Orlando, FL— The Orlando Magic and Center Wendell Carter Jr have agreed to a three-year, $59 million contract extension on Monday evening.
Just hours after the Magic tipped off their first preseason game in New Orleans, the extension was first reported by Shams of ESPN, and this now puts Carter Jr. under contract until the 2028-29 season as he has two more years remaining on his current contract.
Wendell has been an integral part of the Magic’s rebuild process since he was acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bulls in February of 2021. The former first-round selection (seventh overall) in the 2018 NBA Draft has found Orlando as a place to not only develop his skill set but to continue to grow as a professional day in and day out.
Last season, Carter Jr. suffered a fractured left hand in early November that sidelined him for multiple weeks and appeared to have affected his play at times once he returned to the court. After the Magic’s season was completed, Wendell Carter Jr. underwent surgery to stabilize the third metacarpal in his left hand.
Carter Jr. last season played in 55 regular season games (48 starts) with Orlando, averaging 11.0 ppg., 6.9 rpg. and 1.7 apg. in 25.6 mpg. Wendell was asked during Magic media day about his recovery and getting back to being fully healthy as he stated:
“Physically I feel amazing. My body feels amazing, but what feels even better is my mental—I took a lot of time to work on my mental health this summer and I’m at a really good level right now.
The Magic continue to trust their coaching staff, the culture that is being built, and the development of their young core. Orlando had previously extended other impactful front court players this offseason from Goga Bitadze, Jonathan Isaac, Franz Wagner, and now Wendell Carter Jr.
Wendell will be looking to put together a productive year as he has shown flashes of being a very impactful player on both sides of the ball, as the Magic aim for another playoff berth this upcoming season.
