Anthony Black’s push for a new deal just got a little trickier.
With the Orlando Magic less than a week from the start of the 2026-27 regular season, the gap between Black and the team over a contract extension appears to be widening. And according to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, Brandin Podziemski’s new five-year, $110 million extension with the Golden State Warriors has only made the situation more complicated.
That matters because Black and Podziemski came into the league together in the 2023 draft class. Both were first-round picks, with Black going sixth overall and Podziemski taken 19th.
Podziemski was the better scorer early on, but by year three, Windhorst said the two players were in a similar place in terms of what they bring. They also share the same agent, Bill Duffy of WME Basketball.
Black helped himself with a strong season last year, averaging a career-high 15 points per game and giving Orlando solid minutes as a sixth man on a bench group that struggled overall. At Magic media day on Sept. 28, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman praised Black’s progress and said he was going to just get better and better.
Weltman also said the team would keep talking with Black’s representatives right up until Monday, the deadline for a rookie extension. Podziemski’s new deal, though, raises the pressure on Orlando to land something soon and in a similar financial range.
The Magic’s biggest obstacle is their own payroll. They are already well above the first apron after committing big money to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs. Each of those players is set to make more than $30 million this season, which leaves Orlando with very little room to maneuver.
If the sides can’t agree before the deadline, Black would head toward restricted free agency after this summer. For now, he is slated to play this season on the $10.1 million club option the Magic picked up in October 2025.
It leaves both sides in a difficult spot. Black has done enough to earn a payday, but Orlando may not be the team that can give it to him. And for a Magic roster whose depth is already a question, losing a productive young guard would be a real hit.
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Anthony Black Puts Real Pressure On The Magic Before Deadline
The Magic have spent the lead-up to the rookie extension deadline working through a contract situation with Anthony Black, and it has drawn the kind of attention that usually comes when a young player has already shown enough to matter. Black remains a part of Orlandos long-term picture, and league interest has only underscored that the front office is dealing with a real decision point, even if the organizations posture has been to keep him in place rather than entertain a move this season.
Still, the pressure is real because the talks have not landed neatly yet, and there is a line the Magic have been reluctant to cross in those negotiations. For a team trying to preserve its future while keeping its young core intact, the deadline adds urgency without offering much room for error, leaving Orlando with a familiar kind of problem: how to value a promising guard before the market forces the issue. [Read more 🡒]
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That is why the chatter around Derrick Jones Jr. and Goga Bitadze matters, even if neither path looks simple. Jones is valued by the Clippers, which makes a cross-town deal feel remote, while Bitadze has emerged as a more plausible backup-center type for Los Angeles, though his fit is far from clean and his history with Luka Doncic adds another layer to an already delicate decision. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Is Becoming A Real Magic Roster Decision
Anthony Black is starting to look less like a young piece the Magic can simply tuck away and more like a real roster decision. ESPNs Brian Windhorst said there are ongoing negotiations around the guards contract situation, and for Orlando that kind of business tends to carry extra weight because it sits right at the intersection of development, salary structure and future flexibility. Teams can talk all they want about patience, but once a former lottery pick begins to establish himself, the numbers and the timing start to matter.
The interesting part is that this does not seem to be a simple keep-or-move-on call for Orlando. Windhorst also noted trade considerations in the mix, which only adds to the sense that Blacks place on the roster is being measured against more than just his current production. However the deadline chatter settles, the Magic appear to be deciding how far they want to go to keep him in the fold, and whether the next step is a new deal or a harder conversation. [Read more 🡒]