Magic Rumors

Magic Sign Three Players To Exhibit 10 Contracts

The Magic have maxed out their offseason roster at 21 players by signing free agent guards Mac McClung, Javonte Smart, and Ethan Thompson, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link). All three players received Exhibit 10 contracts, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

McClung’s deal with the team was previously reported. The 6’2″ guard is the reigning G League MVP and two-time dunk contest champion. In 41 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Osceola Magic last season, he averaged 25.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .492/.380/.846.

Smart, a 6’4″ guard, began last season on a two-way contract with Philadelphia but appeared in just one game for the Sixers before being waived in December. He signed with Serbian team Crvena Zvezda in January and finished the season overseas. The 25-year-old also had previous NBA stints with the Bucks and Heat.

Thompson, a 6’5″ shooting guard who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021, has primarily played in the G League since going pro, spending time with the Windy City Bulls and Mexico City Capitanes. He also played in Puerto Rico for Osos de Manati earlier this year.

The Exhibit 10 contracts for McClung, Smart, and Thompson would make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they’re waived by Orlando and then spends at least 60 days with the Magic’s G League affiliate (Osceola).

It’s worth noting that Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts up until October 21 and the Magic are currently only carrying one player (Trevelin Queen) on a two-way contract, leaving two spots available. All three newcomers are two-way eligible, and McClung in particular “seems primed” to earn one of those deals, according to Beede.

Orlando had been carrying 20 players but opened up two additional roster spots earlier today by waiving forwards Tre Scott and Myron Gardner.

Magic Waive Tre Scott, Myron Gardner

The Magic have placed a pair of players on waivers, cutting forwards Tre Scott and Myron Gardner, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.

Scott, who has played professionally since 2020, has spent time in Puerto Rico, France, and Canada but has primarily competed in the G League in recent years. He split last season between the Greensboro Swarm and the Osceola Magic (Orlando’s affiliate), averaging 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game across 41 total appearances.

Gardner also played for Osecola in 2023/24, appearing in 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the team. He posted averages of 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .425/.317/.600.

Both Scott and Gardner also played for Orlando’s Summer League team in Las Vegas this July. Because the Magic hold both players’ G League returning rights, Scott and Gardner will be in line for Exhibit 10 bonuses if they reported back to Osceola and spend at least 60 days with the NBAGL club this season.

Orlando now has 18 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed deals, Trevelin Queen on a two-way pact, and Jarrett Culver and Jalen Slawson on Exhibit 10 contracts. The team figures to fill out its 21-man roster before training camp begins.

And-Ones: Expansion, EuroLeague, G League Trades, Hawes

What would it look like if the NBA awarded expansion teams to a pair of new cities? In an entertaining story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks broke down the rules governing expansion drafts, then submitted lists of protected players for each team to Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton, who conducted a mock expansion draft on behalf of the two hypothetical new franchises.

As Marks details, the rules for expansion drafts aren’t specifically laid out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but in the past, each existing NBA team has been permitted to protect up to eight players in the spring, including pending restricted free agents and/or players holding options. In those instances, expansion teams weren’t allowed to select more than one player from any of the NBA’s existing clubs.

Marks also lays out how expansion teams would be incorporated into the annual rookie draft (they’re typically not given the opportunity to land the No. 1 overall pick during their first couple seasons) and how the salary cap would work for them (their cap would be two-thirds of the league-wide cap in year one, 80% in year two, and the full cap in year three).

While expansion is likely still at least two or three years away, ESPN’s exercise is an informative one that helps illustrate with practical examples how new teams would fill out their rosters.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (subscription required) takes a look at 10 notable players in the EuroLeague who are on expiring contracts and will reach free agency in 2025. Mathias Lessort, Kevin Punter, and Chima Moneke are among the headliners on Urbonas’ list who figure to be monitored by NBA teams in 2024/25.
  • The Westchester Knicks – New York’s G League affiliate – completed a pair of trades on Tuesday. Westchester sent Dmytro Skapintsev‘s returning rights to the Maine Celtics in exchange for the rights to Brandon Slater and Joe Wieskamp; in a separate deal, the Knicks’ NBAGL team acquired Brandon Williams‘ returning rights and a 2025 G League international draft pick from the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to Charlie Brown Jr. (Twitter links). The NBA’s Celtics signed Skapintsev to an Exhibit 10 contract on Tuesday.
  • Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype spoke to former NBA big man Spencer Hawes about the ups and downs of his playing career, which saw him appear in 684 regular season games for six teams from 2007-17. A 7’1″ center who made 35.0% of his career-three pointers, Hawes was asked if he felt like he arrived in the league a few years too early. “I kind of joke about my buddies. I missed the max (contract) by a couple of years,” Hawes said. “Well, I think the game just wasn’t in such a good place and my game as well. I came in kind of as a more traditional old-school post-up player and I realized that pretty quickly that wasn’t working. So, I kind of had to figure out a different way to try and get on the floor and help the team win.”

NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Orlando Magic

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Orlando Magic.


Free agent signings

  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Three years, $66,000,000. Third-year player option. Signed using cap room.
  • Goga Bitadze: Three years, $25,000,000. Re-signed using Early Bird rights.
  • Moritz Wagner: Two years, $22,000,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Gary Harris: Two years, $15,000,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Cory Joseph: Two years, minimum salary ($6,772,731). Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jarrett Culver: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Myron Gardner: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Tre Scott: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jalen Slawson: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired the right to swap their own 2030 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2030 second-round pick and the right to swap their own 2031 second-round pick with the Pelicans’ 2031 second-round pick from the Pelicans in exchange for the draft rights to Antonio Reeves (No. 47 pick).

Draft picks

  • 1-18: Tristan Da Silva
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $17,567,626).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

  • Signed Franz Wagner to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension that begins in 2025/26. Projected value of $224,238,150 (starting at 25% of the cap). Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 (27.5% of the cap) or $269,085,780 (30% of the cap) if Wagner meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Renegotiated and extended Jonathan Isaac‘s one-year, $17.4MM contract. Increased 2024/25 salary by $7.6MM to $25MM. Added four years, $59,000,000. Partially guaranteed in 2026/27 ($8MM). Non-guaranteed in 2027/28 and ’28/29.

Salary cap situation

  • Went below the cap to use room.
  • Now operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $150.4MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

For the past several years, the Magic have built their roster patiently and incrementally, frequently re-signing their own veteran free agents to flexible, short-term deals and adding young talent through the draft while forgoing major splashes on the trade and free agent markets.

In some ways, they stuck to that approach again this offseason. Role players Goga Bitadze, Moritz Wagner, and Gary Harris all got new deals as free agents, with Wagner and Harris signing what have become Orlando specials: two-year contracts with strong first-year guaranteed salaries and team options on the second year.

I’m not sure there was another team out there prepared to give Wagner $11MM or Harris $7.5MM for the 2024/25 season, but Orlando, operating far below the luxury tax line, can comfortably afford those salaries. And the fact that the Magic were willing to go a bit higher than other teams might have earned them a couple key concessions — not only do both contracts have second-year team options, but both players agreed to waive their right to veto a trade, so if the Magic have the opportunity to make an in-season deal for a higher-salary player, Wagner and/or Harris could be used for matching purposes.

Bitadze’s deal, meanwhile, is guaranteed for three seasons, signaling his value in a free agent class that lacked many reliable options at center beyond Nic Claxton and Isaiah Hartenstein. Bitadze remains somewhat underrated. He’s entering his age-25 season, made 33 starts for a playoff team, and hit a career-high 60.3% of his field goals while blocking 1.2 shots in just 15.4 minutes per game. With Wendell Carter and Wagner also in the mix at center, the Magic have three solid – if unspectacular – options in the middle.

The two most lucrative contracts the Magic handed out this summer were to players who were already under contract for 2024/25. As a result of their extensions, Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac are now under team control through 2030 and 2029, respectively.

The Wagner investment (a projected $224MM+ over five years, beginning in 2025/26) is a bit of a tough pill to swallow for a player who has never averaged 20 points per game, made 28.1% of his three-pointers last season, and put up a dud in Game 7 of the first-round playoff loss to Cleveland (six points on 1-of-15 shooting). That deal is more about what the Magic believe the 23-year-old will become than what he is right now. Still, I’d feel a little better about it if Orlando could have gotten Wagner to agree to even a Desmond Bane-type contract, a little below the max.

The Isaac renegotiation and extension ($84MM in total money over the next five seasons) actually might be the better value of the two deals. That may sound odd on the surface, given that the forward averaged just 15.8 minutes per game in 58 appearances last season. But it was his first full year back after missing most of three seasons due to knee issues, and when he’s healthy, Isaac is one of the league’s most impactful defensive players.

The Magic had a +10.9 net rating when Isaac was on the court last season, compared to a -0.3 mark when he sat. Plus, his new contract – which dips to around $15MM annually beginning in 2025 – is only fully guaranteed for the next two years, with a partial guarantee in 2026/27 and non-guaranteed salaries in the final two seasons.

Besides re-signing their own players, the Magic continued to add young talent to their roster in the draft. This year’s No. 18 selection was Orlando’s lowest top pick since 2012, so the team likely won’t count on Tristan Da Silva to play a significant role as a rookie. Still, the former Colorado forward, who made 39.5% of his three-pointers over his last two college seasons, makes sense on a roster that finished dead-last among 30 NBA teams in three-pointers made in 2023/24.

The summer of 2024 deviated from the Magic’s recent offseasons in one crucial way. After winning 47 games, the team was ready to take a bigger swing by adding a top veteran free agent to its young core. Orlando made use of its cap room to land Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a three-and-D wing who has been a starter for two separate champions teams (the 2020 Lakers and 2023 Nuggets) in the past five seasons.

A 40.6% three-point shooter over the past four years, Caldwell-Pope should provide much-needed floor spacing for the Magic while further fortifying a defense that ranked third in the NBA last season. Perhaps just as importantly, he and fellow newcomer Cory Joseph will join Harris as the only players on Orlando’s roster who have won an NBA postseason series.

The Magic’s guaranteed deal with Joseph was a little surprising, given that he was waived by Golden State halfway through the 2023/24 season and didn’t find a job down the stretch. But like Caldwell-Pope, he has championship experience – having won a title with the Spurs in 2014 – and will provide veteran leadership in the locker room.

I had thought Orlando might target a point guard capable of playing a larger on-court role, especially with Markelle Fultz and secondary play-maker Joe Ingles departing in free agency. But the Magic appear set to rely on former No. 6 overall pick Anthony Black to take on increased responsibilities alongside ball-handlers like Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, Wagner, and rising star forward Paolo Banchero.


Up next

The Magic’s projected 15-man regular season roster looks full, but the team does have a pair of two-way spots open, with Trevelin Queen the only player currently on a two-way deal in Orlando. Non-guaranteed signees like Mac McClung, Jalen Slawson, Tre Scott, and Myron Gardner could end up competing for those spots; the club could also keep an eye on the waiver wire to see if any intriguing targets shake loose before opening night.

It’s worth noting that the Magic are operating about $20MM below the luxury tax line. Few NBA teams have that sort of financial flexibility at this point — only the Pistons, Jazz, and Spurs have smaller team salaries for 2024/25. That could make Orlando a popular trade partner for clubs looking to shed a little salary, though a deal along those lines is more likely to materialize during the season than in the preseason.

Two Magic rotation players are eligible for extensions up until October 21 and both are interesting cases. We’ll start with Jalen Suggs, a former No. 5 overall pick who is up for a rookie scale extension.

Unlike Wagner, Suggs won’t receive a maximum-salary offer, but after a season in which he knocked down 39.7% of his three-pointers and earned All-Defensive second team honors, the 23-year-old’s stock is on the rise and an extension won’t come cheap.

In the year before he signed a five-year, $131MM rookie scale extension with Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels averaged 12.1 PPG with a .398 3PT% and excellent defense. It’s safe to assume Suggs’ representatives will bring up that deal in negotiations with Orlando and make the case that Suggs (12.6 PPG, .397 3PT%, excellent defense) deserves a similar payday, or even a larger one, given his additional offensive responsibilities.

Carter will become eligible for a veteran extension on October 1, giving Orlando a three-week window to get something done. He still has a couple years left on his current contract, so if the two sides don’t work something out this offseason, they’ll have another chance in 2025.

As outlined above, Orlando has no shortage of options at center, but Carter – a solid defender who can stretch the floor – is the best of the bunch and has been a coveted target for teams in need of a big man (including the Pelicans). If the Magic can lock him up at a fair price, I expect they’ll do so, but it will likely take a significant bump on his current contract, which will pay him $22.8MM over the next two seasons. The Magic would be limited to offering him a starting salary worth up to 140% of next season’s estimated average salary.

G League Moves: Kings, Wizards, Cavs, Jazz, Hawks, More

While the NBA trade market has been quiet since July, NBA G League teams have been active in recent days, swapping returning player rights and draft picks ahead of the 2024/25 season.

A player’s G League returning rights are only valuable in certain situations. If a player is on a standard or two-way contract with an NBA team, those returning rights mean little, since the player will play for his NBA’s team affiliate when he reports to the G League. Even for players not on NBA rosters, returning rights offer no assurances for G League teams — the player could opt to play in Europe, Australia, Asia, or in another non-NBAGL league.

However, most G League trades made at this point in the year are completed with the knowledge that at least one of the players involved in the deal intends to sign an NBAGL contract and report to the team acquiring him. And in some cases, the trades represent the start of a greater opportunity for a player.

For instance, last summer, Trevelin Queen (Osceola Magic) and Alondes Williams (Sioux Falls Skyforce) were among the players who had their returning rights acquired by new teams. Queen and Williams initially signed training camp contracts with the NBA parent clubs (Orlando and Miami), but were eventually promoted to two-way deals and finished the 2023/24 season in the NBA.

Here are some details on the latest trades completed in the G League:

  • The Stockton Kings, Capital City Go-Go (Wizards), and Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers) finalized a three-team deal that sent Jules Bernard‘s returning rights to Cleveland, the rights to Dexter Dennis and Justin Powell to Stockton, and NBA veteran Jaylen Nowell to Capital City, per a press release from the Kings. Nowell has reportedly agreed to a camp deal with the Wizards.
  • Stockton followed up that deal by reaching a separate agreement with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz‘s affiliate (press release). The Kings acquired the rights to Jayce Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for the rights to Dane Goodwin.
  • The College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks‘ G League affiliate, sent the returning rights to Miles Norris and Joel Ayayi to the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies) in exchange for Michael Devoe‘s rights and the Indiana Mad Ants’ 2025 first-round pick.
  • The Skyhawks subsequently flipped that 2025 Mad Ants first-rounder to the San Diego Clippers for Joey Hauser‘s rights (Twitter links). Hauser is reportedly joining the Hawks this fall on an Exhibit 10 deal.
  • The Mexico City Capitanes – the G League’s only unaffiliated team – has made a pair of trades. The Capitanes sent Ethan Thompson‘s rights to the Osceola Magic in exchange for the rights to D.J. Wilson and a 2024 first-round pick (Twitter link), then acquired Greg Brown‘s returning rights from the Texas Legends (Mavericks) in exchange for the rights to Phillip Wheeler and a 2025 second-round pick (press release).

Magic Sign Jarrett Culver, Two Others To Exhibit 10 Deals

7:43pm: The Magic have confirmed the new signings in a press statement (Twitter link).


7:34pm: Free agent journeyman guard Jarrett Culver has agreed to a deal with the Magic, his agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that Culver’s contract will include Exhibit 10 language and reveals that free agent forwards Tre Scott and Jalen Slawson are also signing Exhibit 10 training camp deals.

The Suns selected Culver, a 6’6″ shooting guard/small forward out of Texas Tech, with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft and sent him to the Timberwolves in a draft-night deal. The 25-year-old has since also suited up for the Grizzlies and Hawks. Across 144 regular season NBA contests (43 starts), Culver has averaged 6.5 points on .401/.276/.509 shooting splits. He also registered averages of 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game.

Scott, 27, has mostly suited up for G League affiliate teams since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020. All told, he has appeared on one 10-day hardship deal with the Cavaliers during the 2021/22 season, earning minutes in a pair of NBA games.

The 24-year-old Slawson was drafted by the Kings out of Furman with the No. 54 pick in 2023. Sacramento inked the 6’7″ wing to a two-way contract. He played in 12 games for the Kings during the 2023/24 season, averaging a scant 3.1 minutes per contest.

Orlando has a tandem of two-way contract slots available heading into training camp. According to Beede, Scott and Slawson will now compete against previously-announced signings Myron Gardner and Mac McClung for those two openings. As Beede tweets, Culver will be ineligible to compete for a two-way deal because he has too many NBA years of service.

Exhibit 10 deals can be converted into two-way agreements ahead of an NBA season. If, however, a player is waived by a team, they’ll still have access to a bonus worth as much as $77.5K — provided they spend at least 60 days with their club’s G League affiliate.

Magic Sign Myron Gardner To Exhibit 10 Contract

7:45pm: Orlando has now confirmed the signing of Garnder, via a press statement (via Twitter).


3:50pm: The Magic are signing free agent wing Myron Gardner to an Exhibit 10 contract, a league source tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Chris Haynes (Twitter link) first reported that the two sides had reached a deal, citing agent Jake Cohen.

Gardner, who began his college career at Georgetown, transferred to Little Rock and then went undrafted in 2023 after deciding to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility.

Gardner caught on with the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, and appeared in 47 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the team last season, averaging 5.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .425/.317/.600. He also played for Orlando’s Summer League team in Las Vegas this July.

Since the Magic control Gardner’s G League returning rights, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract will allow the team to award him a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by Orlando and then spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

Once Gardner’s signing is official, the Magic will have 17 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed standard deals and Trevelin Queen on a two-way deal. The club still has a pair of two-way slots open, and while Gardner could theoretically vie for one of those spots, I’d be surprised if that’s the plan, given his limited contributions at the G League level in 2023/24.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Butler, Martin, Baker, Plowden

Could Ausar Thompson and Simone Fontecchio be part of the Pistons’ starting lineup? James Edwards III of The Athletic speculates that could be the case, noting that Thompson’s defense and Fontecchio’s shooting would mesh well with Cade Cunningham‘s skills and responsibilities. That would leave summer acquisitions Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. on a much improved second unit. Edwards takes an educated guess on how the team’s depth chart will shake under a new coaching staff.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Heat are unlikely to make a substantial move prior to the season, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman doubts there will be an upcoming blockbuster deal in the league on the scale of the Damian Lillard trade, which occurred just ahead of training camps last September. Depending on how Jimmy Butler’s contract situation plays out, the Heat could do something big before the February trade deadline or just wait for Butler’s opt-out decision next offseason. Butler said early this summer he wouldn’t sign an offseason extension.
  • The Nets‘ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, traded their 2025 first- and second-round draft picks to the Iowa Wolves, the Timberwolves‘ NBAGL squad, in exchange for the returning player rights to forward Tyrese Martin last week. That could be a prelude toward Martin receiving a training camp deal from Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily.com. The G League trade opens the door for Martin to sign an Exhibit 10 contract. Martin was the most productive player on the Summer League roster whose rights weren’t controlled by Brooklyn, the story notes.
  • The Magic‘s NBA G League team made a trade, acquiring the returning player rights to big man Robert Baker II and a 2024 second round NBA G League draft pick from the Hawks’ G League club, the College Park Skyhawks, the Osceola Magic announced (via Twitter). The Skyhawks acquired Daeqwon Plowden‘s returning rights. Baker, 26, played five games in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Skyhawks, averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. Plowden signed a two-way deal with the Warriors this season. Atlanta won’t be able to use those returning rights unless he’s waived by Golden State. It’s possibly a sign that the Warriors don’t plan to retain Plowden.

2024/25 NBA Over/Unders: Southeast Division

With the 2024/25 NBA regular season set to tip off next month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including Bovada and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2023/24, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’24/25?

We’ll continue our series today with the Southeast Division…


Orlando Magic


Miami Heat


Atlanta Hawks


Charlotte Hornets


Washington Wizards


Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics (58.5 wins): Over (69.7%)
  • New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (58.8%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (52.5 wins): Under (51.7%)
  • Toronto Raptors (30.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (19.5 wins): Over (54.3%)

Southwest

  • Dallas Mavericks (49.5 wins): Over (78.0%)
  • Memphis Grizzlies (47.5 wins): Under (65.6%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (46.5 wins): Under (60.6%)
  • Houston Rockets (43.5 wins): Under (51.4%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (36.5 wins): Under (52.9%)

Magic To Sign Mac McClung To Exhibit 10 Contract

Mac McClung has agreed to a deal with the Magic, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old guard was named MVP of the G League last season, but he’s best known for winning the past two Slam Dunk Contests at All-Star Weekend. He has limited NBA experience, appearing in two games with the Sixers on a two-way deal after becoming the 2023 dunk champion and playing one game each with the Bulls and Lakers during the 2021/22 season.

McClung was also in training camp with Orlando last fall on an Exhibit 10 deal. He was waived before the start of the season and joined the Magic’s G League affiliate in Osceola, where he averaged 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists in 27 games.

Orlando already has 15 players with standard contracts, so it will be difficult for McClung to earn a spot on the 15-man roster. The team has a pair of two-way openings remaining, so that’s likely his best path back to the NBA.

McClung has received numerous NBA opportunities since going undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2021. He signed two contracts with the Lakers, a pair of 10-day deals with Chicago and spent time with Golden State before joining Philadelphia and Orlando.

If McClung fails to win a roster spot, the Exhibit 10 contract will allow him to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola.

The signing will give the Magic 17 players on their training camp roster, four short of the league maximum.