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New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Magic decline Moe Wagner's team option. Is finding a point guard next for Orlando?
The Orlando Magic on Sunday declined their $11 million team option on center Moe Wagner and their $2.1 million team option on Caleb Houstan for the 2025-26 season, setting the stage for team officials to pursue perimeter help when the league's free-agency period opens fully at 6 p.m. ET on Monday. Wagner, 28, had emerged as an NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate last season before he tore his left knee's ACL in late December and underwent season-ending surgery. Houstan, 22, was one of Orlando's most reliable long-range shooters last season. Advertisement Wagner and Houstan become unrestricted free agents — unrestricted free agents who will be eligible to re-sign with the Magic. The team retains its Bird rights to both players. Precedent indicates that Wagner could return to Orlando. Last summer, the Magic declined their $8 million team option on him for the 2024-25 season; later in the offseason, Wagner and the team agreed to a two-year, $22 million contract that included a team option for the 2025-26 season. Wagner went on to average a career-high 12.9 points per game before his ACL tear. The Magic already have two centers under contract: Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze. Carter and Bitadze are considered by league scouts as better defenders and rim protectors than Wagner is, but Wagner is a better scorer and 3-point shooter. Even after Orlando traded for Desmond Bane earlier this month, team officials are painfully aware that they need to make further moves to improve their 3-point shooting and upgrade their depth at point guard. The list of unrestricted free-agent point guards includes Chris Paul, Ty Jerome, Dennis Schröder, Malcolm Brogdon and Spencer Dinwiddie. But the potential target who might make the most sense — and whose contract may be the most affordable — for the cap-strapped Magic is Tyus Jones, 29. The Magic inquired about Jones' availability prior to the 2023-24 season's trade deadline when Jones played for the Washington Wizards on an expiring contract, league sources told The Athletic. Jones shot 41 percent from 3-point range during the 2023-24 season with the Wizards and shot an identical 41 percent from 3-point range last season as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Jones also is surehanded, regularly finishing among the league leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. If Orlando is interested in Jones, and if he is interested in Orlando, he would provide the team with a more traditional point guard — and a contrast to incumbents Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black, who are elite defenders who on offense appear more comfortable at this stage of their careers as spot-up shooters (with 3-point shooting strokes that need to become much more consistent, especially in Black's case). Jones is comfortable as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, and he has one of the league's more lethal floaters. Advertisement Where Jones struggles is on defense. At 6-foot-1, he does not have the positional size that Magic officials prefer. Still, after the Magic's first-round playoff exit, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said, including in an interview with The Athletic, that he and his colleagues in the front office would consider sacrificing some of the team's defense for offense. In recent weeks, Orlando declined its team option on third-string point guard Cory Joseph, a reliable, if unspectacular, NBA veteran who became a starter late in the regular season and during the playoffs after Suggs underwent season-ending surgery to repair torn knee cartilage. Even when Suggs was healthy, forward Paolo Banchero and swingman Franz Wagner tended to be the Magic's lead ballhandlers and shot creators. Those responsibilities for Banchero and Wanger ramped up after Suggs was lost for the remainder of the season, leading to a relatively unimaginative offense that was predicated on recognizing — and attempting to exploit — favorable matchups. Three-point shooting was a severe problem for the Magic all season; the team finished last in the NBA in 3s made per game and last in 3-point shooting percentage. After the 2024 postseason, Banchero told reporters in Orlando that he hoped the Magic would find someone who could reduce the burden on himself and on Franz Wagner by serving as a table-setter on offense. Magic officials value Bane as a secondary playmaker and as an initiator in pick-and-rolls. But as this season's NBA Finals teams proved, title contenders can never have too many capable ballhandlers or too many 3-point shooters. That's why someone like Jones could be of value to Orlando. From a salary-cap perspective, declining the team options for Moe Wagner and Houstan should help the Magic add to their ballhandling and shooting depth. The downside of having such a promising nucleus of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Suggs and Bane is that promising players tend to receive high-level salaries. Orlando's quartet is no exception. Suggs, Bane and Franz Wagner each will earn salaries of $35 million-$38.7 million in 2025-26, putting Orlando perilously close to the league's first-apron threshold. Banchero is eligible this offseason to agree to a five-year, maximum-salary deal worth a total of approximately $247 million. Last season with Phoenix, Jones earned $2.1 million. Even if he can secure a raise this offseason, his asking price may be a price Orlando could afford. (Top photo of Moe Wagner: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
Forbes
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why The Orlando Magic Should Sign Sandro Mamukelashvili
TOPSHOT - San Antonio Spurs' Georgian-US forward-center #54 Sandro Mamukelashvili (C) jumps to the ... More net as Indiana Pacers' Canadian guard #00 Bennedict Mathurin (R) defends during the NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers at the Accor Arena - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - in Paris on January 25, 2025. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) The Orlando Magic made a huge splash with the trade of Desmond Bane, finally acquiring a guard with legitimate outside shooting capabilities, who can also initiate offensive actions. As it stands, the Magic now have four clear-cut starters in the form of Bane, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. So, what is their plan at center? Let's take a look at their current situation, and why the organization should try to make a play for free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili next month. The current center core Wendell Carter Jr, acquired via Chicago four years ago, has mostly stagnated in his play. The 6'10 big man had two initial seasons in which he looked like the center of the future, when he averaged 15.1 points, and 9.6 rebounds, over a two-season span. However, his numbers have regressed in the latest two, where he sits at 9.9 points, and 7.1 rebounds. Raw stats can obviously be misleading, as minutes, touches, and offensive function play significant roles in how a player performs. Yet, in the case of Carter Jr, he's flat-out become more passive, and simply does less when he's on the floor. Inexplicably, the Magic extended his contract, and even gave him a raise, as he signed for $58.6 million over three years. For comparison's sake, his last deal, the one he's currently on, fetched him $50 million over four years. Now we move on to Goga Bitadze. The 6'11 center started 42 of 70 games this season, but only barely cracked 20 minutes per game. While he's a solid interior player, on both sides of the floor, he doesn't offer floor spacing, as he connects on just 10.7% of his long-range shots. That's a problem when Banchero and Wagner both need as much space to operate as humanly possible. Why Orlando should sign Mamukelashvili In San Antonio, Mamukelashvili has been underutilized. The 6'10 lefty is a stat-sheet stuffer on a per-minute basis, and that's remained true for the entirety of his NBA career. Most importantly, Mamukelashvili is a high-volume three-point shooter. He connected on 60 shots from beyond the arc this season, which might not sound like a lot, but he did so in just 681 minutes. Mamukelashvili is quick to get shots up, he's nimble, can pass on the move, and he's an exceptionally strong physical presence, who is an elite rebounder. Signing the 26-year-old doesn't come with the expectation that he should necessarily start, although that door most certainly mustn't close. It comes primarily with the expectation that he will help space the floor for the four aforementioned starters, and optimize their three-point output. What's intriguing about Mamukelashvili is he can do that, while also do traditional big man stuff as cut to the rim, catch lobs, and generally cause havoc in the paint. And the best part? More than likely, he won't break the bank. While he should have improved his own market via his play this season, we're presumably looking at a compensation level the Magic can easily afford. Unless noted otherwise, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wendell Carter Jr. believes Finals matchup shows what's possible for Magic
Wendell Carter Jr. has closely watched the NBA playoffs since the Magic were eliminated in the first round by the Celtics at the end of April, and he's been impressed with the high level of competition. Unlike some online who view the Finals matchup between two small markets in Oklahoma City and Indiana as negative for the league, Carter believes it's healthy overall. Advertisement 'It's been nothing shy of amazing,' he recently told the Sentinel on the phone about the postseason. 'With these two teams in the Finals, it's very good for the NBA. Very healthy that two small market teams [are] getting this type of exposure. 'Of course, I want us to be there one day playing for a championship, to bring a championship to Orlando [but] it's a good thing what's going on right now with both teams young, scrappy [to have] made it that far,' he added. 'It's a good sign, for sure.' Although the Magic were eliminated from the first round in two consecutive seasons, Carter believes they're not far off from replicating the type of run the Thunder and Pacers are on. In addition to building through the draft and relying on internal development, Oklahoma City and Indiana also made key trades to bolster their rosters. Advertisement As Orlando enters a crucial summer looking at its roster construction through a 'win-now' lens, Carter also pointed out something key about the Thunder and Pacers that's plagued the Magic over the years. 'It shows that anything is possible,' he said about the Finals matchup. 'It's very possible. We've just got to be even more locked in, be in better shape [and] take care of our bodies even more so that we can withstand 82 games and then go into the playoffs and not drop off at all. 'That's one of the biggest things when you look at teams that make deep playoff runs — it's the ones that can stay the healthiest,' he added. 'Those two teams have done a really good job of that.' Remaining healthy has been a challenge for Carter throughout his Magic tenure. This past season, he saw improvement when he played a career-high 68 games, but it was only the second time in seven years he crossed 60 appearances. Advertisement Without needing surgery this summer, Carter was able to dive into training after giving his body a break upon the start of the offseason. 'My body's feeling amazing,' he said. 'I'm getting in unbelievable shape, improving my skills, sharpening the tools in the toolshed … Next for me is just continue to work all of this offseason and then go into training camp feeling as good as I possibly can.' When Carter and the Magic return for camp likely at the end of September, they'll be wearing Orlando's new uniforms and logos. The 6-10 center described the rebrand as 'fire.' Advertisement 'Bringing back that retro theme, it's really good for the organization,' Carter said. 'I'm excited just to hoop in them. 'You know what they say — you look good, you play good.' Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Atlanta native Wendall Carter Jr. inspires youth beyond basketball court
For the fourth straight summer, Atlanta-native and Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. inspired youth beyond the basketball court. The former Pace Academy Knight held his annual youth basketball camp on June 7 at Whitefield Academy through his foundation A Platform Squared. Advertisement 'I give a lot of credit to my parents,' Carter said. 'Growing up, they told me, whatever I did in my life, you never make it until you bring someone along with you, right? So the first thing I thought was like 'we got to have a basketball camp. All the professional athletes do it, like, why not me?'' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Carter's camps typically focus on the game and life outside the sport. 'I saw it as an opportunity to like, not only basketball, but let's give these kids something that they can use for the rest of their life,' Carter said. 'I always start off with teaching on financial literacy my first two years, African-American studies. And then I had to really think about it, you know, these kids just getting out of school, they aren't trying to send no class all day. Let's make this more interactive. And we open up bank accounts for them. You know, just kind of help them jumpstart that kind of process.' Advertisement Even in its early stages, the foundation continues to search for new ways to grow. Always fascinated by planes, Carter's next steps are to implement scholarship opportunities towards aviation through the initiative, Flight34. 'Growing up my mom worked for Hartsfield Jackson Airport,' Carter said. 'So I was around planes a lot. I fell in love with it. As I got taller, I understood I wouldn't be able to fly a plane. So that kind of went out the window.' Carter's career on the court continues to soar. He guided the Magic to a second consecutive playoff appearance and recently signed an extension keeping him in Orlando for another three years. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Trade Idea Gives Magic a Promising Backup Center
The Orlando Magic found it difficult with their frontcourt depth in the 2025 NBA playoffs. The team's starting center, Wendell Carter Jr., did plenty on both ends. Carter didn't have his usual backup in Mo Wagner, as he was recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in December 2024. Because of the Magic's lack of depth, a trade idea from Zach Roberts of the Charlotte Hornets on SI links the team with the Charlotte Hornets. According to Roberts, trading Anthony Black and a couple of picks could give Orlando a decent center in Mark Williams. Advertisement Williams may not have any experience in the postseason, but he's proven he can produce at an elite level. Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. reacts after making a basket with a foul against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at TD Townson-Imagn Images "In this deal, the Hornets would send Williams and a 2031 second-round pick (Charlotte's own) for Anthony Black and a bevy of second-round picks," Roberts wrote. "Black is a decent, young player, but he's not on Williams' level. The Magic would send their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks as well as Washington's 2028 and New Orleans' 2030 second-rounders." Williams wrapped up his third year and averaged 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds. His production for the Hornets is what caught the attention of the Los Angeles Lakers. The former Duke player was almost traded to the Lakers after they shipped Anthony Davis to Dallas for Luka Doncic. Advertisement However, there is a downside to trading for Williams. The trade with the Lakers wasn't finalized after he failed his physical. Additionally, the young big man has a history of health problems. In his young career, the big man has not completed a full season when he played at least 50 games. The most games Williams has appeared in a season was 44 during the 2024-25 campaign. Even with that, he's shown plenty of promise and can help the Magic with their frontcourt needs. Related: Magic Head Coach Offers Verdict on Potential Offseason Changes in Orlando
