Magic Center Mo Bamba Re-Signs With Orlando: Details

Versatile big man Mo Bamba is staying with the Orlando Magic on a two-year deal.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 30, 2022

Magic Center Mo Bamba Re-Signs With Orlando: Details /

ORLANDO - The magic hasn't run out with Mo Bamba.

The Orlando Magic center signed with the team on a 2-year, $21 million deal, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The news comes days after the Magic declined to extend a qualifying offer for Bamba, making him an unrestricted free agent.

By not giving Bamba a qualifying offer, many expected the Magic to move on, but now the team will keep him in Central Florida for the next two seasons.

Bamba had interest from several teams around the league, including the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, but ultimately chose to re-sign with the Magic.

Bamba, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, had an up-and-down tenure with the team during the first four seasons of his career, mostly highlighted by confused positioning in the lineup and injuries.

However, Bamba enjoyed his career-best season last year with the Magic. The Texas product averaged 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 38.1 percent on threes in 25.7 minutes per game.

Bamba returns to Orlando and rejoins Wendell Carter Jr. in the frontcourt along with No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and Jonathan Isaac, who is expected to return after being sidelined for the past two seasons with injuries.

Last week, Bamba opted to give his No. 5 to Banchero and chose to wear No. 11, the number he wore during his high school days.

Published Jun 30, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.