Why the Orlando Magic made the right decision with Wendell Carter Jr’s extension

The Orlando Magic went all in this season.

The organization decided to extend the contract for their starting center after signing veteran swingman and former NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a 3-year $66 million deal.

Wendell Carter Jr. signed a 3-year $59 million deal this week and has solidified his position with an organization that seems to be pushing their chips to the table with a stern poker face. The eighth-year center will get paid $82 million in total with this new deal factored in and is now locked up through the 2028-29 season. This move was necessary considering the buzz around the team this year. They need all their players to be all in and not worried about looming contractual issues.

Those issues lead to players not feeling like they are valued while they are contributing to a winning team, which can ultimately lead to dysfunction and disappointment. In some instances, players may worry about their finances more than the opportunity to compete for an NBA title. The Magic have nipped that possibility in the bud by eliminating the financial issues among most of their starters going forward so that they can just focus on the court and their goals.

This move also informs players like superstar forward Paolo Banchero about how this organization wants to build around him. The Magic organization wants to build this team around their number one pick from 2022 and make sure he has people around him that he can trust.

Wendell Carter Jr. has passed that test.

Carter Jr. went to the same school (Duke) as Banchero and has become a player that the Magic's superstar can trust. He is a selfless supporting cast member who can stretch the floor and is a willing defender. That alone can go a long way, especially in a conference that features Boston's Kristaps Porzingis, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Miami's Bam Adebayo, Indiana's Myles Turner, New York's Karl Anthony Towns, and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The organization understood that they needed the best version of Carter Jr. in order to achieve the highest level of success in 2025. The players don't need any distractions if they plan on achieving their goal to become one of the top-4 seeds in the conference and have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Those goals seem more realistic when their starting center isn't worried about how much or when he will be paid.

Signing Carter Jr. to an extension sends a message to the rest of the league

But ultimately, it puts the league on notice. This move is telling the NBA that the organization believes that third-year star Paolo Banchero is a needle mover and can carry a team past the first round without an All-Star-level running mate. It puts in perspective how good this organization thinks Banchero is when all the other first options have All-Star-level running mates.

The Boston Celtics have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Knicks have Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard teamed up in Milwaukee. Donovan Mitchell has two teammates who have made an All-Star team already with Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen and the Miami Heat have both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Meanwhile, the Pacers acquired Pascal Siakam to pair with Tyrese Haliburton, and Joel Embiid has two All-Stars around him in Paul George and Tyrese Maxey after the 76ers’ big summer.

The Magic are building their team without the flash of All-Star players but with more selfless, young, energetic, and willing defenders like Carter Jr. His signing is a true testament to seeing things through in the midst of criticism. Some critics thought that Carter Jr. would potentially be a trade piece used in the offseason to build around Paolo with a more All-Star-level player.

Instead, the Magic are showing the NBA that they really believe in this squad to do major things this season. And although Carter Jr. left Monday's preseason game with a sprained ankle, the pain likely reduced the moment his contract was extended.