Why Orlando Magic's Four Free Agent Signings Could Be Significant

The Orlando Magic signed four free agents to Exhibit 10 contracts on Wednesday evening. Here's why it could be significant going forward.

Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley looks on during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at KIA Center. / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

In case you missed it, the Orlando Magic formally announced the signings of four free agents on Wednesday night – guard/forward Jarrett Culver, guard Myron Gardner, and forwards Jalen Slawson and Tre Scott.

However, because of Orlando's summer acquisitions of guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cory Joseph, plus the bringing back of multiple contributors, the Magic's 15-man NBA roster is already spoken for.

What Orlando does have, however, is two-way spots – two of them, to be exact. Trevelin Queen was announced to be back on a two-way deal with the Magic this year, but as rosters have three two-way spots, the Magic still have two to fill.

As far as two-way contracts go, it allows a player to split time between an NBA team and its G League affiliate. The slots don't count toward the 15-man roster, and they can be either one or two-years long.

Eligibility-wise, only players with less than four years of NBA experience are able to sign to such deals. They matter for their NBA clubs, however, as two-way players can be brought up to play in times of need. Should a player get hurt or miss time for other reasons, two-way players are often turned to as a serviceable fill-in for the time being.

Take Queen for example, who enters his fourth NBA season this year. The Magic had Queen on a two-way contract last season, and he played in 14 games for the team, but 16 games with G League affiliate Osceola. IN his two prior seasons with Houston and Indiana, Queen made appearances for both the NBA team and its G League affiliate throughout the year. As this will be Queen's fourth year of NBA experience, it is the last two-way contract he's eligible to sign.

So why do the Wednesday night signings of Culver, Gardner, Scott and Slawson matter? During the offseason, the size of an NBA roster can expand to 21 players. By signing Exhibit 10 contracts, the aforementioned players, with the exception of Culver, are essentially given a training camp invite and the chance to impress the front office enough to award them one of the two remaining coveted two-way spots.

Factoring in the 15-man roster, Queen's two-way deal and the four finalized signings from last night, Orlando has 20 of 21 spots accounted for. Reports surfaced last week indicating that reigning NBA G League MVP Mac McClung would be joining the Magic on a similar contract, meeting the Magic's cap of 21 players.

In Culver's case, as he came into the league as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, his previous NBA experience makes him ineligible for a two-way spot. But with Gardner, Scott, Slawson and McClung all vying for the final two two-way contracts Orlando can carry, training camp becomes that much more important for that quartet.

Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung dribbles up the floor. McClung was the 2024 NBA G League MVP with Orlando's G League affiliate. / NBA

Orlando plays four preseason games in the middle of camp, and the Magic will have to make decisions on who to potentially award spots to before the beginning of the regular season. Through camp, potential playing time in head coach Jamahl Mosley's rotation and otherwise, the four will have their chance to earn their keep.

Should the Magic not award a player a two-way contract, the Magic can then either waive them and designate them an affiliate player and retain G League rights, or another team can sign them.

As for the Osceola Magic, general manager Kevin Tiller has made three trades in the month of September to help potentially solidify the roster. Over the previous weeks, the Magic have traded for returning player rights for Robert Baker II, Javonte Smart and Ethan Thompson.

While they may not be on a two-way deal to begin, having the front office's eyes on them in their own building is important for their prospects of potentially making an NBA roster in the future.

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