Magic Forward Wendell Carter Jr. Expects Team to Be 'Lit' Next Season
Excitement is brewing all around Central Florida after it was announced that the Orlando Magic would have the first pick in the NBA Draft this summer, the first time the franchise has owned the top selection since 2004.
And that excitement has permeated all over the team, including power forward Wendell Carter Jr.
Carter Jr., 23, completed his first full season with the Magic this past season after being traded from the Chicago Bulls during the 2020-21 season for former All-Star Nikola Vucevic.
Carter Jr. went on to have the best season of his career last year, scoring 15 points per game and grabbing 10.5 rebounds, both career-highs for the four-year veteran.
Now, with the Magic in line to take either Duke's Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren or Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. with the top overall pick, Carter Jr. is about to be paired up with his frontcourt partner of the future.
He seems pretty excited about it.
"We're going to be lit next year," Carter Jr. told the team, as shown in a picture posted to the team's Twitter account.
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Carter Jr. is a key part of the team's plans moving forward. The 2022-23 season will be his first year under the new 4-year, $50 million contract he signed back in October. He'll make just over $14 million next season and won't become a free agent until 2026.
If Carter Jr. can continue to make the progress shown during his first full season in Orlando, then the Magic may very well be lit after all.
