The Orlando Magic have applied for a $6.1 million disabled player exception in the wake of Markelle Fultz's season-ending ACL injury, per The Athletic's Josh Robbins.
Fultz recently went down in the first quarter of their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, suffering a torn ACL injury in his left knee. Despite his absence, the Magic still notched the 105-94 victory over the Cavs to snag their sixth win of the season. Orlando has since been blown out twice in a row.
The 2017 top overall pick finished his season with averages of 12.9 points on 39.4% shooting from the field along with 3.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He previously signed a three-year, $50 million extension to remain with the Magic moving forward.
Orlando is dealing with a number of injuries to start this season. Aside from Fultz, veteran swingman Evan Fournier has been missing games due to a nagging back injury. Al-Farouq Aminu, Michael Carter-Williams, and Chuma Okeke are all dealing with their respective injuries as well.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Isaac was already ruled out for the entirety of the 2020-2021 season after suffering his own torn ACL in the Orlando bubble back in August.
The Magic will have to get rid of a player if they feel the need to use this exception because of their full roster. Orlando could look to also apply for an injury hardship exception due to all of the injuries plaguing the roster.
However, the luxury tax could impact any decisions made to add depth to this roster. The Magic are just a few million below the tax line, and ownership may not want to pay the tax for a team that's obviously not a title contender.
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