According to Yahoo Sports‘ Chris Haynes, the Orlando Magic have officially re-signed Unrestricted Free Agent Center Mo Bamba to a two-year, $21 Million Contract. With the surprising news of Orlando not extending the $10.1 Million Qualifying Offer to Bamba on June 29th, it seemed as if the Magic were ready to part ways with Bamba after an erratic four seasons in Orlando.
Throughout his first three professional seasons, Bamba was extremely disappointing, as he 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. As a result, many began to dub Bamba as a “Draft Bust”, as he was taken with the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, ahead of Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges (No. 10), Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11), and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges (No. 12).
In his fourth season, however, Bamba looked like the player the Magic envisioned when selecting him in the 2018 Draft. In 71 games (69 starts) with Orlando last season, Bamba 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-highs. Furthermore, Bamba was able to stray away from injuries, as he played in more than 70 games for the first time in his four-year career. In spite of Bamba’s career year, Orlando seemed to be hesitant to invest money into Bamba, as they signed Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 Million Contract Extension after acquiring him from Chicago. It’s also worth noting that Orlando was going to add one of the NBA Draft’s top-three prospects, all of which were talented forwards.
As a result, Orlando decided to not give Bamba the $10.1 Million QO on June 29th, which made him an Unrestricted Free Agent and allowed him to sign with any team for any price. If the Magic would have given Bamba the $10.1 Million QO, then Orlando 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”, but it didn’t seem to matter, as Bamba returned to the Magic anyway.
With Bamba now back in Orlando until the 2024 NBA Season, Orlando will continue their rebuild by accumulating young talent. In addition to Bamba, Orlando still has former first-round picks Carter Jr., Franz Wagner, and Chuma Okeke in the lineup, along with the 2022 NBA Draft picks Paolo Banchero and Caleb Houstan. Likewise, Orlando also fields a deep rotation of guards, headlined by Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and R.J. Hampton. Although the Magic aren’t expected to contend for the NBA Championship within the coming years, resigning Bamba to a team-friendly contract is a step in the right direction for Orlando’s future trajectory.
Free agent center Mo Bamba has reached an agreement with the Orlando Magic on a two-year, $21 million deal, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Greer Love of @PrioritySports tell @YahooSports. https://t.co/Vs09sDBcOl
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2022