Wendell Carter Jr., Magic Agree to 4-Year $50M Contract Extension

The Orlando Magic are keeping one of their talented frontcourt players for the foreseeable future.

On Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the Magic and big man Wendell Carter Jr. agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year, $50 million contract extension.

Carter was previously set for restricted free agency following the 2021-22 campaign.

The Duke product entered the league when the Chicago Bulls appeared to make him a key part of their future with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2018 NBA draft. 

He flashed his potential as a double-double threat early in his career but struggled to stay on the court. He appeared in 44 games as a rookie and 43 games in his second season while providing solid interior scoring and rebounding.

Yet the Bulls traded Carter as part of the package that brought back Nikola Vucevic during the 2020-21 campaign.

That gave a rebuilding Magic club a potential young building block, and they clearly value the 22-year-old given this contract extension. He played 22 games for Orlando last season and averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field.

The totals were remarkably similar to his overall averages with the Bulls of 10.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field.

“I feel pretty good," Carter said heading into the upcoming season, per Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel. "I'm going into my fourth year and I know what to expect. I know I got to take care of my body a little bit better, make sure my mindset is right. ... I'm in a situation where I'm able prove what kind of player I really am."

He will look to prove that on a new deal.