The Magic and Anthony Black did not get a rookie-scale extension done before Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline, setting up the fourth-year guard for restricted free agency next summer.
Black, the No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft, is now on track to play this season under the final year of his rookie contract before the next round of contract talks arrives. If Orlando submits a qualifying offer, Black would become a restricted free agent, able to sign an offer sheet with another team while the Magic keep the right to match. He could also become an unrestricted free agent if the Magic choose not to qualify him.
League rules say a team must make that qualifying offer between the day after the NBA Finals ends and June 29, which is the next window for Orlando and Black to revisit a new deal.
There is still plenty of room for the situation to play out in more than one way. Black and the Magic can still work out a separate agreement that doesn’t hinge on the qualifying offer, and a sign-and-trade would also remain on the table if he doesn’t sign an offer sheet elsewhere.
That’s the gamble both sides accepted by letting the deadline pass. Black can turn in a bigger season and push his price up, or he can have a rough year and leave money on the table compared with what an extension might have guaranteed. Orlando faces its own risk, too: it could have to match a more expensive outside offer, or potentially lose a player it values.
Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman addressed the possibility of a later deal at media day Sept. 28 inside the AdventHealth Training Center.
“We believe he’s a bright young player in this league who’s just going to get better and better, and we’ll have continuous conversation with his people up until the deadline,” Weltman said at the time. “And we’re hopeful that we can arrive at something.”
“But if not, we expect Anthony to have a great year,” Weltman added. “(Extensions) don’t always get done right now. Sometimes they get done later, so we’ll see.”
History suggests this sort of path is common enough. Keith Smith of Spotrac.com found that 60 players from the 10 first-round draft classes between 2013 and 2022 eventually signed new contracts as restricted free agents.
Of those, 37 - 61.6% - stayed with their original team on a new deal that was not a qualifying offer. Seven signed qualifying offers, seven signed offer sheets and nine were moved in sign-and-trade deals.
The Magic also have bigger money commitments coming down the road, with a combined $161.2 million already allocated to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane for the 2027-28 season. Add the $19.5 million owed to Wendell Carter Jr., and Orlando is already north of $180 million committed to just five players.
Still, the organization clearly believes in Black’s long-term upside, which is why it took him sixth overall out of Arkansas in 2023.
He missed time late last season with a left lateral abdominal strain, but he still posted career highs of 15 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 29.8 minutes per game across 64 regular-season appearances. He then sat out all four preseason games because of a right ankle sprain suffered during voluntary workouts before training camp, though new Magic coach Sean Sweeney said Black has continued to ramp up toward a return.
With the deadline now behind them, the focus turns fully to opening night. The Magic begin the regular season Wednesday at home against the Hawks at Kia Center.
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Magic Face A Costly Anthony Black Decision As Pressure Builds
The rookie-scale extension window is starting to come into focus for Orlando, and Anthony Black sits right in the middle of it. The Magic have been in ongoing talks with the former lottery pick, a negotiation that matters more now as clubs around the league watch how Orlando handles its payroll and its young core. Around the same time, Oklahoma City locked in Cason Wallace on a five-year rookie-scale extension, another example of a team choosing to secure a rising guard before the deadline drama can spill into the season.
For the Magic, this is about more than one contract. Black remains a key part of their long-term plan, but the closer the deadline gets, the more the conversation shifts from development to leverage and timing. Orlando has some decisions to make, and the rest of the league knows it, which is why this situation feels heavier than a routine extension discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Just Became A Real Magic Cap Dilemma
The rookie-scale extension window has already turned into a small boardroom test around the league, and Anthony Black has suddenly become one of the cleaner examples of how the new financial reality is changing decisions. Orlando has watched plenty of other young players around the NBA land new deals or enter negotiations, but the Magic are taking a more cautious path with their own guard as they sort through a roster that already carries real long-term money.
Blacks value to the Magic is obvious enough, which is why his situation stands out more than most. Orlando would rather keep that growth curve intact than rush into a deal just because the calendar says it is possible, and the broader league activity only sharpens the contrast. With the front office trying to manage flexibility and avoid piling on another significant commitment too soon, this is less about doubt in Black and more about how tightly the cap can squeeze even a team that likes where its young core is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Noah Pendas Latest Setback Raises A Tough Early Question For Orlando
Noah Pendas preseason has taken another frustrating turn, and for Orlando it comes with an early reminder of how quickly a promising camp can get complicated. The forward said the latest issue involves a partial tear in his right hamstring, after a previous injury in a different part of the same muscle had already fully healed. He spoke candidly about the recovery process, leaning on the teams medical staff and stressing the need to stay patient rather than try to force his way back too soon.
For the Magic, it leaves a tough early question hanging over a player they had been trying to integrate while preseason momentum was still building. Penda said he has been encouraged by the way the group has looked and by the support from teammates, even as he works through the setback. The broader concern now is less about his immediate absence than how Orlando manages a young players health without letting one injury turn into a lingering issue. [Read more 🡒]