Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Scott want to buy the Orlando Magic

Fresh off making the No. 1 pick in the draft, another of the Magic’s former first overall picks is ready to help the team get to the next level: Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq and Dennis Scott recently discussed their desire to buy the Orlando Magic, sending a message to the DeVos family, who have owned the team since 1991.

“Listen, we still run that franchise, and if they want to sell it, the DeVos family, we’re ready to go right now,” Shaq said on “The Big Podcast with Shaq” last week.

When Scott suggested one of Shaq’s billionaire friends should step up to with the money and let them run the show, Shaq eased his former teammate’s financial concerns.

“Dennis, we got the money. You don’t gotta worry about the money,” Shaq said. “But this message is going out to the DeVos family, if you’re ready to sell the Orlando Magic, sell it to somebody that’s going to take it to the next level. And that’s us.”

The late Rich DeVos purchased the Magic for $85 million in 1991, one year before the team drafted Shaq and became soon became championship contenders.

The Magic are worth quite a bit more these days, having been valued by Forbes earlier this month at $1.64 billion. Impressive as Shaq’s portfolio is with his seemingly endless stream of endorsement income and a reported net worth of $400 million, he would need to assemble an ownership group to help broker a sale of that magnitude. That shouldn’t be a problem for someone as well-connected as Shaquille O’Neal.

Not sure how exactly Scott, now an analyst for Turner Sports, factors in financially. But when Shaq was asked who he would bring in to run the team as coach and general manager, he said he has big plans for 3D.

“I’m gonna bring one person in that I trust, that’s gonna be D Scott and then, D Scott can pick everybody else,” O’Neal said. “Smart people combined with common sense people and people that’s been there before. You can’t go wrong!”

Shaq bought a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings in 2013 and held it until earlier this year when he was forced to sell due to another business venture.

Now he’s ready to make a bid on the first team he played for, although the DeVos family has never publicly expressed an interest in selling the team.

When and if they do, here are the first bidders…

Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images