Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black has shown great improvement since coming into the NBA, but is it convincing enough for the Orlando Magic to extend him?
The 2026-27 NBA season is fast approaching, and as teams around the league gear up for media days and training camp, Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black has yet to lock up an extension with the organization.
This season, Black will play on a $10.1 million club option, so there is still time for him to earn an extension. However, if he does not receive one this season, he will go into next season as a restricted free agent.
Black gave the Magic's front office a lot to think about last season when he took a significant jump as an offensive player. The 22-year-old former sixth overall pick appeared in 64 regular-season games, 40 of which were starts, and he averaged 15 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals, all of which were career-high marks.
Black became a legitimate sixth man and uplifted a bench that struggled, but he also had some struggles of his own. Black is still not a good 3-pointer shooter, and his free-throw percentage regressed from 76.1% in 2024-25 to 73.2% last season with increased volume.
Moreover, Black was not the best version of himself in the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons last season. Over seven games, he averaged 8.6 points while shooting 37% from the field.
With all this in mind, where does Black stand in terms of getting an extension from the team that drafted him? I discussed this topic recently with my colleague RJ Saunders of 1010XL Magic. Here is what I had to say:
"So, Black has taken pretty exponential jumps each of his first three years in the league. He came in as a rookie, and I believe he played in 69 games, made 33 starts, and only averaged 4.6 points per game. He had to work through those growing pains. Next season, after that, he increased his point average total by almost five, and then last year jumps up to 15.
So, he's growing as a scorer, and I really believe that under the guidance of former assistant God Shammgod, he was able to improve his handle, learn how to create his own shot, and we saw him legitimately take over games. I will never forget, RJ, that game against the Denver Nuggets two days after Christmas. He drops 38 and goes head-to-head with Joker, right? So the kid has it in him, but can he do it consistently, because there are other parts of his game that are lacking.
He's not a great perimeter shooter. He's pretty mediocre at the free-throw line, and he's still learning how to facilitate for his teammates. So I do think that an extension is out there. I know Keith Smith of Spotrac kind of envisioned him falling somewhere in the four-year, $80 million range, but if the Magic decide to keep him on ice, this is absolutely a prove-it year for the young man because next year he hits restricted free agency.
I believe he's on a $10 million club option this season, and he has to show what he can do because the last thing he wants to do — two different kinds of players — but end up like Jalen Duren. I believe that Magic series, and then when they play the Cavs, has cost him a lot of money, and we've seen the off-season drama that's going on between him and that organization. So, I think that this team can benefit from Anthony Black, but if they decide to wait, then it's on him to show why he is worth not just a roster spot, but big-time money for someone in a sixth-man position like he is in."
