Markelle Fultz, Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac Contract Options Exercised by Magic
The Orlando Magic exercised the 2020-21 contract options for Markelle Fultz, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac, the team announced Monday.
"Mo, Markelle and Jonathan have each demonstrated a strong work ethic, while exhibiting a commitment to team values," president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. "We look forward to exciting futures with them as part of the Magic family."
Fultz appeared to provide his reaction to the news on Twitter:
Orlando's decision to pick up Fultz's fourth-year option is by far the biggest surprise of the three.
Bamba is heading into only his second season, while Isaac showed improvement in his second year with the team in 2018-19. There was little reason to think the Magic would consider cutting bait on either player.
However, Fultz has played in only 33 regular-season games since the Philadelphia 76ers selected him first overall in 2017. He has yet to play for Orlando since the Sixers traded him in February.
The Magic are now committed to paying Fultz just under $12.3 million in 2020-21. But as ESPN's Bobby Marks noted, that figure doesn't drastically alter their salary-cap situation:
Orlando reached the playoffs last year for the first time since 2012, losing to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors in the first round. The team followed up by giving a four-year, $100 million extension to Nikola Vucevic and a four-year, $54 million extension to Terrence Ross, as well as signing Al-Farouq Aminu for $29 million over three years.
The Magic are clearly looking to take a step forward this coming season, making it easy to lose sight of how young the franchise's core pieces are.
Fultz might never figure out his shoulder issues, providing little return on his 2020-21 salary before hitting free agency. But the Magic are smart to take the plunge and bank on him being their point guard of the future because they have no other long-term options at the position. D.J. Augustin, 31, will be a free agent in 2020.
Fultz now has two years to prove that he can be a part of the Magic's foundation.
