The Orlando Magic are continuing on in their path to sustained playoff contention. On Monday night, the Magic kept a member of their starting lineup for the long haul after coming to terms to a three-year, $59 million extension with Wendell Carter Jr., per Shams Charania of ESPN.

Carter still had two years left on his existing deal; he was set to make a total of around $22.7 million until the 2025-26 season, but his new contract with the Magic now takes his total salary to $82 million over the next five seasons.

This was the maximum amount that Carter could have signed in a three-year extension with the Magic as per the CBA rules, and now, Orlando has its starting center under contract until his age-29 season.

However, there is a bit of injury concern surrounding Carter following the Magic's latest preseason contest — a 106-104 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans. In the third quarter, Carter appeared to roll his ankle after contesting a shot from Daniel Theis, and he crumbled to the ground shortly after feeling the impact.

If there is anything Carter has struggled with throughout his career, it's staying healthy. He has missed at least 20 games in his six seasons thus far in the NBA, and over the past three campaigns, he has been absent for an average of 24 games. Given his shaky injury history, it was astute for him to secure a long-term deal with the Magic.

For the Magic, Carter is a valuable piece of the roster they're building. From a skillset standpoint, Carter is the ideal frontcourt partner for Paolo Banchero. The 25-year-old big man's biggest asset on offense is his ability to space the floor. Last season, he shot 37.4 percent from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts per game, a major boon for the spacing of one of the lowest-volume three-point shooting teams in the NBA.

The Magic have emphasized skilled size in their roster-building philosophy, which makes Carter's contract a bargain if he manages to stay healthy. That is a major if, however.

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Shaquille O'Neal of the Orlando Magic during the 1995 season at the Orlando Arena.
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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Magic boast arguably the league's best center rotation

When healthy, Wendell Carter Jr. figures to remain as the Magic's starting center. He may not be the flashiest starting center in the NBA, but he is as good of a complement the Magic have on their roster to their more ball-dominant forwards in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Even then, there is no pressure for the Magic to rush Carter back after his latest ankle injury, as Orlando boasts arguably the league's best center rotation.

Behind Carter in the rotation are two centers who can make a case for a larger role elsewhere. Moe Wagner and Goga Bitadze can do more than just hold down the fort for the Magic, and they have them under contract for multiple seasons. The Magic also have the roster versatility to trout out Banchero or Jonathan Isaac at the five if the need to do so ever arises.

The best part of this is that the Magic's centers each provide a different dimension to the team whenever they're on the court. Carter is a floor-spacer, Wagner has evolved into more than a hustle guy who gets under the opponents' skin (he is a dangerous roll-man who can make the occasional three-ball), while Bitadze is the best rim-protecting option among the three.