The Orlando Magic are adding another layer of backcourt depth, agreeing to a deal with former first-round pick Malaki Branham.
HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto first reported the agreement, noting: "The Orlando Magic and Malaki Branham have agreed to a deal, agent Deirunas Visockas of @gershbasketball told @hoopshype. Branham, the 20th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has averaged 8.0 points in four combined NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards," Scotto tweeted.
It’s still unclear whether Orlando views this as a training camp move or something that could stick on the active roster. The Magic currently have 14 players under contract, so Branham could simply be in line to become the 15th man.
Branham enters Orlando with a career that has been shaped by uneven opportunities. The San Antonio Spurs took him 20th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he landed in a rebuilding environment that also featured three first-round picks in that class. There wasn’t much room for him to grow with a veteran group around him, or much stability in the rotation.
He did get starts early, opening 32 games as a rookie and 29 in his second season. But once Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox arrived for the 2024-25 season, Branham slipped out of the picture. That eventually led San Antonio to trade him to the Washington Wizards for Kelly Olynyk.
Washington didn’t offer a cleaner path. The Wizards were also focused on other players, and Branham was used in only 28 games before the team moved on from him in February. In a three-team deal involving the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte waived him in early February, and he soon landed with the Cleveland Charge in the G League.
Now he gets another shot with a team that can at least offer a clearer lane than the ones he’s had so far. Branham will likely sit behind Jevon Carter and Jase Richardson in the rotation, but Orlando is giving him a chance to show he can carve out a role.
He brings the ability to handle either guard spot, which adds a little flexibility to the roster. In that sense, the move also helps replace Jett Howard, who signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks earlier in the offseason. Branham probably won’t be a major part of the Magic’s rotation plans right away, but at 23, he still gives them some depth and a bit of upside.
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