Since being selected No. 6 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Mo Bamba has provided Orlando with mixed results over the past four seasons. Before this season, Bamba was dubbed by many as a “bust” and claimed that Orlando missed out on better players that were selected after, including Mikal Bridges (No. 10), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11), and Miles Bridges (No. 12). When looking at the box score, this conclusion seemed obvious, as Bamba averaged just 6.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 1.3 BPG while shooting 47.1% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range in his first three professional seasons. Fortunately for Bamba, he still had the 2021-2022 NBA season to prove his potential stardom to Orlando before entering Restricted Free Agency. As it turns out, Bamba did just that, as he averaged 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.7 BPG while shooting 48.0% from the field and 38.1% from downtown, all career-bests.
As shown by the aforementioned jump in statistics, Bamba may finally be on his way to the star that the Magic previously envisioned. At face value, some may think that Orlando should just resign Bamba in the 2022 free agency period, but the timing of his breakout complicates matters. For example, the Magic signed Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension prior to this season, as they initially viewed Carter Jr. as the better big man. After all, Orlando posted a better net rating when Carter Jr. was on the court without Bamba (-0.9 NR) than when the two played together (-5.5 NR) or when Bamba played without Carter Jr. (-14.8 NR). If the Magic do decide to heavily invest in Bamba this summer, then that will likely stop them from adding a game-changing big-man in the draft, such as Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, or Auburn’s Jabari Smith. With this said, what should Orlando do with Bamba’s expiring contract looming this offseason?
Option #1: Resign Bamba to a Short Free Agency Deal or the Mid-Level Exception
If Orlando liked what they saw from Bamba this past season and believes that Bamba can coexist with Carter Jr., then resigning him is a must. With this being said, the question now becomes how much Orlando should resign Bamba for this offseason. At just 23 years old, Bamba still has his best basketball ahead of him, and showed flashes of stardom this season. Ideally, Orlando would be able to sign Bamba to a multi-year contract worth about $7-9 million per year. A contract like this would give Bamba more time to grow and develop in Head Coach Jahmal Mosley’s coaching schemes, while not breaking the bank to do so. If the Magic don’t feel comfortable extending Bamba for multiple years, then they could always offer their Mid-level exception, which would be a one-year contract at $7-9 million. Even if Bamba will serve as the team’s stopgap for their next young center prospect from the 2022 NBA Draft, his presence in Orlando shouldn’t be understated.
Option #2: Sign and Trade Bamba to a Team for Future Assets
Similar to the first option, Orlando would extend Bamba, but then trade him to an interested team for assets. If Orlando does opt to go this route, then there will be many other NBA teams interested in Bamba’s services. As an NBA team, you can’t go wrong with rostering a 7’0″, 231-pound center who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. With this being said, some teams interested in Bamba won’t be able to absorb Bamba’s new contract, due to their available cap space. As it currently stands, just six teams, including Orlando, are set to enter free agency with cap space. Since some teams like the Golden State Warriors (-$83.5 million in Salary Cap) and the Atlanta Hawks (-$80.2 million in Salary Cap) will have to try and use their Mid-Level and Bi-Annual Exceptions to get Bamba in Free Agency, we’ll focus on the ten teams with the most spending room that make sense for acquiring Bamba.
1. Detroit Pistons: $26.4 million
2. Indiana Pacers: $23.1 million
3. San Antonio Spurs: $23.2 million
4. Portland Trail Blazers: $18.6 million
5. Oklahoma City Thunder: $5.1 million
6. New York Knicks: -$3.84 million
7. Houston Rockets: -$11.55 million
8. Charlotte Hornets: -$18.20 million
9. Miami Heat: -$18.28 million
10. Boston Celtics: -$18.32 million
Possible Sign and Trade Destinations for Mo Bamba
Although every NBA team could hypothetically do a sign-and-trade involving Bamba, there are four teams in particular that are just in a better position to do so at this moment:
Milwaukee Bucks (51-31, Third in the Eastern Conference): Outside of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks severely lack a true rim-protecting center. In fact, Antetokounmpo may be only the only player capable of playing the Center position in Milwaukee, as Brook Lopez (Unrestricted Free Agent) and Bobby Portis (Player Option) are both set to enter Free Agency this offseason. If Milwaukee does want to acquire Bamba via trade, they’ll have to clear up at least $23 million in order to take on Bamba’s salary. This shouldn’t be a problem when the offseason comes around, as Milwaukee is set to clear $37.1 million from eight expiring contracts.
Charlotte Hornets (43-39, 10th in Eastern Conference): It’s no secret that Charlotte has a gaping need at Center entering the offseason. Since 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones and 24-year-old Nick Richards are the only Hornets’ centers under contract past this season, Charlotte could certainly offer Bamba a contract that Orlando may not want to match. If Orlando does want something from Charlotte in return for Bamba, then Orlando could feasibly take one of their two 2022 first-round selections or add a veteran presence like Gordon Hayward or Mason Plumlee.
San Antonio Spurs (34-48, 10th in Western Conference): After posting a 100-126 record and missing the playoffs in the last three seasons, San Antonio’s rebuild attempt failed before it even began. With multiple 2022 first-round picks and a projected $23.6 million in cap space, the Spurs can really improve their roster this off-season with the right additions. In addition to this, San Antonio can create even more cap space by parting ways with veterans Doug McDermott ($13.7 million) and Josh Richardson ($12.2 million). With Jakob Poeltl entering the final year of his contract, Bamba would pair nicely with All-Star Point Guard Dejounte Murray.
Portland Trail Blazers (27-55, 13th in the Western Conference): While the Trail Blazers were contending for a high lottery pick rather than an NBA Playoff Spot this season, a one-year turnaround is possible in Portland. To begin, five-time All NBA Guard Damian Lillard is set to return after missing 53 games with an abdominal injury. Furthermore, Portland watched Anfernee Simons (17.3 PPG and 3.9 APG) and Josh Hart (14.9 PPG and 7.2 RPG) ascend into stars while landing the sixth-best odds for the No. 1 overall pick (9.0%). Making room for Bamba’s contract shouldn’t be tough, as Portland is projected to have $18.6 million in cap space and have Eric Bledsoe and Justice Winslow both entering free agency.
Option #3: Don’t Match any Offer Sheets and Let Bamba Leave in Free Agency
If Bamba decides that his potential value in the NBA is underutilized and underpaid in Orlando, then he may weigh his options in restricted free agency. If Bamba chooses to do so, there will be many interested teams in adding Bamba, whether that’s with their Mid-Level or Bi-Annual exceptions, or with a long-term contract. The one major impediment for Bamba signing elsewhere in Free Agency is the fact that he’s a restricted free agent. To put it simply, a restricted free agent like Bamba can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player’s original team (Orlando) can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. For the interested NBA teams, all they would have to do is offer Bamba a contract that Orlando isn’t comfortable with matching, but their cap space can cause issues.
Possible Free Agent Destinations for Mo Bamba
As it currently stands, four teams seem to be in the best position to sign Bamba by outpricing Orlando in Free Agency:
Brooklyn Nets (44-38, Seventh in the Eastern Conference): Similar to Milwaukee, Brooklyn will be expected to add multiple frontcourt players to their roster this summer. In spite of having future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets were an average team at best this season, due to their inability to defend their opponents. Throughout the 2021-2022 NBA regular-season, Brooklyn allowed their opponents to average 112.1 PPG (18th in NBA), 44.1 RPG (15th in NBA), and 11.3 ORPG (27th in NBA). While the addition of the 2018 Rookie of the Year Award Winner Ben Simmons should theoretically help, Bamba would slot into Brooklyn’s primary center role while locking down the paint.
Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58, 14th in Eastern Conference): Shockingly enough, Oklahoma City only has $12.2 million in available cap space, due to a $27.4 million dead cap hit relating to cutting Kemba Walker. In spite of this, Oklahoma City can still create cap space by unloading Derrick Favors ($10.1 million) and Mike Muscala ($3.5 million). If Oklahoma City were to sign or trade for Bamba, they’ll likely have to part ways with some of their upcoming draft picks, as the rookie contracts will take up a large portion of Oklahoma City’s available cap space.
Memphis Grizzlies (56-26, Second in Western Conference): While ascending to the top of the western conference, there aren’t many apparent needs that Memphis will need to address this summer. It is worth noting that Memphis’ lone center, Steven Adams, is set to enter free agency at 28 years-old. If the Grizzlies want to continue to stockpile young but promising talent, then adding Bamba is a must. Like Dallas, Memphis will likely have to offer Bamba their Mid-level exception, due to having a projected -$18.8 million in salary cap. The Grizzlies will have to extend superstar Point Guard Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Desmond Bane, and Dillion Brooks all within the next two seasons, so Memphis may be wise to save money for that rather than signing Bamba.
Dallas Mavericks (52-30, Fourth in Western Conference): Although Dallas doesn’t have as big of a need as some of the other teams listed, they simply need more players capable of playing the center position. Entering the offseason, Dallas’ only option at center would only be Davis Bertans, as Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Boban Marjanovic will enter unrestricted free agency. Even if Dallas does resign any of these players, they could use more depth and youth, as Powell, Kleber, and Marjanovic are all 30 years or older. If Bamba is willing to take the $9 million Mid-level exception from Dallas, then he’d pair quite well with two-time All NBA Point Guard Luka Doncic.
The Best Offseason Plan for Orlando’s Mo Bamba
With all due respect to the Magic’s young and promising roster, they simply aren’t ready to contend in the NBA right now. Even if the Magic do draft Banchero, Holmgren, or Smith in the 2022 NBA Draft, Bamba would still be impactful as Orlando’s backup center in case of an injury. Retaining Bamba shouldn’t be too expensive either, as he’ll likely take the Mid-Level Exception (~$9 million) or a multi-year contract earning about $7-9 million per year. If the Magic are intent on keeping Bamba, then a three-year, $28-30 million contract makes a fair amount of sense. Even if the Magic don’t want Bamba past this year, then letting him leave for nothing would be foolish, considering that some teams may be willing to give up future assets for Bamba.