Magic sign Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac to contract extensions
The Orlando Magic have reached contract extensions with point guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac.
Fultz, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, has signed a three-year deal worth $50 million, while Isaac’s deal is for four years and $80 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Isaac was the sixth pick of the 2017 draft.
The new contracts will begin with the 2021-22 season.
“We are thrilled to keep both Markelle (Fultz) and Jonathan (Isaac) in a Magic uniform,” Magid president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a press release. “They both have a very bright future and they mean a lot to our organization, both on and off the court.”
Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac were among the 19 players who were still eligible to sign rookie-scale extensions before the season starts Tuesday. Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, and Kyle Kuzma already had signed new deals.
Teams had until 6 p.m. EST Monday to reach rookie-scale agreements with eligible players. These extensions can run for up to four — or five — years, with those contracts going into effect for the 2021-22 season.
Players who did not sign an extension will be eligible for restricted free agency in the 2021 offseason.
The Magic acquired Fultz in February 2019 for Jonathon Simmons and a 2020 second-round pick. Fultz missed the remainder of the season while recovering from a shoulder injury, then played in 72 of the team’s 73 regular-season games in 2019-20. Fultz was starting by the sixth game of the season.
Isaac began to emerge as one of the league’s elite defenders last season before a knee injury Jan. 1 halted his season. Isaac returned during the NBA restart and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat before sustaining an ACL tear in the same knee. He’s out for the upcoming season as he rehabs the surgically-repaired knee.
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This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Roy Parry at rparry@orlandosentinel.com