Magic to sign Jonathan Isaac to new deal after waiving veteran days ago

Jason Beede, Orlando Sentinel on Jul 1, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Jonathan Isaac isn’t going anywhere.

The Magic signed the veteran forward to a new deal, the team announced on Wednesday.

While the team didn’t disclose details of the contract, Isaac signed a one-year deal, a league source told the Orlando Sentinel.

Orlando previously waived Isaac over the weekend to avoid fully guaranteeing his $14.5 million salary for the 2026-27 season. The Magic still owe Isaac $8 million in guaranteed money, but waiving him allowed the franchise to sign him on a new deal that would be team-friendly.

This past season, he only appeared in 52 games while missing the final 17 contests and the entire postseason because of a left knee sprain suffered in mid-March.

Orlando also had the option to waive-and-stretch Isaac, which would’ve resulted in the team paying him roughly $1.1 million per year over the next seven seasons and had given them a projected $13.4 million in immediate savings for the upcoming season. Had the Magic gone that route, however, the team wouldn’t have been allowed to bring Isaac back.

Instead, Isaac returns for one another year to the franchise that drafted him out of Florida State with the No. 6 pick in 2017.

The decision to bring back Isaac follows Orlando’s reported agreements Wednesday with former Magic center Nikola Vucevic and veteran guard Jevon Carter. The Magic also exercised their team option to retain forward Jamal Cain and recently drafted South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson.

The Magic officially announced the signings Wednesday afternoon. While most free agent signings can’t be formally shared by teams until the moratorium period ends at 12:01 p.m. on July 6, there are some exceptions, including veteran minimum contracts (which is what Carter, Vucevic and Isaac signed).

Isaac’s veteran minimum deal will incur a projected $2.4 million cap hit, which is similar to the contracts of Vucevic and Carter. Between the new veteran minimum contract and the $8 million still owed to Isaac, the Magic save about $4 million over what they would have paid by guaranteeing his original contract.

With the moves, the Magic only have one standard contract roster spot available, and they sit roughly $2.5 million below the second apron, a salary threshold set at $221,686,000 by the collective bargaining agreement. It’s not yet known whether Nelson will sign a standard contract or a two-way deal, the latter of which is common for late second-round picks.

Isaac originally entered the season with a contract protection that would’ve fully guaranteed his 2026-27 salary if he played 52 games, but he and the Magic amended that in the spring, creating the June 28 deadline instead.

For his career, Isaac averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game, but his nine years in the league have been plagued by injury. Still, he’s shown flashes as one of the league’s most versatile defenders throughout his tenure.