The Magic have waived veteran forward Jonathan Isaac, a league source confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday.
Had Orlando kept Isaac on its roster beyond Sunday, Isaac’s salary would’ve increased from $8 million guaranteed to a fully guaranteed $14.5 million for the 2026-27 season.
Instead, Isaac will become an unrestricted free agent after nine years in Orlando that were plagued by injury. This past season, he only appeared in 52 games while missing the final 17 contests and the entire postseason due to a left knee sprain suffered in mid-March.
With the move, the Magic give themselves some financial flexibility by creating more space below the second apron and lowering their projected luxury payment from roughly $16.5 million down to around $10 million for the upcoming season. The franchise is expected to pay luxury tax for the first time in over a decade.
While Isaac could still re-sign with Orlando, he will also be allowed to negotiate with all other clubs as a free agent starting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Teams may begin signing free agents to contracts at 12:01 p.m. on July 6.
The Magic originally drafted the 6-foot-10 forward with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft at the start of Jeff Weltman‘s tenure as the president of basketball operations.
Isaac went onto miss 2 1/2 years because of various knee injuries, including a torn left ACL, but worked himself back to a strong 2023-24 season. That offseason he agreed to a five-year, $84 million contract renegotiation and extension with Orlando.
In an attempt to play more of a traditional center role for the Magic, Isaac added weight ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but the decision, which was made collectively with him and the team, backfired. He admitted he was sluggish on the court and saw his 3-point percentage drop to a then-career low 25.8% (down from 37.5% the year prior).
Although he worked to cut some of the weight ahead of this past season, Isaac simply wasn’t the same player as before. He shot an even worse 18.4% from distance and grabbed a career-worst 2.5 rebounds per night.
Isaac originally entered the season with a contract protection that would’ve fully guaranteed his 2026-27 salary if he played 52 games, but he and the Magic amended that in the spring, creating the June 28 deadline instead.
With Isaac waived, Orlando now has four standard-contract roster spots available. The team drafted South Florida senior Izaiyah Nelson with the No. 51 pick on Wednesday but it’s unclear if he’ll sign a standard contract or a two-way deal with the franchise as a late-second round selection.
The Magic also have to make a decision about Jamal Cain’s second-year team option for the upcoming season.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
