Why Magic Should Sign Anthony Black to an Extension (and Why They Shouldn't)

The Orlando Magic have a big decision on the horizon when it comes to Anthony Black and his new contract.

Black, 22, has one year remaining on his rookie deal and is hoping to sign an extension with the team this offseason.

“It’s just an opportunity to officially stamp it as like my home,” Black said about potentially signing an extension via Orlando Sentinel reporter Jason Beede. “It’s just something I’ll be looking forward to doing. Starting my young life, this is the first city I’ve played in, so it would mean a lot being able to play here for years.

“Obviously I want to win a lot too and I feel like we’re in a great position to do that and we came really close to doing that,” he added. “So, for me, that would be ideal, but it’s the NBA and it’s always a decision that has to be made.”

Why Magic Should Sign Black to an Extension

Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black celebrates after a three against the Detroit Pistons. | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Black's growth from his rookie year until now has been exponential, and there's reason to believe he has a lot more opportunity. This past season, Black averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game, establishing himself as one of the key members of Orlando's core.

Anthony Black Stats	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
Points	4.6	9.4	15.0
Rebounds	2.0	2.9	3.8
Assists	1.3	3.1	3.7
Steals	0.5	1.1	1.4

In the past two offseasons, the Magic have taken care of their top draft picks. Two summers ago, both Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs signed long-term extensions with the franchise. A year ago, it was Paolo Banchero's turn to commit to the Magic for the max.

While Black likely won't receive a max deal, he is certainly worthy of a raise and should receive that, either with Orlando or another team in free agency.

A contract extension seems like a matter of when, as opposed to if, but it is far from a slam dunk.

Why Magic Shouldn't Sign Black to an Extension

It was much easier for the Magic to hand out these long-term extensions when the team wasn't committed to anyone for the long haul. Now that three draft picks of theirs have long-term deals and Desmond Bane is also signed on for $125 million over the next three years, the Magic have much less wiggle room.

The Magic are prepared to dip into the luxury tax this season, but signing Black eliminates the small amount of flexibility they have to make changes to the roster. If they wanted or needed to make a change, it becomes much more challenging to do that, especially with limited draft capital as well.

The Bottom Line

The Magic will sign Black to an extension someday. The question remains whether it will happen this offseason or next offseason. If the Magic opted not to re-sign Black this summer, he would become a restricted free agent next offseason, and Orlando would be able to match any offer the former No. 6 overall pick gets on the open market.

That might be the right way to go because the Magic need to see what their team looks like moving forward. It looks like the big change this offseason will come with the head coach, which means next summer will likely have more player movement if the team underperforms.

Black is on an upward trajectory and the Magic should want to keep him around, but with the team moving in a different direction and uncertainty creeping in, Orlando might want to wait a year before figuring out what life looks like when he takes on a larger portion of the salary cap.

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