Orlando Magic Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Magic’s Fultz Available For First Game In Two Months

January 7th, 2024 at 3:42pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic point guard Markelle Fultz has been given the green light to suit up on Sunday for his first game in nearly two months, the team has announced (Twitter link). Orlando is facing the Hawks today.

Fultz has been out since November 9 with left knee tendinitis, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link) notes.

In his five healthy games for the Magic this season, Fultz has averaged 11.4 PPG on 48.2% shooting from the floor, 4.0 APG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.2 SPG.

Rookie lottery pick Anthony Black has generally been starting in Fultz’s stead, though reserve guard Cole Anthony has taken the lion’s share of minutes at the position.

Beede tweets that an activated Fultz will operate as a reserve for this first game back. Head coach Jamahl Mosley has indicated that Fultz will be working under a restriction of about 12-to-16 minutes per night, per Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution (via Twitter).

At 20-15, the Magic are currently the seventh seed in the East. Their record is identical to that of the No. 6 Heat, as well as the No. 8 Pacers. Every game counts for the Magic in a crowded Eastern playoff race, so this is a critical positive health development. The club is just three games behind the third-seeded Sixers and 5.5 games clear of the No. 11 Hawks.

Stein’s Latest: Carter, Jazz, Hawks, Murray, Sixers, More

January 5th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Rory Maher

In his latest Substack article, Marc Stein reports that Magic center Wendell Carter is a “player to monitor” ahead of the February 8 trade deadline.

As Stein explains, Orlando has played above expectations through 34 games (the team is currently 19-15), but it has a deep frontcourt featuring Carter, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac. Carter has only appeared in 13 games due to hand and knee injuries, and has been coming off the bench of late after he returned.

Those factors, plus needing to eventually re-sign or extend Franz Wagner and Banchero beyond their rookie scale contracts, has led rivals to believe that Carter will be available this winter, Stein writes.

A former lottery pick who is still just 24 years old, Carter has been a productive starter for the Magic the past few seasons and is on a fairly team-friendly contract, which will pay him $35.85MM over the next three seasons (it declines annually, down to $10.85MM in 2025/26). However, he has also missed at least 18 games in every season of his six-year career due to a variety of injuries.

Here are some more trade rumors from Stein:

It has been reported multiple times that the Jazz were expected to be sellers ahead of the trade deadline, but they’ve gone 9-3 over their past 12 games and are currently 16-19, a game out of the final play-in spot in the West. That rise up the standings has rival front offices wondering what Utah will do now, per Stein. League sources tell Stein that John Collins is one player the Jazz are continuing to try and move, though it’s unclear how much success they’ll have after acquiring him in the offseason in a salary dump.
Stein confirms recent reporting from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports about the Hawks, who are actively involved in trade conversations regarding Dejounte Murray and possibly several players on the roster outside of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson. Bogdan Bogdanovic is expected to be widely coveted by rival teams, according to Stein.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report said in a live stream on Friday that the Sixers and Lakers could be eventual Murray suitors, and the Knicks have been “increasingly” linked to the former All-Star guard, Stein adds.
The Sixers are unlikely to pursue Zach LaVine or Pascal Siakam, with the team looking to take a “thoughtful” approach at the deadline, according to Stein, who gets a “strong sense” that Philadelphia will likely make moves around the edges if it makes more in-season trades.
Multiple reporters have linked the Lakers to LaVine, but Stein continues to hear they haven’t been interested — at least to this point — in taking on his long-term money. The two-time All-Star is in the second season of a five-year, $215MM contract.

Magic To Retire Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 Jersey

January 4th, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal will be the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Magic, the team announced in a press release. O’Neal’s No. 32 will be retired on February 13 following Orlando’s game vs. Oklahoma City.

“When someone asks who was the first player to officially put the Orlando Magic on the map, the answer is simple – Shaquille O’Neal,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “He took this franchise to new heights, both on and off the court, and his legacy is still felt within our organization today. On behalf of the DeVos family, we are excited to honor Shaquille by raising #32 into the rafters of the Kia Center, where it will remain forever.”

O’Neal spent his first four NBA seasons with the Magic, averaging 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 blocks in 295 regular season games (37.8 MPG). He led Orlando to its first NBA Finals appearance in 1995, during his third season.

O’Neal was inducted into the Magic’s Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Basketball Hall of Fame the next year. Despite the brief nature of his stint with the franchise, he was absolutely dominant during his tenure with Orlando, which included a Rookie of the Year award, four All-Star appearances and three All-NBA nods.

The 51-year-old big man will be the third player to have his jersey retired by three teams, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The Lakers retired O’Neal’s No. 34 in 2013, and the Heat retired his No. 32 in 2016. He won three championships with L.A. and one with Miami.

Magic’s Franz Wagner Exits With Right Ankle Sprain

January 3rd, 2024 at 10:25pm CST by Rory Maher

Magic forward Franz Wagner has been on a roll lately, but he unfortunately sustained a right ankle injury in the first quarter on Wednesday against Sacramento and was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest (Twitter link).

According to the Magic, Wagner had X-rays after exiting the game, which came back negative. He was formally diagnosed with a right ankle sprain.

A former lottery pick (No. 8 overall in 2021) who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason, Wagner is Orlando’s second-leading scorer, narrowly trailing Paolo Banchero. The 22-year-old German is averaging career highs in multiple statistics in 2023/24, including points (21.3), rebounds (6.0) assists (4.0) and steals (1.2) per night through 33 games (34.2 MPG).

Wagner has been very durable to this point in his career, appearing in 79 games as a rookie and 80 last season. He has yet to miss a game in ’23/24.

Ankle sprains can drastically vary as far as recovery timelines go, so we’ll have to wait for more information to be released on Wagner to have a better idea on if he might miss more time.

Florida Notes: Butler, Highsmith, Carter, Fultz

December 30th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have a new injury concern with Jimmy Butler, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Returning to the lineup after missing the previous four games with a left calf strain, Butler had to leave Saturday’s contest at Utah after hurting his right foot in a collision with Collin Sexton. According to Chiang, Butler walked slowly to Miami’s bench after the play and then headed to the locker room.

Head coach Eric Spoelstra wasn’t able to offer an update on Butler’s condition after the game, but X-rays taken on his foot were negative. Chiang states that the team will see how Butler is feeling over the next few days before deciding whether to perform an MRI.

Chiang notes that Butler has already missed eight games this season and may have to add to that total. With Tyler Herro sidelined for a long stretch due to a sprained ankle and Bam Adebayo dealing with nagging injuries, the team’s three best players have only been together for eight games.

There’s more on the two Florida teams:

Haywood Highsmith was helped to the locker room in the final seconds of Saturday’s game after he also collided with Sexton and was hit in the head and neck area, Chiang adds. Injuries have already caused Highsmith to miss 11 games. The Heat were using their 18th different starting lineup of the season Saturday, as ongoing injuries gave rare starts to Nikola Jovic and two-way player R.J. Hampton.
Goga Bitadze was back in the Magic‘s starting lineup on Friday, but he didn’t find out about the assignment until an hour before game time, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Wendell Carter Jr.‘s right knee flared up during warm-ups and he was ruled out because of tendinitis. “Honestly, even before the game I thought he was going to play,” Bitadze said. “We talked with him an hour before the game. I don’t want to say it was hard, but it was different. You’ve got to lock in differently when you start the games than when you come off the bench. I had to lock in and find a place [mentally] where I was ready to start. I think I did a good job and it was a great win.” Coach Jamahl Mosley said the medical staff will monitor Carter closely as he continues to work his way back after missing 20 games with an injured left hand.
Markelle Fultz is listed as questionable for the Magic‘s contest Sunday at Phoenix, meaning there’s a chance he could return after missing 23 games with tendinitis in his left knee, Beede adds.

Sixers Notes: Bamba, Maxey, Embiid, Trade Options

December 27th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Tonight will mark the first trip to Orlando for Sixers center Mohamed Bamba since the Magic traded him in February, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bamba was the sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, but he never developed into the starting-caliber center that Orlando hoped he would be. He was shipped to the Lakers at last year’s trade deadline and signed with Philadelphia this summer, but he remains close with his former Magic teammates.

“Yeah, that’s family over there, you know, all those guys,” Bamba said after Monday’s game. “I’m probably going to stop by Jalen Suggs’ mom’s house tomorrow just to kick it. But that’s family, Cole (Anthony), Wendell (Carter Jr.), Kelle (Markelle Fultz). Those are guys that I can say I grew up with in the league.”

The Lakers hosted the Magic in March, but Bamba wasn’t able to play because of an injury. He’s expected to see plenty of minutes tonight with Joel Embiid sidelined by an ankle sprain, and he’s coming off his best game of the season with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals Monday at Miami.

“It’s just a matter of getting out there and trying not to be the game, throwing out the game,” Bamba said. “You don’t get enough minutes to be out there throwing away minutes, feeling out the game. But I got an opportunity to feel them out (during the first stretch), came back, made some changes and tried to be a little more aggressive.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Philadelphia has lost all four games that Embiid has missed this season, and the other players have to figure out how to win without the reigning MVP, Pompey states in a separate story. He notes that Embiid’s absence has been particularly tough on Tyrese Maxey, who was limited to 12 points Monday and is averaging just 20.3 PPG while shooting 37.5% from the field and 17.3% from three-point range when Embiid hasn’t played.
Embiid has been ruled out for tonight, but his status for Friday’s game at Houston hasn’t been determined, Pompey adds. Coach Nick Nurse is optimistic that his ankle sprain won’t be a long-term issue. “We have a very deep roster of people who can play at a high level,” Kelly Oubre said. “It’s about consistency. … So tomorrow’s a new challenge for us to show we can win without Jo. And we’ll see what happens.”
Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks of ESPN look at the options for president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as he tries to add another star to the Sixers’ lineup. Morey’s ability to make a deal will expand on January 1 when aggregate restrictions are lifted for Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris and KJ Martin, who were acquired from the Clippers in the James Harden trade. The ESPN authors examine the pros and cons of trying to land a big name or some smaller pieces before the trade deadline or waiting until the offseason to make significant moves.

Community Shootaround: Orlando Magic

December 26th, 2023 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

Among the Eastern Conference’s top six seeds so far in 2023/24, four teams (Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and New York) made it to the second round of last season’s playoffs, while a fifth (Milwaukee) has been a perennial top seed in recent years.

The one outlier sits at fourth place in the conference with a 17-11 record: the Magic.

Orlando hasn’t won more than 42 games in a season since 2010/11 and wasn’t considered a strong bet to make the postseason entering training camp this fall. But Jamahl Mosley‘s club has gotten off to a good start, fueled by a defense that’s currently the fourth-best in the NBA (110.5 defensive rating).

The Magic are one of the NBA’s worst shooting teams, ranking narrowly ahead of the last-place Pistons in three-pointers made per game (10.0) and three-point percentage (33.5%). However, they’re far more efficient on two-point shots and they benefit from playing a physical game, leading the league in personal fouls drawn per contest (23.1) and placing behind only Philadelphia in free throw attempts per night (27.3).

A pair of young forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, lead the Magic in points per game with 21.2 and 20.3, respectively. The secondary scoring comes primarily from guards Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, as well as bigs Moritz Wagner and Wendell Carter, with Gary Harris, Anthony Black, Goga Bitadze, Joe Ingles, and Jonathan Isaac also playing regular roles.

The Magic have spent most of the season playing without their starting point guard – Markelle Fultz, who has been out since early November due to a knee issue – and their starting center (Carter only recently returned from a hand injury that has limited him to eight appearances so far this season). Black and Bitadze have capably filled those spots, but it will be interesting to see how Mosley adjusts his rotation if and when everyone’s healthy and available.

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of these Magic, whose offensive firepower is so limited and who have had an up-and-down year so far — a nine-game winning streak from November 15 to December 1 has been sandwiched by a 5-5 start and a 3-6 stretch as of late.

Orlando has racked up wins against some of the league’s worst teams, including Washington (twice), Detroit, Charlotte, Portland, and Utah, but also has registered impressive victories against the Bucks, Nuggets, and Celtics.

We want to know what you think. Are the Magic a legitimate playoff team? A play-in club? Are they a good candidate to upgrade their roster at the trade deadline, or is it in their best interest to let their young players continue developing this season and wait until the offseason to focus on roster changes?

Head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts!

Southeast Notes: Carter, Wizards, Ball, Martin

December 23rd, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic welcomed back starting center Wendell Carter Jr. this week after he missed 20 games due to surgery on a fractured bone in his left hand, writes Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Carter got an immediate test with games on back-to-back nights against Miami and Milwaukee, and he said he’s still getting used to being on the court again.

“It’s solid,” Carter responded when asked how his hand is feeling. “I go through my stretches where I’m just more timid than anything but constantly being out there, I’ll get over it. … Walking right into a back-to-back after missing 20 games was tough, but that’s really no excuse for anything.”

Carter’s return should solidify the frontcourt for an Orlando team that has dropped four straight games after a strong start. He was greeted with two significant challenges right away, facing Bam Adebayo, who posted 18 points and seven rebounds against the Magic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who followed with 37 points and 10 rebounds the next night.

“It just shows that I’ve got to get back to where I was at before I got injured,” Carter said. “A lot of the plays out there, I felt like I was one or two steps slower than I usually am. It just gave me somewhere I can look at in terms of getting back to at some point. I definitely got a lot of respect for the coaches trusting in me [and] putting me out there when I might not be able to play my best game.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Suns guard Bradley Beal doesn’t want to see his former team move forward with relocation plans to northern Virginia. Beal, who spent 11 seasons with the Wizards before being traded this summer, appealed to owner Ted Leonsis to reconsider last week’s announcement (video link). “D.C, there is no moving to Virginia, like what is that?” Beal said. “Ted, we love you to death. We understand what you want to do and trying to do, but you can’t take the team out of D.C.”
It appears unlikely that Hornets guard LaMelo Ball can secure a spot in the All-Star Game even if he returns soon from his right ankle sprain, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer states in a mailbag column. Ball was making a strong All-Star case, averaging 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists before the injury, but he has only played 15 games and his candidacy figures to be affected by Charlotte’s poor record.
Hornets forward Cody Martin has been cleared to make his season debut tonight, Boone tweets. Martin underwent surgery on his left knee last season and hasn’t played since January 14.

Injury Notes: J. Johnson, Robinson, Suggs, Tatum, Luka, Kawhi

December 23rd, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s optimism that injured Hawks forward Jalen Johnson could be back in action as soon as Tuesday vs. Chicago, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Johnson was in the midst of a breakout season before suffering a left distal radius fracture on November 25. In his 14 healthy games this year, the 22-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.4 minutes per night, with a .590/.421/.774 shooting line.

As Wojnarowski details, the Hawks’ performance, especially on defense, has nosedived since Johnson injured his wrist. The team is just 4-9 and ranks 29th in defensive efficiency without him. At 12-16, Atlanta in the mix for a play-in spot and currently sits percentage points behind Chicago for the No. 10 spot in the East.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Friday that the eight-to-10 week timeline to reevaluate Mitchell Robinson‘s ankle injury remains unchanged and wouldn’t confirm that the team expects the center to miss the rest of the season. However, Thibodeau also didn’t deny that Robinson will be out for the year, simply stating that the club will know more once he’s reevaluated in February.
Still without starting point guard Markelle Fultz, the Magic are down another starting guard. Jalen Suggs, who is battling a sprained left wrist, missed Thursday’s game in Milwaukee and has been ruled out for Saturday’s contest in Indiana, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Gary Harris will get a second consecutive start tonight in place of Suggs, who said on Thursday that he doesn’t anticipate missing much time with the injury, per Beede.
A pair of All-Stars are back in action today after a one-game absence. Jayson Tatum (left ankle sprain) is available for the Celtics, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), while Luka Doncic (left quad strain) is no longer on the injury report for the Mavericks, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (left hip contusion), on the other hand, is missing a second consecutive game on Saturday vs. Boston (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times).

And-Ones: Hall Of Fame, Carter, 2025 AmeriCup, McLemore

December 22nd, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has officially revealed its list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2024, announcing in a press release that this year’s group of first-time nominees includes longtime NBA star Vince Carter, who made eight All-Star teams and appeared in 1,541 regular season games across 22 seasons in the league.

Former Pistons big man Bill Laimbeer, four-time WNBA champion Seimone Augustus, and longtime NCAA head coach Rick Barnes are among the other nominees who are eligible for the first time in 2024.

Finalists will be announced during the NBA’s All-Star weekend on Friday, February 16, while the Class of 2024 will be unveiled on Saturday, April 6 during the NCAA’s Final Four. The enshrinement ceremony for 2024’s Hall of Fame inductees will take place on Saturday, August 17.

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

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup will be played in Managua, Nicaragua from August 23-31, 2025, FIBA announced today in a press release. The qualifiers for the event will take place across three windows in February 2024, November 2024, and February 2025. Brazil hosted the last AmeriCup in 2022, losing to Argentina in the final. The U.S. team – which featured former NBAers like Norris Cole, Gary Clark, Jodie Meeks, and Patrick McCaw – placed third in ’22.
In honor of the holidays, John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his “All-Stocking Stuffer Team,” which is made up of overlooked players who have emerged as unexpected contributors over the course of this season. Magic center Goga Bitadze, Kings guard Keon Ellis, Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio, and Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe are a few of the players singled out by Hollinger.
Veteran guard Ben McLemore, who signed with AEK Athens in August, has officially left the Greek team and is joining CB Breogan in Spain, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. McLemore parted ways with AEK B.C. earlier in the month and was said to be in advanced talks with a Turkish club before lining up a deal with CB Breogan instead.