Magic Not Expected to Tender Offer to Mo Bamba: What Does That Mean for Orlando?

The first domino falls for the Magic's free agency spree.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 29, 2022

Magic Not Expected to Tender Offer to Mo Bamba: What Does That Mean for Orlando? /

ORLANDO - With free agency looming, the Orlando Magic's biggest decision comes Wednesday and whether or not to extend a qualifying offer to center Mo Bamba.

According to Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic is not expected to tender a qualifying offer, making Bamba an unrestricted free agent.

Bamba, the No. 6 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has had an up-and-down tenure with the team and faces restricted free agency this offseason.

However, Bamba is coming off a career-best season going into free agency. 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.

There is still a chance the Magic could sign Bamba, but he is garnering considerable interest around the league from several teams, including the Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors.

The decision to not bring back Bamba likely stems from drafting 6-10 forward Paolo Banchero and the emergence of Wendell Carter Jr. Last season, Carter Jr. averaged 15 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his first full year in Orlando. The team is also expected to have Jonathan Isaac return to the floor after injuries sidelined him for two straight seasons.

With several players in the frontcourt needing minutes, it makes sense for the Magic to allow Bamba to walk in unrestricted free agency and sign a player who makes less money to occupy that spot in the rotation.

Free agency officially begins Thursday at 6 p.m.

Published Jun 29, 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.