According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Orlando Magic are not expected to tender the $10.1 Million Qualifying Offer to Center Mo Bamba, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. In spite of this, Fischer reports that Orlando is still interested in resigning Bamba this offseason after enjoying a career year in Orlando this past season. In 71 games (69 starts) last season, Bamba averaged 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, and 1.7 BPG while shooting 48.0% from the field and 38.1% from three-point range, all career-highs.
With this said, Bamba was a poor fit alongside Wendell Carter Jr. in the frontcourt, as Orlando posted a better Net Rating (NR) 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). Furthermore, Orlando already invested heavily in Carter Jr., as they immediately signed Carter Jr., to a four-year, $50 Million Contract Extension after acquiring him from Chicago in 2021. Additionally, Orlando selected Duke’s Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 Pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which has quickly led Bamba to become the odd man out in Orlando’s frontcourt.
As an Unrestricted Free Agent, Bamba will have the option of signing with any NBA team for any type of contract. If Orlando extended the $10.1 Million Qualifying Offer to Bamba, then the Magic would have had the ability to match any offer made to Bamba by any other team, or an offer sheet. This would have given the Magic a greater chance of retaining Bamba, also known as the “right of first refusal.”
There will be plenty of teams interested in acquiring Bamba this offseason, as Price lists Toronto, New York, Los Angeles (LAL), Chicago, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, and Minnesota as possible destinations for the 7’0″, 231-pound Center. Rather than just watching Bamba sign with another team in free agency, Orlando can sign and trade Bamba to accumulate assets. This wouldn’t be the most unlikely scenario, as both New Orleans and Toronto used this method to recoup assets after losing their stars. In New Orleans’ case, they signed Lonzo Ball to a four-year, $85 Million deal before trading him to Chicago. Soon after that, Toronto signed Kyle Lowry to a three-year, $90 Million Contract before trading him to Miami.
Orlando is still able to resign Bamba in Free Agency, as they are set to have $27 Million in Salary Cap Space this offseason, just one of six teams in the NBA with projected cap space. The other teams with positive salary cap space are Detroit, San Antonio, Indiana, New York, and Oklahoma City.
Likewise, Orlando will be in the market for another big man, as Veteran Robin Lopez is also set to enter Unrestricted Free Agency. If Bamba does leave the Magic for another team this summer, then the selection of Bamba with the No. 6 Pick in the 2018 Draft will leave a sour taste in Orlando’s memory. Fortunately, the Magic have still managed to develop a young and promising core of players, which is headlined by Carter Jr., Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, and R.J. Hampton, alongside 2022 second-round pick Caleb Houstan.
Mo Bamba is ‘likely’ to leave Orlando in free agency, per @JakeLFischer
“The idea of incorporating Smith or Holmgren into Orlando’s rebuild has sparked an expectation among league personnel that Bamba, a restricted free agent this summer, is likely to depart the franchise.” pic.twitter.com/1wWb0cEIXk
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) May 20, 2022