ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic traded back in the second round and drafted Izaiyah Nelson with the No. 51 overall pick Wednesday night in the NBA Draft.
Orlando was slated to draft at No. 46, but traded those picks to Washington for the No. 51 and No. 60 pick on Wednesday night. The Magic traded away the No. 60 pick to Milwaukee for cash and kept No. 51 to draft Nelson.
After playing three seasons at Arkansas State, Nelson transferred to USF in Tampa and was named the 2025-26 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
In the Bulls’ NCAA Tournament loss to Louisville, Nelson scored 22 points with nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Zai's moment pic.twitter.com/4NaC4Rhd8a
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) June 25, 2026
From the University of South Florida 🤘
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) June 25, 2026
The @OrlandoMagic have selected @IzaiyahN with the 51st pick in the 2026 NBA Draft ‼️ pic.twitter.com/RszDsuNFcZ
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