The Magic signed second-round pick Izaiyah Nelson to a two-way contract, the team announced Wednesday night.
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Although Orlando didn’t disclose terms of the deal, Nelson’s two-way contract is for two years with the franchise that selected him No. 51 in last month’s NBA draft, a league source told the Orlando Sentinel.
It’s not uncommon for late second-round draft picks to sign two-way deals with teams, but the decision to do so also means the Magic still have one standard contract roster spot open following Wednesday’s free agent signings.
In addition to signing Nelson, the Magic re-signed center Colin Castleton to a two-way deal, the team said. Orlando had previously extended Castleton a two-way qualifying offer, which made him a restricted free agent, so his return was expected.
After signing Nelson and bringing back Castleton, the Magic have filled all three of their two-way spots. The team previously signed Alex Morales to a two-year, two-way contract in mid-Feb., rewarding the guard after he had spent the first four years of his career with Osceola, Orlando’s G League affiliate.
Two-way players go between the NBA and the G League, but they’re limited to being active for just 50 NBA games and can’t play in the playoffs.
After signing Nikola Vucevic, Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter earlier Wednesday to one-year veteran minimum deals, the Magic sit roughly $2.5 million under the second apron, a salary threshold set at $221,686,000 by the collective bargaining agreement.
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The Magic began last season with only 14 players signed to a standard contract (out of 15 available spots) and didn’t fill it until late-March when they converted Jamal Cain from a two-way contract to a standard deal. Orlando recently exercised the team option for the second year of Cain’s contract for him to return to the team for the upcoming season.
Orlando entered this year’s second round only with the No. 46 pick, but later completed a three-team trade with Washington and Milwaukee that netted the Magic both Nelson at No. 51 from the Wizards and cash considerations from the Bucks.
The 6-foot-9 forward, who turns 23 on Oct. 1, became the first player in American Athletic Conference history to be named the league’s player of the year, defensive player of the year and newcomer of the year when he transferred to USF after three years at Arkansas State.
Castleton spent last season on a two-way contract with Orlando but played more for Osceola. In four NBA games with Orlando, he averaged 1.3 points and 2 rebounds during 5.3 minutes per night. He also played in 18 regular season G League contests with Osceola, averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 2.1 assists and 1.17 blocks during 28.4 minutes per night.
The 6-foot-11 center, who finished his college career at the University of Florida, has appeared in 46 career NBA regular season games with the Lakers, Grizzlies, Raptors, Sixers and Magic.
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Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]