Magic draft Izaiyah Nelson at No. 51 in second round

Orlando traded back in the second round and selected the power forward from USF.

South Florida v Louisville BUFFALO, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: Izaiyah Nelson #35 of the South Florida Bulls celebrates a basket against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

By Alex Walker

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.

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