The Orlando Magic have signed point guard Michael Carter-Williams for the remainder of this season, according to an official press release from the team. As part of this process, Orlando has also decided to waive Isaiah Briscoe.
RELEASE: Magic sign Michael Carter-Williams for the remainder of the season; waive Isaiah Briscoe pic.twitter.com/r24fKJvrDZ
— Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) April 4, 2019
Carter-Williams was playing with the Magic on a second 10-day deal. Wednesday’s game at Amway Center marked the final day of that contract. He's made nine appearances with the team this season, racking up averages of 5.4 points on 34.7 percent shooting fro the field, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and one block in 18.7 minutes per outing. He also played in 16 games with the Houston Rockets this season before joining the Magic.
Carter-Williams played his collegiate ball at Syracuse University, where he earned Associated Press honorable mention All-American honors, as well as second-team All-Big East honors. After two seasons with the Orange, he decided to declare for the NBA Draft, where he became a No. 11 overall pick (Philadelphia 76ers). In his NBA debut, — a 114-110 win over the Miami Heat — he tallied 22 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals (the most steals ever made by a rookie in his debut).
Orlando signed Briscoe as a free agent on July, 6, 2018. He played in 39 games with the team this season, averaging 3.5 points, 2.2 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per contest.
The Magic are likely making this move in the event that they make the playoffs this season. Carter-Williams brings a lot of energy, and the team clearly wanted to keep him on-board. However, Orlando is currently just one-half game ahead the Miami Heat for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, so they'll need to keep their momentum rolling.
“So you are allowed two 10-days [contracts] and after that you have to sign the player to a contract for the rest of the season, which we will do with Michael,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman told the Orlando Sentinel.
“Beyond that, as far as setting a roster for the playoffs, that’s bad karma to talk about right now,” Weltman added. “Let’s make the playoffs; then we’ll talk about that.”
The Magic will be back in action on Friday night, when they'll serve as hosts to the Atlanta Hawks. Tip-off inside the Amway Center is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
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