Gilbert Arenas and the 5 Best Second-Round Picks to Play for the Orlando Magic

In this year's NBA draft, the Orlando Magic welcomed two second-round picks: Deandre Liggins and Justin Harper.

Liggins was selected No. 53 overall by the Magic and Harper was drafted No. 32 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but then traded to the Magic for future second-round picks.

In an interview with USA Today, both Liggins and Harper plan on using their slide into the second round as motivation for proving their critics wrong.

"If you look at a lot of past drafts, a lot of great players get overlooked," Harper said. "They fall into the second round. I just kind of use that as motivation."

As Harper and Liggins both look to make an impact on their new team, maybe they can take a look back at past second-rounders who have had success playing for the Magic.

Here are the five best second-round players ever to play for the Orlando Magic.

5. SF Trevor Ariza

Small forward Trevor Ariza played for the Magic from 2006-2007.

Although his stint with the Magic was short, Ariza's time in Orlando propelled him to the best years of his career in Los Angeles and then in Houston.

During his time with Orlando, he played in 79 career games and averaged 8.9 points per game and 4.4 rebounds.

But Ariza's career really took off after Orlando when he went on to Los Angeles and won an NBA Championship in the 2009 playoffs.

He signed a contract after that season with the Houston Rockets for five years and $33 million. However, he was a part of a four-team trade that sent him to New Orleans in 2010.

Along with Chris Paul, Ariza helped lead the Hornets to the 2011 playoffs where he averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Ariza has developed into one of the most reliable young forwards in the league and contributes in almost every offensive category.

4. PF Brandon Bass

Brandon Bass has played for the Orlando Magic for the past two seasons.

He was originally drafted by New Orleans Hornets and then went on to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in 2007.

After a couple successful seasons with the Mavericks, he signed a four-year deal worth $18 million with the Magic in 2009.

Since then, Bass has been the Magic's best option at power forward. This past season he started 51 games for the Magic and averaged 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Although he does not put up big numbers, Bass has been a huge reason for the Magic's success.

He is considered one of the hardest working players on and off the court for the Magic and gives them another physical player down low opposite Dwight Howard.

Bass also has the range to step out and knock down the mid-range jumper consistently.

He may not make any headlines, but Bass' impact on the Magic has been positively evident over the past two seasons.

3. PG Mark Price

Mark Price only played for the Orlando Magic for one season in 1997-1998, which was the final season of his career.

But Price was a tremendous basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who retired his No. 25 jersey soon after he retired.

He was a four-time NBA All-Star and totaled 10,989 points in his career.

He built a reputation around the league as one of the NBA's most consistent shooters.

Price also was very reliable at the free-throw line. He shot a career free throw percentage of 90.4 percent.

Price's career was very decorated and honored as he helped develop the Cleveland Cavaliers into an Eastern Conference contender during his time there.

2. SF/PF Rashard Lewis

Rashard Lewis was the center of the NBA free agent market in 2007. Lewis signed a $118 million, six-year contract with the Orlando Magic. Many believed the Magic vastly overpaid Lewis for his services.

But for the most part, Lewis earned his contract with the Magic.

While with Orlando, Lewis has some of his best years. In 2007-2008, Lewis averaged 18.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. More importantly, he shot 45 percent from three-point range.

Lewis also was one of the Magic's best players during the playoff runs from 2008-2009. Lewis provided the Magic with almost 20 points a game, including a game-winning shot in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lewis began to struggle in 2010, seeing his points and rebounds per game drop. He was subsequently traded to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas.  

But during his time at Orlando, he led the team in three-pointers made and was the team's second-leading scorer.

Without him, the Magic would not have been able to make their deep playoff run in 2009.

1. PG Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Arenas was traded to the Orlando Magic in December 2010 in exchange for Rashard Lewis.

He has only spent half of a year with the Magic, but Arenas has already shown flashes of his old self whenever he received playing time.

Back when Arenas was with the Washington Wizards, though, he was at the top of his game.

He was one of the top point guards in the entire NBA and dubbed as "Agent Zero." He led the Wizards in scoring and assists for much of his time in Washington. He also developed a reputation around the league for hitting the big shots during clutch moments in games.

Arenas' best season was in 2005-2006 with the Wizards. He averaged 42 minutes per game, along with a career high 29.3 points and 6.1 assists.

Unfortunately, a locker-room incident with Wizards teammates essentially derailed Arenas' career for two seasons, and he has not been the same since.

When you watch him play, you can see the old Arenas occasionally. And the old Arenas plays some of the best basketball in the league.

He was a lights-out shooter and just could flat-out score from anywhere on the court. Not to mention, he was one of the best passers in the league. He was the total package.

If he can revert to his old ways again, Arenas could really lift the Magic's chances of making a serious run to another NBA Finals.