Wendell Carter Jr., Magic agree to three-year extension

Wendell Carter Jr., Magic agree to three-year extension

Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. has agreed to a three-year extension with the organization, new ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Monday evening.

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. has agreed to a three-year, $59 million contract extension, per his agent Mike Miller of LIFT Sports Management. Carter secures his maximum extension and $82M in new deal through 2028-29 season. pic.twitter.com/7qicNLEYcg

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 8, 2024

Carter, 25, was entering the penultimate year of his front-loaded four-year, $50 deal with Orlando. He was on the books for roughly $12.0 million this season with a $10.9 million cap hit in 2025-26, roughly seven percent of the NBA’s cap.

Carter’s new extension will be worth $59 million with cap hits of $18.1 million, $19.6 million and $21.0 million from 2026-29, respectively, per Spotrac. There is no player or team option included.

By extending him right now, the Magic have re-signed all three of their centers–the other two being Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze–this offseason. Though Carter, Franz Wagner and Jonathan Isaac are the only three players on contract beyond the 2027-28 season. The last two years of Isaac’s deal (2026-27, 2027-28), however, are non-guaranteed salaries that can be worth up to $29.5 million combined. Paolo Banchero will be eligible for a rookie max extension following the 2024-25 season.

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While Wagner and Banchero have rightfully gotten most of the buzz, Carter Jr. has been one of the better young bigs in the entire sport. He had a down season, statistically, last year, averaging 11.0 points and 6.9 rebounds across 55 games (48 starts). While he still might be a below-average defender, he’s an excellent rebounder with sneaky range and has long been pretty efficient around the rim.

It’s not a large percentage of the cap that Carter will be on the hook for–one that he’s more than capable of out-playing if he continues to remain healthy. He’s still very young, so he’ll have room to grow. That said, his overall upside might be limited if he doesn’t improve defensively, but I think his offensive skillset complements the rest of what Orlando has in its frontcourt–especially for what it needs around Banchero and Wagner.

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