The Magic said on Friday that they had officially signed Noah Penda, a second-round pick.
The Orlando Sentinel found out that Orlando signed Penda under the second-round exception. Penda’s contract contains a team option for the fourth year, a non-guaranteed third year, and the first two years guaranteed.
Penda, a prospect who attracted the eye of the club’s front office during a tour to Europe last season, was selected by the Magic in the second round of last month’s NBA draft.
On the second day of the draft, Orlando traded Penda’s draft rights at No. 32 to Boston in return for the No. 46 and No. 57 picks and two more second-round selections.
With Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Elite, the premier professional league in his native France, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.38 steals in 30 games last season.
Following the selection in late June, Jeff Weltman, president of basketball operations for the Magic, stated that Noah is a very special player. He is 6-7 plus, has a wingspan of 7 feet, weighs roughly 250 pounds, and is very talented. Very good at passing, handling the ball, and playing defense.
“When we first saw him, he kind of struck us as a guy to flag for the rest of the season on one of our first trips to Europe this year,” Weltman continued. We have been keeping a tight eye on him.
Penda’s signing follows Orlando’s acquisition of Jase Richardson, a first-round pick taken with the 25th pick in the June draft.
Moe Wagner, a reserve center, was re-signed by the Magic on Friday. The team will have 14 players on normal contracts after Richardson, Penda, and Wagner inked contracts plus the anticipated addition of veteran guard Tyus Jones, who reached an agreement with Orlando earlier this week.
Following the Desmond Bane trade, the Magic are hard-capped at the first apron threshold ($195,945,000) under the league’s relatively new collective bargaining agreement. As a result, Orlando will not have the funds to fill the 15th standard roster spot this summer (unless they made a trade to dump salary).
To help with roster depth needs for the upcoming season, the Magic still have two two-way contracts available.
Orlando is expected to pay luxury tax for the first time since 2010–11 after making several significant summer squad changes.
Both Richardson and Penda fit Orlando’s future plans, even if they will have to prove themselves on the court as they join a team that has made it to the postseason twice in a row.
The two rookies are now formally signed to the Magic.
You can contact Jason Beede at [email protected].
