Wendell Carter Jr. Magic Agree To Three-Year, $59M Extension

[RealGM Wiretap]

Wendell Carter Jr. and the Orlando Magic have agreed to a three-year, $59 million contract extension. Carter signed for his maximum available amount and has $82 million through 28-29.

In 55 games last season, Carter averaged 11.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.8 minutes.

The Magic acquired Carter in 2021 as part of the Nikola Vucevic deal. Carter and the Magic subsequently signed a four-year, $50 million rookie scale extension a few months later in October 2021.

Carter is represented by Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management.

Via Shams Charania/ESPN

[Pickled Prunes]

Dang, that's a good deal for ORL!

[StlHawksFan]

Dang, that's a good deal for ORL!

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

[puja21]

Dang, that's a good deal for ORL!

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

[niha17]

This might be the worst contract in the league now

[ontnut]

This might be the worst contract in the league now

lol what???

In today's NBA, no $18m AAV contract can really be the worst when you have Beal's $52m/y deal WITH the no trade clause lol. Towns 4 years $221m contract extension just got traded for an expiring, a role player, and a 1st rounder because the Wolves didnt' want to pay his bloated salary. What about Poole's $30m/y to be an inefficient bench scorer? Yikes.

Carter plays 25mpg and is 24 yo, he's worth the money and probably more as an above average backup big for the past 2-3 years since going to ORL. He's being paid the same as Patrick Williams, Rui Hachimura and Zach Collins like c'mon.

If ORL wanted to, they could move this deal tomorrow without attaching any other capital. They might even get a pick back, all salary being equal. The Raptors would probably move Bruce Brown's $22.5m expiring contract for him whereas nobody would trade for Zach Lavine's contract without the Bulls attached a pick to it. The same for Wiggins.

[TimeisIllmatic]

ORL has been handling their cap situation very well. THey have multiple players with tradeable contracts.

[Pickled Prunes]

Dang, that's a good deal for ORL!

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

WCJ has started all but 21 games in his career. He is their starter. The players backing him up (and their contracts) have nothing to do with it. They do have a lot of money wrapped up in the PF/C spot, but $19m (about 11% of the cap) is a great deal for a positive impact starter.

Wagner and Bitaze combine for another $20m, which is fine. These are also the only two of the players you mentioned that shouldn't really be on the floor together. However, they can be on the floor with WCJ and Isaac, so this isn't really all money dedicated to a single position as was suggested.

The real potentially bad contract is Isaac's, but that is just a gamble that he can find his former pre-ACL potential. Seems like he's made some strides in that direction.

[StlHawksFan]

Dang, that's a good deal for ORL!

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

Wrong Wagner. This is his brother Mo who is 3rd string in Orlando. I guess Goga is the most perplexing. Why give that much to a 4th stringer?

[puja21]

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

WCJ has started all but 21 games in his career. He is their starter. The players backing him up (and their contracts) have nothing to do with it. They do have a lot of money wrapped up in the PF/C spot, but $19m (about 11% of the cap) is a great deal for a positive impact starter.

Wagner and Bitaze combine for another $20m, which is fine. These are also the only two of the players you mentioned that shouldn't really be on the floor together. However, they can be on the floor with WCJ and Isaac, so this isn't really all money dedicated to a single position as was suggested.

The real potentially bad contract is Isaac's, but that is just a gamble that he can find his former pre-ACL potential. Seems like he's made some strides in that direction.

important to note the Issac contract is a "fake" 84M -- 25M of which is coming off the books now in 24/25, when WCJ is still making just 12M still at age 25 and Franz extension also hasn't started yet (Franz at 7M this coming year, age 23)

For Isaac:

25-26 drops to 15M, and then each of the next 3 years are partially guaranteed until he hits 52+ games played.

For reference, Isaac has averaged fewer than 30 games per year over his 7 seasons and even in the past 2 years at just 34.5 games.

So Orlando has plenty of insurance there in the form of the guarantee incentives.

[puja21]

It is except when you remember how mich they already gave to Isaac, Wagner, and Bitadze.

Isaac $70M
Wagner $22M
Bitadze $25M
Carter $59M

Total this season = $56M out of a $140M cap = more than a max contract!

That's a lot to tie up on one position - especially when they small ball with Paolo there at times as well.

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

Wrong Wagner. This is his brother Mo who is 3rd string in Orlando. I guess Goga is the most perplexing. Why give that much to a 4th stringer?

Mo at 11M is meh to me

That's not even top-150 in the league

[Pickled Prunes]

Wagner can bounce back. Just needs find his 3PT shot again

WCJ has started all but 21 games in his career. He is their starter. The players backing him up (and their contracts) have nothing to do with it. They do have a lot of money wrapped up in the PF/C spot, but $19m (about 11% of the cap) is a great deal for a positive impact starter.

Wagner and Bitaze combine for another $20m, which is fine. These are also the only two of the players you mentioned that shouldn't really be on the floor together. However, they can be on the floor with WCJ and Isaac, so this isn't really all money dedicated to a single position as was suggested.

The real potentially bad contract is Isaac's, but that is just a gamble that he can find his former pre-ACL potential. Seems like he's made some strides in that direction.

important to note the Issac contract is a "fake" 84M -- 25M of which is coming off the books now in 24/25, when WCJ is still making just 12M still at age 25 and Franz extension also hasn't started yet (Franz at 7M this coming year, age 23)

For Isaac:

25-26 drops to 15M, and then each of the next 3 years are partially guaranteed until he hits 52+ games played.

For reference, Isaac has averaged fewer than 30 games per year over his 7 seasons and even in the past 2 years at just 34.5 games.

So Orlando has plenty of insurance there in the form of the guarantee incentives.

Yeah, that's why I said "potentially bad". He isn't a $15m player right now and they definitely don't want to give him $8m to walk away next season. So it could be bad. They are gambling that he continues to recover but I would bet that he doesn't finish out this contract.

I am OK with the other contracts mentioned. The cap isn't what it used to be.

[puja21]

WCJ has started all but 21 games in his career. He is their starter. The players backing him up (and their contracts) have nothing to do with it. They do have a lot of money wrapped up in the PF/C spot, but $19m (about 11% of the cap) is a great deal for a positive impact starter.

Wagner and Bitaze combine for another $20m, which is fine. These are also the only two of the players you mentioned that shouldn't really be on the floor together. However, they can be on the floor with WCJ and Isaac, so this isn't really all money dedicated to a single position as was suggested.

The real potentially bad contract is Isaac's, but that is just a gamble that he can find his former pre-ACL potential. Seems like he's made some strides in that direction.

important to note the Issac contract is a "fake" 84M -- 25M of which is coming off the books now in 24/25, when WCJ is still making just 12M still at age 25 and Franz extension also hasn't started yet (Franz at 7M this coming year, age 23)

For Isaac:

25-26 drops to 15M, and then each of the next 3 years are partially guaranteed until he hits 52+ games played.

For reference, Isaac has averaged fewer than 30 games per year over his 7 seasons and even in the past 2 years at just 34.5 games.

So Orlando has plenty of insurance there in the form of the guarantee incentives.

Yeah, that's why I said "potentially bad". He isn't a $15m player right now and they definitely don't want to give him $8m to walk away next season. So it could be bad. They are gambling that he continues to recover but I would bet that he doesn't finish out this contract.

I am OK with the other contracts mentioned. The cap isn't what it used to be.

RE: "He isn't a $15m player right now" that's true he's technically a $25M player now, much to the chagrin of most ORL fans

[Pickled Prunes]

important to note the Issac contract is a "fake" 84M -- 25M of which is coming off the books now in 24/25, when WCJ is still making just 12M still at age 25 and Franz extension also hasn't started yet (Franz at 7M this coming year, age 23)

For Isaac:

25-26 drops to 15M, and then each of the next 3 years are partially guaranteed until he hits 52+ games played.

For reference, Isaac has averaged fewer than 30 games per year over his 7 seasons and even in the past 2 years at just 34.5 games.

So Orlando has plenty of insurance there in the form of the guarantee incentives.

Yeah, that's why I said "potentially bad". He isn't a $15m player right now and they definitely don't want to give him $8m to walk away next season. So it could be bad. They are gambling that he continues to recover but I would bet that he doesn't finish out this contract.

I am OK with the other contracts mentioned. The cap isn't what it used to be.

RE: "He isn't a $15m player right now" that's true he's technically a $25M player now, much to the chagrin of most ORL fans

So, I said his contract could be bad; you said it's not that bad; I said it could still be bad; you said it's really bad. Interesting discussion.

[puja21]

Yeah, that's why I said "potentially bad". He isn't a $15m player right now and they definitely don't want to give him $8m to walk away next season. So it could be bad. They are gambling that he continues to recover but I would bet that he doesn't finish out this contract.

I am OK with the other contracts mentioned. The cap isn't what it used to be.

RE: "He isn't a $15m player right now" that's true he's technically a $25M player now, much to the chagrin of most ORL fans

So, I said his contract could be bad; you said it's not that bad; I said it could still be bad; you said it's really bad. Interesting discussion.

hahaha --when you put it like that yes

(seriously though i do like that they frontloaded it for how the other contracts are kicking in later.)

I guess it's "both bad and good"

[Pickled Prunes]

RE: "He isn't a $15m player right now" that's true he's technically a $25M player now, much to the chagrin of most ORL fans

So, I said his contract could be bad; you said it's not that bad; I said it could still be bad; you said it's really bad. Interesting discussion.

hahaha --when you put it like that yes

(seriously though i do like that they frontloaded it for how the other contracts are kicking in later.)

I guess it's "both bad and good"

For sure, it can go in all four directions:
1) If he stays healthy and meets his draft-day potential this is an epic deal for ORL.
2) If he's reasonably healthy and is a solid rotation piece, this deal is about neutral.
3) If he struggles to remain health and find his rhythm, ORL still has him on the books for (I believe) at least $48m over the next three years. That's not ideal.
4) Worst case scenario, he stays health enough to play 52 games but never gets any better than he is today... or even drops off a bit.

I'd guess option 2 is the most likely and option 1 is the least likely.

[Kent]

It's the fact that he's only 25 that's most surprising and why I'm not mad at the deal at all.