The NBA conducts its summer business quickly.
Within a few days, most of free agency is completed with all of the cap room spent up and most of the main free agents already signed.
LeBron James delayed some things this year. He finally inked his name to a new team on Friday. That started the dominoes falling for many of the big free agents, as Draymond Green signed a new deal with the Golden State Warriors. James Harden's new deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers is not too far behind.
The only major move left is for the NBA to conclude its investigation into the LA Clippers so that they can execute the Kawhi Leonard trade with the Toronto Raptors.
The summer has almost completely finished.
The last piece of business sits with the restricted free agents. A tool that has become dreaded by almost every player coming off their rookie contracts.
Jalen Duren, Bennedict Mathurin and Peyton Watson are all sitting in this purgatory where they are negotiating new contracts but do not have the leverage of using other teams to force action because their previous team can simply match any contract they are offered. All signals are that they will.
All three of these players are important to their teams and should be under long-term contracts. But none of them are signed as the calendar turns to August.
The delay in everyone signing is a warning to the next crop of free agents from the draft class of 2023. And while there is still a long time before the deadline to sign players to extensions occurs in October, Victor Wembanyama is the only player from the draft class to ink an extension so far.
It seems certain the Magic will find a way to bring back Anthony Black one way or another. In all likelihood, if an extension is signed, it will come right at the extension deadline.
But Black's value is uncertain. And the Magic's financial situation likely means the Magic cannot be as free about giving him an extension as they were with previous players -- that is one of the reasons the Magic have found themselves deep into the first apron.
In all likelihood, this is a detour for these three players. Duren and Watson are likely to re-sign with their teams. Mathurin's future with the LA Clippers is harder to predict. Black will likely find a long-term deal with Orlando, even if it waits until next summer.
But the prolonged free agency of the restricted free agents this season is proving that not getting a deal done could be perilous.
Black's uncertain value
Anthony Black, though, is a good candidate to wait for next summer to address his free agency. He seems like a player who could reach restricted free agency after a prove-it year, even if the Orlando Magic want to bring him back.
Black had a breakout season last year that proved he could contribute at a high level in the NBA. He averaged 15.0 points per game in the highest-usage season of his career.
Anthony Black stepped up especially in December after Franz Wagner's high ankle sprain. He was critical in keeping the Magic afloat, especially as Paolo Banchero worked his way back from his early-season groin strain.
Even beyond that, Black had more 20-point games in his 2026 season than he had in his career to that point combined. He took a huge step in the 2026 season.
It certainly has Black and his representatives hoping for a big contract offer.
Still pinning down Black's annual value is difficult. He has had only one strong season, averaging 9.4 points per game in his second season. That was a step forward for sure, but hardly the consistent player you would expect with the sixth overall pick eyeing a contract near $30 million per year.
His contract value ranges from the low $20 million to the upper $20 million range. At one point, it was suggested he should push for the same five-year, $150.5 million contract Jalen Suggs received.
Suggs has averaged more than 10.0 points per game in four of his five seasons but topped out at only 16.2 points per game in his injury-shortened 2025 season.
Black could easily bet on himself then and head into the season without an extension, believing he will continue to improve and increase his average. And thus demand more from the team that wants to keep him.
That is a risk in itself.
The Magic's uncertain future
The Orlando Magic have typically been very friendly with passing out contracts to the players they have drafted.
Cole Anthony signed a three-year, $39 million in a deal that was considered both a bargain considering his scoring ability on a team starved for scoring. But a deal he quickly could not live up to as the team improved.
The Magic also gave multiple extensions to Jonathan Isaac, getting out of that deal this year before bringing him back on a minimum deal.
Orlando handed max contracts to Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. While both have lived up to the max moniker to some degree, both deals got their share of criticisms. And then there was the Suggs extension.
Jeff Weltman long warned, as he piled up these massive contracts, that the team would face the consequences. Those consequences have arrived as the Magic sit in the first apron and are flirting with the second apron.
Black may face the unfortunate timing of a team that needs to tighten its belt some. Especially if the team continues to struggle on the court. The team will need to make a personnel sacrifice at some point.
Fans have long been bracing for the potential the Magic might have to choose between Suggs and Black moving forward.
Who they might choose might have to do with price as much as it might have to do with on-court production. And that alone might be a reason the Magic either hope to get Black on what they feel is a fair but bargain price, or wait for the offseason to decide who to keep.
All of this is circling and coming to a head as the Magic sit with Black's extension deadline in October.
And if there is no deal in October, there is the distinct possibility the rest of the league will stay away and force Black to stay on the restricted free agent market until the Magic come to terms. It could be a long and contentious negotiation.
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