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Magic Sign Jonathan Isaac To Four-Year Extension

December 21st, 2020 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

5:02pm: The Magic have officially signed Isaac to his extension, the team announced in a press release.

4:31pm: Shortly after reaching an agreement on an extension for Markelle Fultz, the Magic have done the same for Jonathan Isaac. Agent Jeff Wechsler tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) that Isaac and the Magic have agreed to a four-year, $80MM deal, which will begin in 2021/22.

Isaac was on his way to a breakout year in 2019/20, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), SPG (1.6), and a handful of other categories in the 34 games (28.8 MPG) he played.

However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1, and his comeback effort during the Orlando summer restart was abruptly halted in early August by a torn left ACL.

Despite the fact that Isaac will miss the entire 2020/21 season while rehabilitating that knee injury, the Magic were willing to lock in a new deal for him early, preventing him from reaching restricted free agency in 2021. That signals not only that Orlando views the 23-year-old as an important part of its future, but also that the team feels good about where he’s at in his recovery and rehab process.

While it remains to be seen how Isaac’s offensive game will develop, he’s already one of the NBA’s most talented and versatile defenders when he’s healthy. If he returns to full health and improves on offense, the contract could actually end up being a bargain for the Magic, but it’s still a significant roll of the dice for the club.

Isaac will earn $7.36MM in the final year of his rookie scale contract in 2020/21 before his new deal begins. He’s the eighth player to agree to a rookie scale extension this offseason, narrowly beating Monday’s deadline (5:00pm central time).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Magic Granted Disabled Player Exception For Isaac Injury

December 19th, 2020 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have been granted a disabled player exception by the NBA as a result of Jonathan Isaac‘s season-ending knee injury, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Isaac suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the NBA’s restart at Disney World and underwent surgery in August.

The disabled player exception is a salary cap exception designed to allow teams to add a replacement for a player who suffers a major injury. It’s worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.

Since Isaac’s salary in 2020/21 is $7,362,566, Orlando’s new trade exception will be worth half that amount: $3,681,283.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Disabled Player Exception]

The disabled player exception doesn’t give a team an extra roster spot, but it allows the club to add a player without using cap space to do so. It can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. However, it can only be used on one player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.

The Magic probably won’t be in a rush to use their DPE — using it in full would bump their team salary over the tax line. Still, it could be a useful tool at some point this season. They’re the second team to be granted a disabled player exception this season, joining the Warriors (Klay Thompson).

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Southeast Notes: Aminu, Bamba, Collins, Hawks, Hornets

December 1st, 2020 at 11:54am CST by Luke Adams

Magic head coach Steve Clifford told reporters today that Jonathan Isaac, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Mohamed Bamba haven’t been cleared for contact work when training camp begins, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Isaac is recovering from a torn ACL and is expected to miss the entire 2020/21 season, so his absence is unsurprising. Aminu and Bamba were unavailable for the Magic at the end of last season due to knee surgery recovery and coronavirus complications, respectively. It’s not clear if those same issues are keeping them sidelined this fall, but Clifford said today that both players are still “a ways away” from being 100%, per Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links).

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Hawks big man John Collins is still hoping to sign a rookie scale extension before the regular season begins, admitting today that his contract situation is at the forefront of his mind (Twitter links via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic and Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
  • The Hawks issued a press release announcing injury updates on Kris Dunn (cartilage disruption in right knee), Onyeka Okongwu (inflammation of sesamoid bone in left foot), and Tony Snell (inflammation of cuboid bone in right foot). Dunn is participating in “modified” individual workouts, while Okongwu and Snell are currently limited to shooting and conditioning. Atlanta will provide another update on all three players on December 11.
  • The Hornets will open the 2020/21 season without any fans in attendance at Spectrum Center, the team announced this week in a press release. The Hornets indicated they’ll continue to work with state and local health officials – and the NBA – to develop a plan to get fans back in the building, ideally before the end of the season.
  • In the wake of the Hornets‘ acquisition of Gordon Hayward and release of Nicolas Batum, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer examines the salary cap impact of the two transactions. As Bonnell writes, despite the significant cap charges for Hayward and Batum, the club could still open up a sizeable chunk of cap room in 2021.
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Magic Apply For DPE To Replace Jonathan Isaac

November 22nd, 2020 at 11:44am CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic are seeking a disabled player exception for Jonathan Isaac, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. If approved by the league, the DPE will be worth $3,681,283, half of Isaac’s salary for the upcoming season. 

Isaac suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the NBA’s restart at Disney World and underwent surgery in August. He is expected to miss the entire season. He was returning from a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise that had kept him out of action since January.

Any player the Orlando signs with the DPE would count toward the team’s tax bill, Robbins notes (Twitter link). That could be a consideration as the Magic are near the tax line after agreeing to free agent deals with Michael Carter-Williams, James Ennis and Dwayne Bacon.

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Isaac Doesn’t Think He Returned Too Soon From Knee Injury

October 26th, 2020 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

After being diagnosed in early January with a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise, Magic forward Jonathan Isaac returned to action during the summer restart at Walt Disney World. His comeback was short-lived, however, as he went down with a torn left ACL during Orlando’s second seeding game.

Having suffered such a significant injury to the same knee that had just sidelined him for months, Isaac faced questions about whether he should have returned at all this summer, especially with the Magic viewed as an extreme long shot to make any noise in the postseason. However, he tells Josh Robbins of The Athletic that he has “no regrets” about the decision.

“In retrospect, no, I don’t think I came back too soon,” Isaac said. “I really was ready to go. I didn’t have any doubts about where I was in terms of moving or playing. I mean, you can watch from the clips of when I was playing — I was fine. I was in great shape outside of just my wind getting back. But I was in great shape. I think I was jumping my highest that I’ve done so far in my career.

“So I have no regrets about coming back or the timing that I did,” Isaac continued. “I trusted the staff, and we came to a decision: ‘I’m ready to play.’ It was my decision at the end of the day, and I went with it. And I’m glad I did.”

While his ACL tear is expected to cost Isaac the entire 2020/21 season, he has maintained a positive attitude about his recovery, telling Robbins that he’s not getting “down” or “upset” about the lengthy process. Isaac added that he has been comparing the steps of his recovery to those of teammate Chuma Okeke, who missed the 2019/20 season with a torn ACL of his own.

“I think he’s upbeat,” head coach Steve Clifford said of Isaac. “He’s attacking the rehab with a good, positive attitude, and that’s who he is. That’s the way he’s always been.”

Isaac is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, though it remains to be seen if he and the Magic will seriously attempt to negotiate a new deal while he’s still on the way back from his injury.

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Southeast Notes: Brown, Weltman, Hornets

September 10th, 2020 at 7:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Wizards point guard Troy Brown Jr. performed competently for Washington in a back-up role during 2019/20, but his long-term fit behind John Wall and Ish Smith remains in question, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

“We think Troy can be a back-up point guard,” Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard opined. “He’s going to need a lot more reps.”

The Wizards, with the No. 9 pick in the draft this season, have plenty of positions of need. If the team is convinced that Brown can develop into a reliable bench guard, Hughes writes, it can focus on other areas.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • In an extensive conversation with Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman discussed possible contract extensions for injured forward Jonathan Isaac and intriguing guard Markelle Fultz, the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft. “These circumstances (with the pandemic) obviously make things more difficult (to plan) than in a typical summer,” Weltman said. “But we’ll have conversations with them at the appropriate time.”
  • The Hornets will have a uniquely fluid offseason, starting with a myriad of draft options with the No. 3 pick, writes Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Guard LaMelo Ball, swingman Anthony Edwards, and center James Wiseman appear to be the consensus top three picks this year, though Vecenie notes that the Hornets might also want to consider trading the pick and a promising young Charlotte player to the Warriors or Timberwolves in order to move up in the draft.
  • As we previously relayed, after teams were allowed to add one person to their bubble limit on Saturday, the Heat brought assistant Octavio De La Grana to the NBA’s Disney World campus. Miami now has its complete coaching staff ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Magic Expect Jonathan Isaac To Miss 2020/21 Season

August 31st, 2020 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

There’s still little clarity on when the 2020/21 NBA season will begin and end, but Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman confirmed today that his team expects Jonathan Isaac‘s recovery from a torn ACL to sideline the young forward for the full year.

“We will not have Jonathan Isaac next season,” Weltman said, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Isaac was on his way to a breakout year in 2019/20, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), SPG (1.6), and a handful of other categories in the 34 games (28.8 MPG) he played. However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1, and his comeback effort during the restart was abruptly halted in early August by a torn left ACL.

It’s not uncommon for NBA players’ ACL recoveries to span more than a full calendar year. For instance, Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn ACL in February of 2018 and missed the entire ’18/19 season. Klay Thompson tore his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals last June and won’t return for the Warriors until the start of the 2020/21 season.

Isaac projects to be one of the Magic’s cornerstone players going forward, so it makes sense for the team to set a conservative recovery timeline for him. Perhaps if the start of the 2020/21 season gets pushed back by several months, Orlando would reconsider Isaac’s return date, but for now it sounds like we shouldn’t expect to see him back on the court before ’21/22.

That timeline means Isaac may be on a new contract by the time he plays his next game. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2020 offseason and will be a restricted free agent in 2021 if he and the Magic don’t reach a new deal before then.

Isaac’s knee injury may negatively impact his leverage when he negotiates his next deal, but if his recovery is progressing well, the Magic will likely still be confident about investing in him long term — Porzingis and Thompson, for instance, both signed five-year, maximum-salary contracts before they’d returned from their respective ACL tears.

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Magic’s Isaac Undergoes Left Knee Surgery

August 7th, 2020 at 7:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac underwent surgery on his left knee on Friday, according to a team press release (Twitter link). Isaac’s surgery was needed to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal tear.

The team did not announce a timetable. His return to the court will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehab, according to the release.

Isaac suffered the first major injury during the league restart. He was driving to the basket early in the fourth quarter of Orlando’s win over the Kings on Sunday when his left knee buckled. He was eventually taken off the court on a wheelchair.

He was on the verge of a breakout 2019/20 season, having averaged career highs in PPG (11.9), RPG (6.8), BPG (2.3), and SPG (1.6). However, a severe left knee sprain and bone bruise sidelined him on January 1 and he didn’t play again until the seeding games in Orlando.

The team’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, insisted earlier this week the two injuries weren’t related. Isaac, 22, is still on his rookie contract and will make $7.36MM next season, though his ability to return at any point is obviously in doubt.

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Southeast Notes: Butler, Isaac, Hawks, Heat

August 7th, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat swingman Jimmy Butler, who continues to battle a right foot injury, has been ruled out for Saturday’s matchup with Phoenix, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link). It will be the third consecutive game that Butler has missed.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Thursday that Butler underwent both an MRI and an X-ray on the foot, which revealed no structural damage, per Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The hope for now is that rest is the best treatment for the All-Star wing.

“Jimmy had his final scan yesterday. And we understand what he’s dealing with,” agent Bernie Lee told The Herald. “And he’s working his butt off to get back on the floor ASAP and to be ready for the playoffs.”

The postseason isn’t scheduled to begin until August 17, so Butler has another 10 days to work his way back from the injury, which is mostly affecting his right ankle, according to Jackson and Chiang.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

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Southeast Notes: Isaac, Riley, Wizards’ Lottery Odds

August 3rd, 2020 at 6:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac suffered the first major injury during the league restart. However, the team insists that his torn left ACL wasn’t related to the left knee injury that had sidelined him since New Year’s Day, according to Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel. The team’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman, noted Isaac “cleared every hurdle” in his recovery from the knee injury.

“Absolutely and unequivocally not brought back too early,” Weltman said. “As a matter of fact, those of you guys who follow us locally know that if we’re ever going to be criticized as to the timing of returning our players to play, it’s at the other end of the spectrum.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Isaac is no longer with the team at the Orlando campus, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. The team wants to get a more complete set of MRI images of the interior of Isaac’s knee, according to Weltman.
  • The Heat need to show team president Pat Riley that he doesn’t need to use a chunk of his cap space this offseason on other teams’ free agents, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald opines. Miami has six impending free agents and the best-case scenario would be to re-sign some of those players to one-year deals and then dive into a much more attractive free agent market next summer. The Heat defeated Denver and lost to Toronto in their first two seeding games.
  • The Wizards have lost their first three games in Orlando but that isn’t helping their lottery odds, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington notes. Prior to the restart, an amendment to the rules locked the eight teams who weren’t invited to Orlando into the top eight spots in the draft lottery. The best Washington can do is enter the lottery in the No. 9 spot, even if it loses its remaining games.
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