Paolo Banchero was looking forward to getting drafted by the Rockets amidst rumors

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero was satisfied with what he was hearing leading up to the 2022 NBA draft. “Just all the stuff that was being put out there was that I was going No. 3 to Houston,” Banchero told Yahoo Sports after he was shut down from Summer League competition after two games. “That’s kind of where my mind was at, and I was fine with it. I was going to be happy wherever I ended up because I knew at the end of the day I would be fine. But in Houston, I would say that’s where my head was at that time.”
Source: Chris Haynes @ Yahoo! Sports

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Chris Haynes @ChrisBHaynes
In an @YahooSports exclusive interview with Paolo Banchero (@Paolo Banchero), he takes you inside how content he was going to Rockets at No. 3 to join his friends and then a call two days before draft changed everything: sports.yahoo.com/the-inside-sto… – 12:24 PM Joe Vardon @joevardon
From Paolo Banchero to Kevin Durant, NBA fan favorites aren’t playing enough — and that (to me) is the league’s biggest issue. ⁦@The Athletic⁩ theathletic.com/3424723/2022/0… – 10:19 AM Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“You can play him with anybody”
@Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman tells @TermineRadio & @LegsESPN why they’re so excited to add Paolo Banchero to their young core
@Paolo Banchero pic.twitter.com/pDR2HvEgWb – 2:25 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Paolo Banchero in Summer League:
17 PTS | 4 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL
23 PTS | 6 REB | 6 AST | 4 STL pic.twitter.com/1AsMSdgXG7 – 1:53 PM James Ham @James_HamNBA
Keegan Murray has now played against Paolo Banchero (No. 1), Chet Holmgren (No. 2) and Bennedict Mathurin (No. 6) in his first three Las Vegas Summer League games. Clearly outplayed Holmgren and Mathurin. Argument could be made that he outplayed Banchero as well. – 10:00 PM Kevin Pelton @kpelton
In distinct contrast to how the Orlando Magic handled No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero (shut down after two games), we’ve got Chet Holmgren and Keegan Murray squaring off tonight in Holmgren’s fifth game and Murray’s sixth. – 8:06 PM

More on this storyline

One of the main reasons he was looking forward to joining the Houston Rockets was because of his long-standing friendships with Rockets teammates Jalen Green and Josh Christopher. The two guards were hearing the same draft intel and would call the 6-foot-10 forward periodically to answer any questions he may have had about the organization and the city. “I grew up on the West Coast with the both of them,” Banchero told Yahoo Sports. “I’ve been playing against them since sixth, seventh grade. Me being from Seattle, and them from California, we played in plenty of tournaments and camps together. So yeah, they definitely reached out.” -via Yahoo! Sports / July 15, 2022 Many experts pegged the Magic to select Jabari Smith No. 1 overall. And that publicly remained the forecast the morning of the draft, but the Magic worked behind the scenes days earlier to alter the top of the draft without anyone picking up on it. Two days before the draft, Orlando requested a Zoom interview with Banchero. “I was a little surprised they called,” Banchero told Yahoo Sports. “Again, my mind was in Houston.” This was the call that shook up the top of the draft order. -via Yahoo! Sports / July 15, 2022 The front office showed him a diagram of the facility, provided information on the city, and explained how the team wanted to play and how it could utilize his skill set within its system. After the Zoom call, Banchero and his agent, Mike Miller, were left with the impression that the Duke product was being recruited, sources told Yahoo Sports. Even though his head might have been somewhere else, he couldn’t ignore how attractive the Magic appeared. “I liked what they were showing me,” Banchero told Yahoo Sports. “They have a great staff. Even in my first meeting with them in Chicago during the combine, I liked what they were talking about. But like I said before, all the reports were that they weren’t really considering me. And then they made it clear before the draft that none of those reports were true and that they were very much interested in me. And so that’s when I kind of knew that it might not be Houston.” -via Yahoo! Sports / July 15, 2022