The Orlando Magic were active as the deadline to sign players to new deals with their rookie contracts ending next year looming. In a move that surprised some, it was Wendell Carter Jr. whom they gave a four year, $50 million deal to. The kind of contract that further illustrates the great job this front office has been doing since taking over.
While bigger headlines were to be made with another center from that same 2018 class not getting a max deal (or any deal at all), it was interesting to see the Magic opt not to agree to an extension with Mohamed Bamba. The duel between Carter and Bamba for the starting spot was always going to be fascinating, but Carter now has the advantage before the team have even played a game.
The Orlando Magic elected not to extend Mohamed Bamba, and they should now be prepared for the player to have the best year of his career.
It may also have been of course that Bamba was offered some form of deal and didn’t love the number that he saw. There may be even more truth to this, because Bamba has not only been working early and often with new head coach Jamahl Mosley, but during the preseason he was the most engaged that he has ever looked.
Which is why the organization should fear a serious contract year from Bamba once the games have meaning.
On the surface this isn’t terrible. If Bamba proves that he is actually going to take several leaps in his development and become a key piece for the roster, then that is great news for the organization. Their decision not to give him a deal (or putting forward a lowball offer) looking like a masterstroke in motivating the player.
He could become so good, that they could then just move Carter and instead build around Bamba. Not only is Carter’s contract team friendly, it also is constructed in such a way that he makes less money as time goes on. This makes it even easier to trade him in future, assuming he stays healthy and shows the production that he already has.
Allowing Bamba to get to next summer without a new deal doesn’t wrestle all of the control away from the Magic either. He will become a restricted free agent, and so if another team comes in with an offer, they can simply match it and keep him around. Or Bamba will see what kind of interest there is for his services, panic at how quiet the phone is, and come back on yet another team friendly deal for the Magic.
But this is where it gets potentially tricky, and where the balancing act the franchise are attempting to pull off could implode. The preseason was a small sample size, but Bamba looked noticeably better. Active, with more muscle on his frame, he was swatting shots away regularly and putting up points in a more consistent manner than we’ve ever seen.
If this isn’t just a mirage, then he could be offered a pretty serious deal next year. Not a lot of teams have max money to spend right now, but you can bet the landscape will change through trades, not to mention a spike in the cap that is predicted in the next few years. Factor in the renewed importance big men have on contending teams, and somebody else could come in with a big offer sheet for Bamba.
The Orlando Magic could match and see some of their own flexibility put into a player they could have signed for cheaper if they’d just gotten a deal done. Alternatively another organization could offer a three year deal for example, with the Magic again having to match that deal as it is presented from the other team. That would mean losing some length and control over Bamba’s future too.
Which is why this coming year is important. Bamba has career averages of 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The way he looks now, he is going to shatter those numbers. Already in the preseason those numbers had jumped to much more noticeable 12.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. More than that, he was clearly altering the offensive schemes of opponents.
If Bamba can just stay healthy (he has suffered a leg fracture in the past), gain the trust of his coaches (previous head coach Steve Clifford was not a fan, to put it lightly) and beat out Carter for some minutes, then there is little doubt next summer can be a financially successful one for him. There’s a reason guys of his build and raw talent get multiple chances in the league.
A final intriguing twist this story could take is if Bamba and Carter end up both being solutions to their center rotation. Both have played together some during the preseason, and with Jonathan Isaac a far more worrying injury concern with all his body has been through already, Bamba could represent some sort of insurance policy if Isaac doesn’t get on the court as often as is hoped.
Isaac is much the better defender, but both guys have similar enough frames and Bamba looks as confident is his 3-point and jump shot shooting as he ever has. Mark it down on your calendar now, as we get set for this season of Orlando Magic basketball. All signs point to a Mohamed Bamba revenge year. One where he proves a lot of people wrong.