The Orlando Magic used a dominant preseason finish against Miami to get one last tune-up in before opening night, then wasted no time making roster cuts.
Less than 24 hours after beating the Heat 136-115 on Friday night at Kia Center, the team announced it had waived Malaki Branham, JD Davison and Kevin Knox II. All three had been brought in over the offseason as camp players trying to earn a regular-season role.
Orlando wrapped the preseason at 3-1 behind a big night from Paolo Banchero, who scored 24 points and hit 13 of his 16 free throws in 27 minutes. Desmond Bane added 23 points while knocking down seven of 12 from beyond the arc, and Nikola Vucevic chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds in his first game back in a Magic uniform in five years.
The victory also came with a few injury concerns. Franz Wagner went out late in the third quarter with soreness in his right arm, Jase Richardson left with a sore lower back, and Noah Penda exited in the first quarter because of right hamstring tightness. Anthony Black missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, and Jonathan Isaac is also still out.
Branham entered Orlando after a winding path through the league. He was the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, spent his first two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, then moved to the Washington Wizards.
He was dealt twice at the 2026 trade deadline before the Charlotte Hornets waived him in February. Orlando signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal in early September.
Davison also arrived on an Exhibit 10 contract that same day. The former Alabama guard was taken in the second round by the Boston Celtics in 2022, then won G League MVP with the Maine Celtics in 2024-25 before Boston waived him the following summer.
Knox, meanwhile, came aboard in late September. The ninth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, he has played in 320 NBA games across five teams and averaged 7.3 points per game. He spent last season with the Windy City Bulls in the G League.
Now the preseason is over and Orlando turns to the real thing. The Magic open the 2026-27 season at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and Wagner, Richardson and Penda will be the names to watch in the lead-up to tipoff.
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Magic Just Sent A Clear Message About Its Opening Night Roster
The roster math around the Magics final preseason stretch got a little clearer after Orlando waived Malaki Branham, JD Davison and Kevin Knox, all three of whom had been on Exhibit 10 contracts. They had all suited up in preseason games, but their minutes were limited, and the moves now leave them eligible for a bonus if they spend at least 60 days with the Osceola Magic in the G League.
For Orlando, the timing is as important as the names. Trimming those camp bodies gives the front office more room to finalize opening night business without complicating the financial picture, and it signals how tight the margins are as the season approaches. The last step is what happens next for the players who were brought in, evaluated and now sent down the road in a way that fits the organizations bigger roster plan. [Read more 🡒]