The Orlando Magic had a busy Monday, hosting a Pick, Read and Roll event with more than 3,000 elementary school students filling the Kia Center as Magic player shared their favorite books and the power of reading.
The team would get its work in and practice ahead of their season opener soon. But it was a powerful reminder of the community the Magic are playing for. Being in the Kia Center reminded him of the work that he put in and how far this team has come.
Jalen Suggs was at a crossroads facing his extension deadline. But he had made so many memories on that floor and done so much while wearing "Orlando" and "Magic" across his chest.
It was inevitable he would return to the Magic. But still, the contract had to make sense. He, the Magic and his representatives still had to get things over the finish line.
That uncertainty always brings anxiety with it.
Suggs though was with his teammates—with his brothers. He said he brought the group together after practice to commit to them before he headed upstairs to finalize the contract with president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and his agent.
Ultimately, Suggs was about the same thing the Magic are about—the family. They are always the ones that center him and the players he fights so hard for.
It was just a matter of time before Suggs got cemented as part of this team's future in ink on a contract. It was a matter of time before that anxiety got completely washed away.
Suggs signed a contract extension with the Magic on Monday. Shams Charania of ESPN reports it is a five-year, $150.5 million deal. And Fred Katz of The Athletic reports it is a descending deal that will pay him $26 million in the final year of the deal in 2030.
The Magic locked in another key piece of their core, keeping their family of players together. That is at the core of what makes this team work.
"On days when this has been hard, on days when the negotiations and talks and tensions were building up and it felt like too much, I could always go back to thinking about my brothers and knowing and understanding that I'm locking in a future with them, continued opportunities to work, to play, to laugh, to create moments and memories with them," Suggs told Orlando Magic Daily and Locked On Magic. "That kept my heart happy. That kept my eyes forward and on a goal. I will be forever appreciative for them and knowing that everybody is here and locked in and everybody reaped the rewards of all the hard work or are about to reap the rewards for their hard work, it means the world.
"We all get to celebrate it together. We all get to go about it and go through it at the same time and learn from each other and grow off of each other. I think that's a beautiful thing This business, that gets lost sometimes. I'm just so happy to be here to be honest. I'm so happy I don't have to say I'm going anywhere else. I never wanted to, I never want to. My heart is full at this point."
Coach Jamahl Mosley has often called Jalen Suggs the head of the snake for this team's defense. If Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the engines driving this thing forward, Jalen Suggs is its heart. He is the one who gives this team some swagger and personality.
It is Suggs who engages with the crowd and riles up the fans at the Kia Center. He is the one who gives the team the energy boost whether it is a big play that gets the crowd going or some crazy defensive play that energizes the team and increases its effort.
He is someone who raises everyone's game by his intensity alone. This family and this team do not work without Suggs.
Suggs found his focus last year
It is probably not going too far to say the Orlando Magic do not make the leap they made last year without Jalen Suggs making a leap of his own.
He averaged a career-high of 12.6 points per game on shooting splits of 47.1/39.7/75.6. It was transformative for him and the team when added to his elite-level defense. All significant increases after two injury-filled seasons to start his career.
Suggs earned his extension, to say the least. It took a lot of faith and confidence on his part to get there.
His early-career injuries humbled him and forced him to slow himself down. He found himself last year and that clarity and some good health finally showcased his talents.
Those were talents his teammates always understood were there.
Suggs got thrown into the fire and had to grow up quickly. Suggs may not be the go-to scorer the Magic and fans thought they were drafting in the 2021 NBA Draft, but he has still become an indispensable player to the team.
And he always had his on-court family with him as he and this team established itself in the league.
"I think that's one of the beauties in getting to grow up in NBA, is that you have to grow up a bit faster," Suggs told Orlando Magic Daily and Locked On Magic. "This workplace and this work environment induces that and either you rise to it or you fall and that's when you see guys missing their opportunities and it's easy to fall out of this league which. . . . I'm continuing to establish myself, in this place, in this workplace not only with my brothers on the team, but with everybody, all the players in the NBA. . . . We may be young, but the league grows you up quick, you know, and that's a good thing."
The Magic take care of their own
This is indeed a pinch-me moment for Jalen Suggs. Long-term security and a big paycheck are the kinds of things a kid dreams about when they realize they can be a professional athlete. Suggs said he spoke about the potential to create generational wealth with his dad in his aunt's basement.
This is always the dream.
And it is a dream he is sharing with so many of his teammates. The Orlando Magic have made it a priority to take care of their own.
Cole Anthony got his extension off his rookie contract last year. Franz Wagner signed a max extension this offseason. Wendell Carter and Jonathan Isaac also signed deals this summer. Paolo Banchero will sign his extension next summer.
President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has been committed to retaining his own players. As he said this summer, continuity only works when the team is winning.
He has rewarded the work this team has done because they have earned it, progressing up the standings and breaking through to the playoffs. The team expects big things again this year.
What has differentiated this Magic team is that family environment and atmosphere. The team is incredibly close and that chemistry is evident on the court. Everyone is cheering each other on and working together to improve.
Suggs has been a glue to tie that together on the court as much as off. No one could imagine the Magic without him.
He could not imagine being anywhere else with the journey he and his teammates have been on.
"I don't want to go to war for anybody else or for any other city," Suggs told Orlando Magic Daily and Locked On Magic. "This is where I've called home. This is where we have all called home. Kia Center is the building where we've created memories that last a lifetime. From being in there and having losing seasons and just playing hard and trying to create and establish a culture to establishing that to playing Playoff games in there and winning Playoff games in there. Too many special memories have been created together.
"I've grown too much. This place has taught me too much and has meant too much for me to comfortably walk away from that, which is why I said I was already rich because I was already here. That's the part that mattered to me most. If you thought I was playing hard then. My family has shown that they believe in me, they trusted me. They've got everything they can get out of me."
Clearly, there is still more work to do. But the Magic move forward knowing they have locked in all the key pieces to make it happen. The family remains intact and secure. And they can begin the season free from the uncertainty and stress of playing for that next contract.