vučević, a young seven-footer with lots of potential; and Maurice Harkless, a rookie gadget forward who may have become a lottery pick if he had stayed in school longer. What good would future picks from the mighty Lakers do for Orlando, especially since L.A. would likely select in the late stages of the first round every year?

Fast-forward five months and the situation has changed. With L.A. floundering--it's lost five straight games to fall to 15-20 and stands 4.5 games out of the West's final playoff spot--Magic fans are wondering what Orlando's payoff might be if the Lakers miss the playoffs entirely.

The answer: some satisfaction in seeing Howard and his Laker teammates struggle, but nothing else. As detailed at RealGM's database, Orlando won't receive the Lakers' first-round Draft choice in 2013, 2014, 2015, or 2016. Indeed, due to the picks it owes other teams from previous trades, L.A. won't send a first-rounder to Orlando until 2017 at the earliest.

Orlando will get a second-rounder from L.A. in 2015, however. The Howard trade also netted the Magic the Golden State Warriors' 2013 second-rounder, the Denver Nuggets' or New York Knicks' first-rounder--whichever is less favorable--in 2014, and a first-rounder from the Philadelphia 76ers as soon as 2015.

For more details on pick protections, visit Real GM at the above link.

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