The Orlando Magic had the 18th pick in last year's NBA Draft. They wound up trading down to 19th and later used that selection (Ryan Humphrey) in a deal that brought them Drew Gooden, who had been taken fourth by the Memphis Grizzlies.

So while it would seem that John Gabriel has no pressing interest in the draft lottery Thursday night, don't rule out the Magic general manager trying to pull off a trade in the weeks or even the months ahead.

Landing the rights to LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony or Darko Milicic -- who are almost universally regarded as the top three prospects -- might appear to be a stretch. But given the Magic's situation at point guard, Gabriel could be willing to unload their pick at No. 15 as part of a package that would lead to acquiring T.J. Ford of Texas.

"There's no doubt that there will be some teams in the lottery that will make better trade partners than others," Gabriel said.